Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Centurion" in English language version.
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No one is making the claim that a Roman centurion was solely an NCO. He was not; he held a commission. But these 'formidable men combined the function and prestige of a modern company commander and sergeant-major.'
The highest rank open to lower-class citizens was that of centurion. The origin and career of a centurion was similar to that of a modern noncommissioned officer, but the centurion's responsibilities were closer to that of a modern company commander.
The centurion commanding the 1st Century of the 1st Cohort was the commanding centurion of the legion, the primus pilus, and would have been Chief Captain. [...] The other five centurions in the 1st Cohort [...] would have been regarded as senior captains. The remaining fifty-four centurions were classified in the following manner: The centurion commanding the 1st Century of the remaining nine cohorts [...] would have held the rank of Senior Captain. The remaining forty-five centurions within the legion [...] would have held the rank of Junior Captain.
In modern terms, we might characterize the legionary centurionate as a large and stratified organization of 'warrant officers', holding all appointments between platoon and battalion commands.
