PEOPLE: Military Ranks

Here are a few systems.  Note that most pre-modern organizations had
a higher troop to leader ratio. (Modern US military is 1 leader per 3
troops, roughly. But WWII saw roughly 1:12 and WWI might see 1:25)

Note, the historical stuff is quick work, specifics can and did vary
and this may not be the most recent work.

I won't list the ranks structures from Comanthyr (for Myth Drannor)
or the various Cormyr books (for the purple Dragons) since so many
folks on the list likely already have them.

 From Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom (Mars) books:

Title           Unit            Size of Unit
--------------------------------------------
padwar          *utee           10 soldiers
dwar            utan            100 soldiers
teedwar         dar             1,000 soldiers
odwar           umak            10,000 soldiers
jedwar          *udur           army
jed             *ujed           armies of country or principality
jeddak          *ujeddak        armies of empire
*unattested in the books.


 From Space:1889 Soldier's Companion:

Oenotrian (Martian) Legions:

English Equivalent      Oenotrian Rank
----------------------------------------
Private                 Legionaire
Lieutenant              Bannerman
Captain                 First Sword
Major                   Swordmaster
Colonel                 Marchmaster [Legion Commander]
General                 General

The Oenotrians had no NCOs.

Ship crews might have a less formal structure. An Atheian Trireme at
Salamis carried:
170 Rowers
-62 Upper (thranite)
-54 Middle (zygite)
-54 Lower (thalamite)
10 Hoplites (middle class men with armor, hoplon shields, spears)
4 archers (often hired merc specialists)
15 deckhands (skilled sailors)
1 flautist (to keep time for rowers)
1 captain (trierarch)

Sparta #1 (from Thucydides)

Title           Unit            Mod Equiv.      Size
------------------------------------------------------
Enomotarch      Enomotia        Platoon         4 files of 8 men each [32 men]
Pentekonter     Pentekostys     Company         4 Enomotia [128 men]
Lochagos        Lochos          Battalion       4 Pentekostys [512 men]
7 Lochoi an army [3584 men]

Sparta #2 (from Xenophon)

Title           Unit            Mod Equiv.      Size
------------------------------------------------------
Enomotarch      Enomotia        Platoon         4 files of 8 men each [32 men]
Pentekonter     Pentekostys     Company         2 Enomotia [64 men]
Lochagos        Lochos          Battalion       2 Pentekostys [128 men]
Polemarch       Mora            Regiment        4 Lochoi (512 men)
An army comprised 6 Morae (3072 men)

Xenophon and Thucydides were both experienced generals who served in
the field, but both were Athenian.  Thucydides fought against the
Spartans, Xenophon fought under a Spartan General as a mercenary.

The Classical Athenian Army

10 Strategoi (Generals) elected yearly, could be (often were) reelected.
The Infantry was commanded by ten Taxiarchoi, with companies
commanded by Lochagoi.
The cavalry was commanded by two hipparchoi, and under them were ten
phylarchoi.
The Infantry and cavalry were both recruited according from the ten
Athenian 'tribes', in simple terms these were hereditary voting
districts.

In both Athenian and Spartan armies the hoplites were all 'leaders'
to a great extent, all coequal in many meaningful ways, especially
citizenship.  There were no real NCOs as we conceive them today.

The Macedonian Army, Infantry

Basic Unit the Syntagma, 256 men strong

Title           Unit            Size
-----------------------------------------
Enomotarch      1/4 File ldr    4 men
Hemilochites    1/2 File ldr    8 men
Ouragos         File XO         Rear of file
Lochogos        File CO         16 men, Front rank
Dilochites*     2 Files         32 men, front rank
Tetarch*        4 Files         64 men, front rank
Taxiarch*       8 files         128 men, front rank
Syntagmatarch*  16 files        256 men, front rank

The unit was followed by a herald, a signaller, an extra ouragos, and an aide.

*These positiosn acted as a Lochogos in command of one file, in
addition to commanding the other files.

Command here is a relative term. they fought in formation, and these
men were primarily charged with training, and in maintaining
formation in the phalanx.

Note, within the army social status often counted more than rank. One
of Alexander's 'Companions' would fight in a mounted group, but they
were all essentially officers and a Companion would likely out rank
even a Syntagmatarch.


The (simplified) Marian Roman Army

Roman Rank              Unit            Meaning
-------------------------------------------------------
Miles Gregarius                         Common Soldier ('legionnaire')
Miles Immunes                           Soldier with a skill (medic,
smith, ect)
Tesserarius                             Guard Sergeant
Optio                   Century         Executive officer, Century
Centurio*               Century         Commander, Century
Pilus Prior             Cohort          Commander, Cohort
Primi Ordines           Century         Senior centurians in the 1st cohort
Primus Pilus            Cohort          Commander, 1st Cohort
                                        (sort of a Sgt Major, also)
Praefectus Castorum     Legion          Camp prefect
Tribunis Angusticlavii  Legion          Staff officers of the Equestrian class
Tribunis Laticlavius    Legion          XO, Tribune of the Senatorial class
Legatus Legionis        Legion          CO, Senatorial Class

* Centurians were ranked by seniority:
Hastatus Posterior
Hastatus Prior
Princips Posterior
Princips Prior
Pilus Posterior
Pilus Prior - Commanded the Cohort.

~80 per century, 6 centuries per Cohort, 10 Cohorts per legion, plus
the First Cohort (5 centuries of ~120 men each)

So, Flavius might be a centurian, but that doesn't say much. But, if
you know he is Flavius, Princips Posterior of the 3rd Cohort of the
10th Legion, then you know a lot. :)

If he is just Flavius, Primus Pilus of the 10th Legion you know a lot as well.

A complicated system!


--
"...How shall a man judge what to do in such times?!"
"As he has ever judged," said Aragorn "Good and evil have not changed
since yesteryear..."
J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_

Paul Westermeyer,  pwestermeyer@????????.??.com