When the Eagle Hunts [antikvár]

The Second Légion, like all legions, comprised somé five and a half thousand men. The basic unit was the century of eighty men commanded by a centurion with an optio acting as second in command. The century was divided into eightman sections which shared a room together in barracks and a tent when on campaign. Six centuries made up a cohort, and ten cohorts made up a légion, with the first cohort being double-size. Each légion was accompanied by a cavalry unit of one hundred and twenty men, divided into four squadrons, who served as scouts and messengers. In descending order the main ranks were: The legate was a man from an aristocratic background. Typically in his mid-thirties, the legate would command the légion for up to five years and hope to make something of a name for himself in order to enhance his subsequent political career. The camp prefect would be a grizzled veterán who would previously have been the chief centurion of the légion and was at the summit of a professional soldier's career. He was armed with vast experience and integrity, and to him would fali the command of the légion should the legate be absent or hors de combat. Six tribunes served as staff officers. These would be men in their early twenties serving in the army for the first time to gain administrative experience before taking up junior posts in civil administration. The senior tribüné was different. He was destined for high political office and eventual command of a légion.