ROMAN DRILL
Latin commands and how to
execute them
Oddly enough, no one bothered to write down the Latin commands used by the Roman army until ca. AD 580, when the East Roman Emperor Maurice Tiberius included them in his book Strategikon. This was well past they heyday of the Roman army and 450 years after the era we portray (AD 130-140), but as far as primary references go, it’s all we’ve got for actual commands. However, other ancient writers give accounts of Roman training methods, and putting the available evidence together with some basic common sense, we can attempt to recreate the Roman infantry drill.
This work has already been pioneered by the Ermine Street Guard, who fleshed out Maurice’s commands with some common-sense interpolations to create the drill most Roman reenactment groups use today. Further additions were made by Matt Amt of Legio XX Valeria Victrix in MD.
Ad signa:
Fall in. When you hear this command by the Centurio
(or the CO for the day), stop whatever you’re doing, pick up you shield and
pilum, and proceed to the vexillum and CO, forming a single shoulder-to-shoulder
rank facing them.
Silentium:
Silence. In other words, no chattering in the ranks.
Mandata captate:
Literally, “observe the orders.” This is the command we use for “attention!”
You stand straight, eyes front, shield held by its grip in the left hand, pilum
held vertically in the right first just below the square block.
Ordenem servate:
Keep your position. Or “stay put.” Infrequently used if at all.
Dirige frontem: Dress the ranks. Look down the rank to make sure everyone is in a straight
row. All shield bosses and the toes of your caligae should be lined up as
neatly as possible, about two feet between each shoulder (enough to do a “clina,”
or facing maneuver, without ramming into your buddy’s shield.
Laxate:
“At ease.” You may set your shield down and rest the butt spike of your pilum on
the ground. No slouching or chattering, though!
Ad gladium, clina:
[cleena] To the right (sword side), face! Push off with your left toe, pivot
on your right heel, and turn smartly to the right.
Ad scutum, clina:
To the left (shield side), face! Reverse of the above.
Transforma: About face. Normally done to the right, unless specified otherwise as in “ad scutum, transforma.” Put the point of your right (or left) toe on the ground
behind you, and pivot all the way around on the opposite heel.
Langia (ad dex/ad sin/ambas partes): Open ranks (to
right/left/both sides). Shift to one side or the other by one full arm-length.
Intra:
Half-rank fall back one pace. A very important command, this turns one rank
into two. Starting with the soldier on the far left, every other soldier takes
a step backward, then shifts to the right to stand directly behind the soldier
who had been to his right. If this sounds complicated, it’s easy enough to
demonstrate.
Exi:
[exee] The reverse of “intra” – the rear rank takes a step to the left and
then to the front to form a single rank again.
Iunge: [yungay] Close ranks. Usually, this command comes after an “Intra” to tighten
up the two ranks thus created.
Move: [moo-way] March. Start on your right [“dextra,” or “dex”] foot. By itself, it
means simply to march to the front. Proceeded by a “clina” command, as in “ad gladium clina—move!” it means to face the called-for direction, then step off to
the front. Keep step by calling out “dex…dex...dex, sin, dex…”
Accelera:
Speed up.
Tarda: Slow down
Ad dex / sin depone: [day-po-nay] Wheel to the right/left. These are some of the most impressive
maneuvers, if carried out properly. In a “ad dex depone” (wheel to the right),
the soldier on the far right becomes the “pivot.” He stops moving forward and
starts to rotate slowly while marching in place. This soldier, and all others
in the rank except for the one on the far left, looks to his left to make sure
he is even with the soldiers to his left; the soldier on the far left looks to
his right, so he can see the whole line, and controls the speed of the wheel. A
wheel to the left, of course, is simply the reverse.
Signo
sequute: [say-cue-tay] Follow
the standard (or leader). This works best when the rank (line abreast moving
forward) becomes a file (single file line moving forward), which can be
accomplished with a simple “clina” command. Basically, the front man in line
follows the leader and vexillum, and everyone behind follows the man in front of
him.
Sta: Halt. Stop on the second step after the command is uttered.
Muta
locum: Countermarch. This is a cool
maneuver in which one or two files marching forward double back on themselves
from the front. Difficult to describe, easy to demonstrate, so we’ll leave it
at that.
Ad
agmine: [ad ag-mi-nay] Form marching
column. Form one or two files. This is the standard marching formation, when
not under threat.
Ad
aciem: [ad ack-ee-em] Form battle-line.
This is a rank (or series of ranks) facing the enemy, shield to front, pilum
held in a light grip ready to cock and discharge. IT IS NOT A SHIELD WALL. The
Romans did not employ shield walls in their standard battle formation, but
advanced in an open formation with a gap of one-two feet between shields.
Ad
testudinem: [tes-too-di-nem] Form
testudo. This is widely considered the coolest of all Roman formations, useful
in siege mining or advancing under heavy missile fire from above. You need at
least six men to form a proper testudo, arranged in two here files of
two; nine or more (arranged in three ranks of three) is better. It’s amazingly
simple in concept: The guys in front draw their swords and hunker down behind
their shields, sword blades protruding from between their shields. The soldiers
behind raise their shields and hold them flat and horizontal over their own
heads and those of the guys in front of them. The formation tightens up to form
just what the name says—a “tortoise.” You then move forward in a halting
step—to keep everyone together, you can chant “RO-MA” or “STEP-DRAG” in unison. If properly done, this knocks the socks off of everyone in the audience.
Ad cuneum:
Form wedge. This is not quite what it sounds like. A “cuneum” is not one guy in
front, two guys behind, three behind him etc. to form a wedge-shape. It is
simply a “bent rank” with the soldier in the center (the Centurio, when
performed by the Ermine Street Guard), as the “apex.” This was apparently a
“charge attack” formation, though no one has still figured out exactly how it
worked, since the guy at the “apex” would very likely be more exposed than his
mates and quickly cut down.
Pila infige:
[in-fee-gay] Plant your pila (upright). Stick the butt spike in the earth.
Pila pone: [po-nay] Lay down your pila.
Pila tolle: [tol-lay] Pick up pila.
Pila iace:
[ee-ack-ay] With Legio VI, I’d like to suggest the following
sequence: “Pila parati” (everyone takes a half-step forward with the
left foot, gets the proper throwing grip, raises their pilae, cocks the arm); “Pila...
iace!” Starting on the right foot, take three strides forward,
releasing the pilum on the third (right foot) stride. In the same motion, the right arm comes down,
draws the sword, and extends it past the shield, and everyone comes to a halt
on the next step (left foot forward), preparing top charge or to
receive a charge. Properly executed, this is a spectacular
sequence!
Gladium stringe: [strin-gay] Draw swords. This command is not used after the pilum toss, as
you draw your sword in a natural sequence after discharging your pilum. The
command is used in preparation for a charge, or receiving a charge, when not in
possession of your pilum.
Parati: Ready (To charge). We face the enemy (or crowd), swords drawn.
Percute: [per-cute-tay]
Charge! Maintaining ranks, advance at double speed, sword
drawn, and ideally uttering a bloodthirsty battle cry.
Gladium reconde: Sheath swords.
Dimitto:
Dismissed.