centuriae

Centuriae, the plural of centuria, is a Latin term meaning groups of a hundred. It is used in several related contexts in ancient Rome to denote units of organization, administration, and measurement.

In the military sense, a centuria was the basic unit of the Roman army and was commanded by a centurion. Its size varied over time, typically around 80 men in the early Republic, with some periods approaching roughly 100. A number of centuriae formed a cohort, and cohorts together comprised a legion. The centurion was responsible for command, discipline, and training within the unit.

In politics and law, the Comitia Centuriata, or centuriate assembly, organized Roman citizens into centuries for voting. These centuries acted as electoral constituencies, and the assembly elected senior magistrates such as consuls and praetors, and could pass laws. The centuries were arranged in classes tied to property and wealth, a structure that tended to give greater influence to the more affluent members of society.

In land administration, centuriation refers to a systematic method of surveying and dividing conquered territory into regular parcels called centuriae for distribution to veterans and colonists. This grid-like layout facilitated settlement, taxation, and provincial administration and is a key feature studied in Roman geography and archaeology.

Other uses include appearances in inscriptions and historiography where centuria denotes a hundred or a group of a hundred people or units; the term influenced later Latin usage and scholarly terminology. Etymologically, centuria derives from centum, meaning hundred.