Primus Pilus

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The Primus Pilus was a member of a Roman legion.

In the late Roman republic, the cohort of which there were six to ten, became the basic tactical unit of the legions. The cohort was composed of five to eight centuries each led by a centurion assisted by an optio, a soldier who could read and write. The senior centurion of the legion and commander of the first cohort was called the primus pilus ("first rank"), a career soldier and advisor to the legate. While every normal cohort was composed of 5 to 8 centuries, the one that was led by the primus pilus (the first) had about 10 centuries, or 800 men. It also had "extra" men, who were cooks, clerks, etc. who didn't fight.

The Primus Pilus was so called because his own century was the javelin century (pilus) of the first cohort (primus). Only eight officers in a fully officered legion outranked the Primus Pilus: The legate (lēgātus legiōnis), commanding the legion; the senior tribune (tribunus laticlavus); the Camp Prefect (praefectus castrorum); and the five junior tribunes (tribūnī angusticlāviī).

In comparison to a modern military organization, centurions covered a whole range of ranks. Ordinary century commanders would be equivalent to a modern army lieutenants or captains. The senior centurions leading cohorts would be equivalent to lieutenant colonels. The Primus Pilus with his senior staff role might be considered equivalent to a modern colonel.