Stage 26: Agricola
Diagram of a Legion
Organization of the Legion
Agricola, Governor of Britain
How We Know About Agricola
Diagram of a Legion
KEY
T=tesserarius
S=signifer
C=cornicen (horn player)
Each cohort had one of
each of these.
Each century had a centurion
and an optio.
Organization of the Legion
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A legion consisted of 10 cohorts-nine had 6
centuries (80 men each) led by a centurion
The first cohort was the most prestigious unit
and had 5 doubled centuries (160 men each)
commanded by centurions of the first rank
(primi ordines)
Each centurion was assisted by an optio
In each century there was also a signifer and
a tesserarius
Centurions
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Known as the backbone of the legion
Promoted because of their longevity, courage, and
ability
There were 60 total who were responsible for the
training and discipline of the century
Each centurion carried a vitis to show rank and to
punish his soldiers
The most senior centurion in the legion was the
primus pilus (at least 50 yrs old and had risen in
the ranks)
The primus pilus held office for one year and then
could either retire or become the praefectus
castrorum
The Senior Officers
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legatus-officer commanding a legion, member of the
Senate in Rome, in his mid thirties
The legatus was assisted by 6 military tribunes:
1. tribunus laticlavius-young man of noble birth
serving a military apprenticeship before a political
career; may continue on to be a legatus for 3 or 4
years or continue a civilian life
2-6. tribuni angusticlavii-members of a slightly
lower class (equites), in their mid thirties; usually
able, wealthy, educated men aiming at important
posts in the imperial administration; some returned
later to command cavalry units
Senior Officers cont’d.
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Senior officers only spent a short time in the
army, unlike the centurions and legionaries.
Had to rely on the centurions for advice,
although because of the organization, their
flaws did not hurt the operations of the army
Some officers were promoted based on
competency and became governors of
provinces
Agricola, Governor of Britain
Gaius Iulius Agricola was born is 40
AD in the Roman colony of Forum Iulii
(modern Frejus) in
southeast Gaul
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Family and Education
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Family: Agricola’s father was made a
senator by the emperor Tiberius, but later fell
out of favor with the Emperor Gaius Caligula
and was executed shortly after Agricola was
born
Education: went to school at Massilia
(Marseille)-an educational and cultural center
of southern Gaul; had a normal education of
sons of upper class Roman families-public
speaking and philosophy
Military and Political Career
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Military Service: at 18 he served in the Roman army in Britain as a
tribunus (58 to 62 AD);
*he used that time to become familiar with the province and the
soldiers were able to get to know him;
*witnessed the revolt of Boudica in 60 AD and the realities of war
Political Career: he continued a career in Rome from 62 AD until 70
AD where he was married to Domitia Decidiana;
*in 70 AD he returned to Britain to take command of the Twentieth
legion stationed at Viroconium (Wroxeter) which became
undisciplined and troublesome;
*his success was rewarded by a promotion to a governorship of
Aquitania in Gaul (75 AD);
*became a consul in Rome in 77 AD
*78 AD he returned to Britain for a third time, as governor of the
province
Governorship
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Governorship:
*completed the conquest of Wales against
the Ordovices
*fought a series of successful campaigns
in Scotland with a culminating victory at Mons
Graupius in the north of the Grampian
mountains
*extended the network of roads and forts
across northern Britain
*established the legionary fortress at Deva
(Chester)
Maps from the governorship of
Agricola
Romanization
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Agricola carried out an extensive Romanization
program
According to Tacitus “he encouraged individuals and
helped communities to build temples, fora, and houses
in the Roman style” and he made people realize that
under good laws it was better to live at peace with the
Romans than to rebel against them.
Tacitus tells of his education improvement plan:
Agricola arranged for the sons of British chiefs to receive a
broad education. He made it clear that he preferred the natural
abilities of the British to the skill and training of the Gauls. As a
result, instead of hating the language of the Romans, they became
eager to learn it.
After the Governorship
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Agricola was governor of Britain for 7 years (longer
than any other imperial Roman governor)
He accomplished the circumnavigation of Britain and
the area under Roman control was almost doubled
Agricola was recalled from Britain in 85 AD because
his successes outshone the Emperor Domitian's own
modest victories in Germany
Back in Rome, Agricola was given the honors of a
successful general-a statue and citation
He retired into private life on his family estates in
Gallia Narbonensis until his death in 93 AD at age 53
How We Know About Agricola
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His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae,
was the first published work of his son-in-law, the
historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what
is known about him.
An inscription was found on a lead pipe at Chester
which showed that the pipe was made in 79 AD,
when Vespasian and Titus were consuls and
Agricola was governor of Britain
An inscription was also found in the forum of
Verulamium but it is very fragmented.
DEFINITIONS
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Primi ordines-first rank senior centurions
Optio-The main function of an Optio was as an Optio centuriae,
the second-in-command of a centuria
Signifer-the standard bearer who carried the military emblem of
that unit. It was composed of a number of philarae (disks), along
with a number of other elements mounted on a pole, topped with a
leaf-shaped spear head or a manus (human hand) image. It
sometimes included a representation of a wreath, probably
denoting an honor or award.
Tesserarius-was a soldier in the Roman army who organized the
guards and was responsible for getting the watch words
(passwords) from the commander and seeing that it was kept safe
Vitis-a symbol of the rank of centurion, a cane which was used to
punish soldiers
Primus pilus-most senior centurion of the legion who was at least
50 years old and had worked his way up through the various
grades of centurion
DEFINITIONS cont’d
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Praefectus castrorum-commander of the camp, highest ranking
officer to serve his entire career in the army
Legatus-officer commanding a legion, member of the Senate in
Rome, in mid thirties
Tribunus laticlavius-senior tribune with a broad stripe who was a
young man of noble birth, serving his military apprenticeship
before starting a political career
Tribuni angusticlavii-tribunes with the narrow stripe; members of
the equites and in their thirties
Equites-The equites were the Roman middle class between the
upper class of patricians and the lower class of plebians. The
distinguishing mark of the equestrian class was a gold ring (that of
the patrician was of iron) and narrow black band on the tunic.
Tribunus-a title shared by 2–3 elected magistracies; derived
originally from the representatives of the tribes (tribus) into which
the Roman people were divided for military and voting purposes