There is no direct equivalent to the Roman Military rank system and today's. Roman ranks, especially when getting to the top ranks, tended to be a mixture of civil and political as well as military positions. These positions changed over time from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire The following is a rough ordering of these ranks and a very rough equivalent of today's military ranks. Legate (roughly equal to General) Tribune (similarly to an Executive Officer (XO). Second in Command) Prefect (Military Administrator about what a modern-day Adjutant is) Primas Pilus (The Senior Centurion) Centurion (Commander of a Centuria of 80 men) Princepales (smilitar to Non-Commissioned Officers today (NCOs)) Aquilifier (Legionary Standard-Bearer) Signifer (Paymaster and Standard-Bearer) Miles (Common Soldier, i.e.. Private today) There are a number of other ranks which have been left out for simplification. To better understand these and the many other ranks within the Roman Army, check out the following links: http://members.tripod.com/~S_van_Dorst/legio.html http://www.geocities.com/sionmc/legion/gloss.htm http://www.mmdtkw.org/09-01RomanTroops.jpg http://www.unrv.com/military/legion.php

Contubernium: (tent group) consisted of 8 men. Centuria: (century) was made up of 10 contubernium with a total of 80 men commanded by a centurion Cohorts: (cohort) included 6 centuriae or a total of 480 fighting men, not including officers. In addition the first cohort was double strength but with only 5 centuriae instead of the normal 6. Legio: (Legion) consisted of 10 cohorts.Additionally each Legion had a 120 man Alae (cavalry unit) called the Eques Legionis permanently attached to it possibly to be used as scouts and messengers. The basic designation of the 10 cohors was the same throughout all the Legions. They were arranged in battle so that the strongest and weakest units would be mixed throughout the formation maximizing moral and effectiveness Cohort I: Was made up of the elite troops. Its direct commander was the Primus Pilus, the highest ranking and most respected of all the Centurions. The First Cohort totaling 800 men (5 double-strength centuries with 160 men each) 9 Cohors (with 6 centuries at 80 men each) for a total 4,320, and an additional 120 man cavalry for a grand total of 5,240 men not including all the officers. Cohort II: Consisted of some of the weaker or newest troops. Cohort III: No special designation for this unit. Cohort IV: Another of the four weak cohorts. Cohort V: Again, no special designation. Cohort VI: Made up of "The Finest of the Young Men". Cohort VII: One of the four weak cohorts and a likely place to find trainees and raw recruits. Cohort VIII: Contained "The Selected Troops". Cohort IX: One of the four weak cohorts and a likely place to find trainees and raw recruits. Cohort X: Made up of "The Good Troops".