Cacula | Military servant. |
Caesim ferire | To slash (with a sword). |
Calceus | Shoe. boot. |
Calciarium | 'Shoe money'. bounty demanded by troops for prolonged marching. |
Caliga | Leather personnel carrier. military boot. |
Caligatus | Person wearing caligae . soldier, NCO or officer below the social rank of eques Romanus . |
Calo | Horse groom. military servant. |
Campicursio | Military exercise. |
Campidoctor | Drill instructor. |
Campigenus | 'Born at the exercise field'. elite legionary soldier. |
Campus | Cavalry training area. exercise field. |
Campus Martius | Field of Mars where during the republic troops were assembled prior to military campaigns. |
Canabae | Civilian settlement attached to military base. |
Candidatus | A - soldier awaiting promotion.
B - late Roman guardsman. |
Cannensis | The nickname of the soldiers who had survived the defeat at Cannae and were kept in service until Carthage was defeated in the Second Punic War. |
Capite censi | 'Head count'. citizens that could not meet the property demands required for military service. |
Capsa | Container with bandages and medical implements carried by medics. |
Capsarius | Medic. |
Caput contubernii | Head of tentparty. |
Caput porcinum | 'Boar's head'. attack column or wedge formation. |
Carcer | Prison cell. |
Carcerarius | Prison guard. |
Carroballista | Torsion artillery. |
Cassis | Helmet. |
Castellum | Fort. |
Castigatio | Corporal punishment. |
Castra | Camp. |
Castra aestiva | Summer campaigning camp. |
Castra hiberna | Winter base. |
Castra movere | To break camp. |
Castra peregrina | Military base at Rome for personel seconded from the provincial armies. |
Castra praetoria | Praetorian camp.
A - base of the praetorian guard at Rome established by Tiberius.
B - dense close ordered formation in the late Roman army. |
Castrense peculium | Possessions acquired by soldier during military service which remained outside the patria potestas . |
Cataphracta | Body armour. |
Cataphractarius | Heavily armoured cavalryman. |
Cataphractus | Heavily armoured cavalryman. |
Catapulta | 'Shield smasher'. torsion gun. |
Causarius | Soldier discharged for wounds or other medical reasons. |
Cedo alteram | 'Give me another'. nickname of a hated centurio killed in the Pannonian mutiny of AD 14 who used to break his vine sticks on the back of his men. |
Celeusta | Naval officer. |
Cenaticum | Provision of (money for) food. often extorted by soldiers billeted on civilians. |
Centenaria | Small fortification. |
Centenarius | Late Roman officer of equivalent rank as centurio . |
Centenus | Unit of nominally a hundred men. |
Centuria | 'Hundred'. military unit of some thirty to two hundred foot soldiers. |
Centurio | 'Commander of hundred'. centurion. officer. |
Centurio exercitator | Cavalry training officer. |
Centurio ordinarius/ordinatus | Centurion commanding a centuria . |
Centurio posterior | Second in command of a manipulus . |
Centurio prior | Senior centurion of a manipulus . |
Centurio regionarius | District centurion responsible for administration and law enforcement. |
Centurio speculatorum Augustorum | Officer attached to the speculatores of the praetorian guard. |
Centurio stratorum | Officer in charge of horse supply to the army which was at times placed in command of the pedites singulares . |
Centurio supernumerarius | Supernumerary centurion with special assignments. |
Cervus | 'Animal horn'. obstacle made of pointed stakes. |
Cetra | Shield. small Hispanic buckler. |
Cetratus | A - soldier equipped with a small shield.
B - skirmisher. |
Charax | Wall. |
Cheiroballistra | Torsion artillery. |
Chiliarchia | Unit of nominally a thousand men. |
Chiliarchos | 'Commander of a thousand'. Greek term for tribunus . |
Choortè | Cohort. |
Cibaria | Rations. |
Cibariator | Commissariat clerk. |
Cibus | Food. ration. |
Cinctus | 'Girded with sword belt'. combat ready. |
Cingulum | Late Roman military belt. |
Cingulum militare | Late Roman military belt. |
Circitor | Late Roman junior cavalry NCO originally tasked with making rounds to inspect sentries. |
Circumvallatio | Circumvallation. |
Civis Romanus | Roman citizen. |
Civium Romanorum | Epithet of auxiliary units that were either originally recruited from Roman citizens or had received a mass grant of the citizenship for outstanding service. |
Clades | Defeat. |
Clades Lolliana | 'Lollian defeat'. defeat of governor Lollius against invading Germanic tribesmen in 16 BC. |
Clades Variana | 'Varian defeat'. defeat of Varus in the Teutoburgian forest in 9 AD. |
Classiarius | Sailor. marine. |
Classicum | Military musical salute. |
Classis | A - part of population with military service obligations.
B - fleet. |
Classis Germanica | 'German fleet'. Rhine fleet. |
Classis praetoria | 'Praetorian fleet'. main naval fleet stationed at Ravenna or Misenum. |
Classis praetoria Ravennatium | 'Praetorian fleet of Ravenna'. main Roman fleet based in Adriatic Sea. |
Classis praetoria Misenatium | 'Praetorian fleet of Misenum'. main Roman fleet based in Tyrhenean Sea. |
Clavarium | 'Hobnail money'. allowance given to soldiers for purchase of extra nails when involved in prolonged marching. |
Clavis lignea | Wooden practice sword. |
Clavicula | Curved wall and ditch extension protecting a gate of a marching camp. |
Clavicularius | Guard stationed at the gate. |
Clavus | Tunic decoration. |
Clibanarius | 'Field oven man'. heavily armoured cavalry trooper. |
Clipeus | Buckler. |
Cognomen | (Honorary) nickname. |
Cohors | Military unit. |
Cohors alaria | Allied - or auxiliary unit. |
Cohors classica | Auxiliary unit originally formed of sailors and marines. |
Cohors equitata | Unit of auxiliary infantry with attached mounted squadrons. |
Cohors Germanorum | The unit of Germani custodes corporis . |
Cohors milliaria | 'Thousand strong unit'. military unit with an establishment strength of a 1000 soldiers. |
Cohors palatina | 'Palace unit'. tetrarchic title of cohors praetoria . |
Cohors peditata | Infantry unit. |
Cohors praetoria | A - bodyguard of a general during the republic.
