Contubernium

The contubernium ( Latin for " tent community", plural: Contubernia ) with usually eight men was the smallest organizational unit in the ancient Roman army ( in the early Republic, this was still the Decurie with ten men ).

Military importance

A contubernium shared not only a leather tent, but also hand-mill and mule drivers, and thus formed a household and fighting community. The soldiers were in the battle together, and probably formed a gang of eight men deep phalanx. They marched together, together prepared the food and schanzten in establishing a field fixing a portion of their Pila Muralia. In misdemeanors individual was punished often the whole group.

Until the army reorganization of the Emperor Hadrian, the contubernium had no senior rank, but was led by the elders of each service. Then the contubernium was increased to ten men, and led by a decanus. During this time the contubernium was also called Manipulus ( as part of the reorganization were the previous maniple as an organizational and tactical units away). During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI. ( 886-912 ) the contubernium counted 16 men.

In the state camps where pitched unlike the march camps no more tents, but solid, some multi-story troop barracks were built, the term was transferred to the regions inhabited by eight soldiers part of a troop barracks. Such Mannschaftsbarracke consisted of ten Contubernia and a Centurionenkopfbau in which the commander of the respective Centurie was housed. The contubernium itself consisted of a bedroom, also papilio (Latin tent) called, and an entrance hall, the arma (Latin weapons). The papiliones could be several floors and hearths reported on. The arma served primarily in keeping the weapons, but was also used as a horse stable when mounted units or for craft activities.

Civilian importance

In Roman law, the marriage contubernium today corresponds to " non-marital partnership ", between a slave and a slave or between a slave and a freedman. These were not recognized as legally valid marriages, which in particular meant that the resulting children had no family relationship with her father (and not to the mother, if this slave was ). One such compound required the consent of the slave owner, who this could be revoked at any time.

Not to be confused is the contubernium in this sense with the concubinage, a " de facto relationship " between free Roman citizens who had no intention to marry.