The Promotion of Centurions. Dacia's example
Ioniţă Petiş
- abstract -
The epigraphic sources are generous as regards legionary centurions who have contacts, in one way or another, with the roman province of Dacia. In the hierarchy of their rank, each centurion receives the position and the importance of his subordinate centuria. As regards the promotion, it's taking place on the strict passage (prior or posterior) of every battle line (hastati, principes and triarii) from the X-th to the I-st cohort.
From more than 110 legionary centurions attested in Dacia, I have identified 30 of them for who the epigraphic sources reveal aspects of their careers regarding advancements and transfers. For these centurions there are infomations about more than one legion where they served as centurions or about positions requiring this rank (in legions, auxiliary troups or in Rome's cohorts). Looking on the Roman Empire's map, we can notice the directions of transfers following in the main the strong militarized regions upon the Danube and Rhine and than those from Orient or Britannia. The transfer and the advancement may have took place in the same province or even in the same legion (if there is just an advancement - see no. 5 M. Aurelius Claudianus), but often involved the exchange of province or even of the empire's region.
In conclusion, can be assert that the centurions' advancement and transfer, as parts of the same process, observe criteria of competence, experience, age, social rank or professional relations and, not at last, depend on necessities.