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In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (sɛnˈtjʊəriən; centurio kɛn̪ˈt̪ʊrioː, (). centuriones; kentyríōn, or hekatóntarkhos), was a commander, nominally of a century (centuria), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most of the imperial era was reduced to 80 men. In a Roman legion, centuries were grouped into cohorts and commanded by their senior-most centurion. The prestigious first cohort was led by the primus pilus, analogous to a junior officer, the most senior centurion in the legion who fulfilled the role of staff officer and senior enlisted advisor and its fourth-in-command who was next in line for promotion to Praefectus Castrorum, and the primi ordines who were the centurions of the first cohort. A centurion's symbol of office was the vine staff, with which they disciplined even Roman citizens, who were otherwise legally protected from corporal punishment by the Porcian Laws. Centurions also served in the Roman navy. They were professional officers, analogous to a modern NCOs in terms of pay-grade, prestige and responsibilities. In Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Byzantine army's centurions were also known by the name kentarch (Kentarches). In the Roman infantry, the centurions commanded a centuria or "century". During the Mid-Republic these centuries were grouped in pairs to make up a maniple, each century consisting of 30–60 men. After the so-called "Marian reforms", a century was typically composed of around 80 men, with six such centuries forming a legionary cohort. Later, generals and emperors further manipulated these numbers with double and half-strength units. Julius Caesar, for instance, made the first cohort of five double strength centuries. Centurions received a much higher rate of pay than the average legionary. Veteran legionaries often worked as tenants of their former centurions.

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