B - unit of imperial guard. |
Cohors quingenaria | Military unit with an establishment strength of 500 men. |
Cohors speculatorum | Guard unit of Marcus Antonius composed of scouts. |
Cohors togata | Unit of praetorian guard in civilian dress tasked with duties within the pomerium . |
Cohors torquata | Auxiliary unit granted a torques . |
Cohors tumultuaria | Irregular auxiliary unit. |
Cohors urbana | Urban cohort. military police unit. |
Cohors vigilum | Cohort of the watchmen. unit of the police force annex fire brigade. |
Cohortalis | Soldier belonging to a cohors. |
Collega | Member of the same unit. |
Comes | 'Companion'.
A - friend of the emperor.
B - late Roman army commander
C - elite cavalryman. |
Comes domesticorum | Commander of the household troops. |
Comes domesticorum equitum | 'Count of the household cavalry'. late Roman guard cavalry commander. |
Comes rei militaris | 'Count of military affairs'. late Roman military commander. |
Comitatensis | Soldier belonging to late Roman field army. |
Comitatus | 'Following'. imperial field army of the third century AD. |
Comites dominorum nostrorum | 'Companions of our lords'. imperial horse guards from the tetrarchy. |
Comitia centuriata | Popular assembly based on ancient army structure of centuriae . |
Comitiatus | Senior officer elected by popular assembly. |
Commanipularis | Fellow soldier. brother in arms. |
Commoda | Discharge benefits. |
Commodiana | 'Commodus' own'. honorary unit title. |
Commeatus | Leave. |
Commentariensis | Legal staff administrator. |
Commentarii | Field commander's report to the senate. |
Commilito | Fellow soldier. |
Comminus | Close quarter fighting. |
Compar | Soldier of the same rank. |
Concha | ‘Seashell’. shipwreck. |
Concordia exercituum | 'Concord of the armies'. propaganda slogan used on coins. |
Conditorium | Depot. |
Conductor | Supply contractor. |
Congeries armorum | Pile of military equipment. |
Conquisitor | Recruiting officer. |
Consilium | Imperial advisory council. |
Consistorium | Late Roman imperial advisory council. |
Constitutio | Service regulation. Several sets of military constitutiones were formulated by emperors, among them augustus and hadrianus. |
Consul | Consul. highest magistrate in republican Rome commanding major military forces. |
Consularis | Former consul . |
Contarius | Heavy cavalry soldier armed with two handed pike. |
Contiro | Fellow recruit. |
Contubernalis | A - officer cadet.
B - squad member. |
Contubernium | Tentparty. group of soldiers sharing a tent. |
Contus | Spear. heavy two handed thrusting spear. |
Conubium | Legal marriage. |
Conveteranus | Fellow veteran. |
Copiae | A - military forces.
B - supplies. |
Cornicen | Horn-blower. |
Cornicularius | NCO with administrative duties. |
Cornu | A - horn.
B - wing of battle formation. |
Cornuti | 'Horned ones'. late Roman auxilium palatinum . |
Corona | Wreath or crown awarded as military decoration. |
Corona aurea | Gold crown. |
Corona civica | Wreath of oak leaves awarded for saving a fellow citizen's life. |
Corona exploratoria | Crown awarded to scouts. |
Corona graminea/obsidionalis | Grass crown awarded for saving an entire army. |
Corona muralis | Crown awarded to first man reaching the top of an enemy wall. |
Corona navalis | Naval crown. |
Corona vallaris | Crown awarded to first man on top of an enemy rampart. |
Corvus | 'Raven'. movable boarding bridge. |
Covinus | Celtic war-chariot. |
Cratis | Wickerwork shield. |
Crista | Helmet crest. |
Crista transversa | Transverse helmet crest used as recognition mark of centurion. |
Cuneus | 'Wedge'.
A - attack column or wedge formation.
B - cavalry unit. |
Cuneus equitum | Cavalry unit. |
Cura copiarum | Supply management. |
Cura explorationis | Responsibility for scouting. |
Curam agens | Soldier in charge. |
Curator | A - soldier, NCO or officer with special responsibilities.
B - supply administrator. |
Curator cohortis | Interim commander of auxiliary regiment. |
Curator Germanorum | Commander of the Germani custodes corporis , the imperial bodyguard. |
Curator operis armamentarii | Person in charge of arms supply. |
Curator veteranorum | Officer in charge of time served soldiers awaiting discharge. |
Cursores | 'Runners'. assault troops. |
Cursus clabularis | Wagon post. imperial wagon transportation service. |
Cursus honorum | The public career path of Roman nobles consisting of both civilian and military posts. |
Cursus publicus | Imperial posting system. |
Custos | Guard. guardian. sentry. |
Custos armorum | Soldier tasked with the registration and supply of weapons and equipment. |
Custos basilicae | Caretaker of training hall. |
