CENTURIA, cen-tier'-r-a, a division of the people (strictly a hunelred)among the Romans.
The Servian distribution of the people into Trib'us Rus'acce and 4 Trib'us Urbo'nce waa purely local ; but King Servius Tullius made a second division dependent on property, into Classes and Centuria, the whole citizens being regarded as an exer'citus, or army. The E'qUites (horsemen) consisted of 18 centurim. The Pedttes (infantry) were 5 classes : in the first were 8o centunze, 40 of seniors and 4o of juniors, the fortune of each being not less than icio,000 asses (lb., each of III oz. avoir dupois) of copper ; the second (not less than 75,000 asses) had az centurim, viz., to of seniors, to of juniors, and 2 Fab'riim; the third (not less than 5o,000 asses), 20 Cell turim (zo junior and zo senior) ; the fourth (not less than 25,000 asses), 22 centurim (to senior, xo junior, and 2 centurim Corni'cinum); the fifth (not less than 12,50o asses), 3o cen turim (x5 senior and 15 junior) ; and, not reckoned in the classes, one centuria of Er5 leta'rii (whose fortune was not above 1,5oo asses, were called out only in emergencies and armed by the state), and Cdifte Cen'si (those who, from lack of property, were "rated by the head "). The style of equipment depended on the class. The first class had a complete suit of bronze armour(giirea, elf'bus, oe'rs'a.), with a spear (has'ta) and sword (gItidites); the second had no cuirass, and carried a lighter oblong shield (scietum); the third had no greaves ; the fourth had only a has'ta and javelin (viri'Exim); and the fifth had only slings (fun'da) and stones (Zzi,ides xxxisse/es). In his first local distribution of
tribes Servius placed the patricians and ple beians on an equality ; but in the division into centurim and classes all political power was vested in the wealthy, for the people voted by centurim in order of classes, and the centurim of the Equites (q.v.) and first class outnumbered all the others. But as early at least as 396 B.c., it became customary to de cide by lot which centuria should vote first. The centuria on which the lot fell was called the centuria trire'rOgiiti'va and its vote, being taken as an indication of the will of heaven, generally decided the election. All the others voted in their proper order. (See COMITIA.) The divisions in the classes of centurim into senior and junior depended on the fitness of the members for war ; those in the juniors were from r7 to and in the seniors above 45. a. A subdivision in the army, the half of a manOW:is: its officer was centr277o, and was distinguished from the men by a branch of a vine which he carried in his hand. The century on the right of the maniple took pre cedence, and its centurio was called Prior, and the one on the left Postdrlor; the cen turio on the right of the maniple of Trigirli was Primile lus or Centiir'ro "rt. miir/i, and he guarded the standard (A'quila). The first centurion of the Prin'cIpes was Primus Frin'cefis, and the first of the Has ta'ti, Primus Hasa fur. (See Immo and