The
contubernium was the smallest organized unit of
soldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s in the
Roman ArmyFrom its origin as a city-state in Italy in the 8th century BC, to its rise as an empire covering much of Eurasia and North Africa and fall in the 5th century AD, the political history of Ancient Rome was typically closely entwined with its military history...
and was composed of eight legionaries, comparable to the modern
squadIn military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
, known as an
octetAn octet is a group consisting of eight elements. It has several specific meanings:* Octet , a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments....
. It was led by a
Decanus, the equivalent of a junior
non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer , abbreviated to NCO or Non-com , is a term in many armed forces indicating leadership ranks less senior than commissioned officers...
. Two auxiliary "servants" (actually comparable to modern support troops) were assigned to each octet. They were responsible for the care of the octet's pack mule, making sure the legionaries had water during the march, and often had special skills like
blacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce things like wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious...
ing or
carpentryA carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who performs carpentry. Carpenters work with wood to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
.
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The
contubernium was the smallest organized unit of
soldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s in the
Roman ArmyFrom its origin as a city-state in Italy in the 8th century BC, to its rise as an empire covering much of Eurasia and North Africa and fall in the 5th century AD, the political history of Ancient Rome was typically closely entwined with its military history...
and was composed of eight legionaries, comparable to the modern
squadIn military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
, known as an
octetAn octet is a group consisting of eight elements. It has several specific meanings:* Octet , a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments....
. It was led by a
Decanus, the equivalent of a junior
non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer , abbreviated to NCO or Non-com , is a term in many armed forces indicating leadership ranks less senior than commissioned officers...
. Two auxiliary "servants" (actually comparable to modern support troops) were assigned to each octet. They were responsible for the care of the octet's pack mule, making sure the legionaries had water during the march, and often had special skills like
blacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce things like wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious...
ing or
carpentryA carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who performs carpentry. Carpenters work with wood to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. Ten contubernia were grouped into a
centuriaCenturia is a Latin substantive from the stem centum , denoting units consisting of 100 men. It also denotes a Roman unit of land area: 1 centuria = 100 heredia...
.
Soldiers of a contubernium shared a
tentA tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
, and could be rewarded or punished together as a unit.
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