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EspañolDECIMATION (ROMAN ARMY)
(Redirected from Decimation (Roman Army))
'Decimation' (Latin: ''decimatio'') was a form of extreme military discipline used by officers in the Roman Army to punish mutinous or cowardly soldiers. The word ''decimation'' is derived from Latin meaning ''"removal of a tenth."'' [1]
A cohort selected for punishment by 'decimation' was divided into groups of ten; each group cast lots (Sortition), and the soldier on whom the lot fell was executed by his nine comrades, often by stoning or clubbing. The remaining soldiers were given rations of barley instead of wheat and forced to sleep outside of the Roman encampment.
Because the punishment fell by lot, all soldiers in the selected cohort were eligible for execution, regardless of rank or distinction. As a result, the threat of decimation inspired fear and resolve in the Roman Legions. However, because a decimation significantly reduced the troop strength of an army, and because it damaged unit cohesion by requiring soldiers to kill their comrades in a close-up and personal way, it is believed that the punishment was rarely used.
The earliest documented decimation occurred in 471 B.C. during the Roman Republic's early wars against the Volsci and is recorded by Livy [1]. The practice was revived by Crassus in 71 B.C. in the Third Servile War against Spartacus. Julius Caesar is often reported as having used the practice on the 9th Legion during the war against Pompey, but this has been disproved.[2]
Decimation was still in practice during the Roman Empire, Suetonius records that it was used by Augustus in 17 B.C. [3], while Tacitus records that Lucius Apronius used decimation to punish a cohort of the III Augusta after their defeat by Tacfarinas in 20 B.C. [4]
In current English use, the word 'decimation' is commonly used to refer to an ''extreme'' reduction in the number of a population or force, usually greater than the one tenth specified above.
The current corporate managerial practice of rank and yank bears some similarities to this practice.
1. ''Ab urbe condita'', ii.59
2. Goldsworthy, ''Caesar: Life of a Colossus'', 407
3. Suetonius, ''Augustus'', 24
4. Tacitus, ''Annals'', 3
★ Lachesis (['lækəsɪs], Greek Λάχεσις — "allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life with her rod. Her Roman equivalent was Decima (the 'Tenth').
★ ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>/Decimatio.html Decimatio, article in Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities''
★ Did Julius Caesar Decimate a Legion?
'Decimation' (Latin: ''decimatio'') was a form of extreme military discipline used by officers in the Roman Army to punish mutinous or cowardly soldiers. The word ''decimation'' is derived from Latin meaning ''"removal of a tenth."'' [1]
| Contents |
| Procedure |
| Sources |
| Current usage |
| Notes |
| External links |
Procedure
A cohort selected for punishment by 'decimation' was divided into groups of ten; each group cast lots (Sortition), and the soldier on whom the lot fell was executed by his nine comrades, often by stoning or clubbing. The remaining soldiers were given rations of barley instead of wheat and forced to sleep outside of the Roman encampment.
Because the punishment fell by lot, all soldiers in the selected cohort were eligible for execution, regardless of rank or distinction. As a result, the threat of decimation inspired fear and resolve in the Roman Legions. However, because a decimation significantly reduced the troop strength of an army, and because it damaged unit cohesion by requiring soldiers to kill their comrades in a close-up and personal way, it is believed that the punishment was rarely used.
Sources
The earliest documented decimation occurred in 471 B.C. during the Roman Republic's early wars against the Volsci and is recorded by Livy [1]. The practice was revived by Crassus in 71 B.C. in the Third Servile War against Spartacus. Julius Caesar is often reported as having used the practice on the 9th Legion during the war against Pompey, but this has been disproved.[2]
Decimation was still in practice during the Roman Empire, Suetonius records that it was used by Augustus in 17 B.C. [3], while Tacitus records that Lucius Apronius used decimation to punish a cohort of the III Augusta after their defeat by Tacfarinas in 20 B.C. [4]
Current usage
In current English use, the word 'decimation' is commonly used to refer to an ''extreme'' reduction in the number of a population or force, usually greater than the one tenth specified above.
The current corporate managerial practice of rank and yank bears some similarities to this practice.
Notes
1. ''Ab urbe condita'', ii.59
2. Goldsworthy, ''Caesar: Life of a Colossus'', 407
3. Suetonius, ''Augustus'', 24
4. Tacitus, ''Annals'', 3
External links
★ Lachesis (['lækəsɪs], Greek Λάχεσις — "allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life with her rod. Her Roman equivalent was Decima (the 'Tenth').
★ ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>/Decimatio.html Decimatio, article in Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities''
★ Did Julius Caesar Decimate a Legion?
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