Legion
A legion is a horde or a large number of people or things. It was originally a term for a military unit. In Roman times, a legion was a large unit of men in the army, and the word is still used in many militaries, but also by groups and organisations.
Roman legions
Its basic unit was the century, which comprised eighty men, divided into ten sections (contubernia) of eight, who shared either a barrack room or tent. Six centuries of eighty men formed a cohort, and ten cohorts made up a legion, the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with 300 cavalry (equites).
After the Marian Reforms and during the Principate period of the Roman empire, each legion numbered approximately 5,200 men, sometimes rising to 6,000. This diminished to as few as 1,000 men during the empire's twilight years up to the Fall of Rome.[1] At the height of power of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes under Hermann destroyed three legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in Germania.
See also
External links
In German
- Königlich Deutsche Legion (King’s German Legion)
- Russisch-Deutsche Legion
- Ostlegionen
- Kroatische Legion
- Lettische Legion
- Legion „Freies Indien“
- Schwarze Legion (Black Brunswickers)