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Courtesy of Sander van Dorst.There were several different sorts of optio in the Roman army whose tasks and rank differed. The word itself means 'chosen man' and it was used for various soldiers and non commissioned officers.
In the infantry, both legionary and auxiliary, and the navy each centuria had an optio, at times called the optio centuriae or optio centurionis, who judging by his Greek name of ouragos served as a rearrank officer and took over the centurion's responsibilities when this officer was unavailable. This was a noncommissioned officer, an optio principalis, and received as duplicarius twice basic pay. Along with that of signifer, standardbearer, and that of cornicularius, administrator, this was one of the positions commonly held by soldiers before promotion to the centurionate. Individuals who were up for promotion could be called optio candidatus, - spei, - ad spem or - ad spem ordinis.
The duties of the optio as thus described in Vegetius:
Epitoma rei militaris 2.7
... Optiones ab adoptando appellati, quod antecedentibus aegritudine praepeditis hi tamquam adoptati eorum atque vicarii solent universa curare. ...
'The chosen men are called after their selection, for these use to take charge of all tasks in case of sickness and impediments of their superiors as the latter's men of choice and lieutenants'
Some of these tasks that were taken over are described later on:
ibidem 2.14... sicut centurio eligendus est magnis viribus, procera statura, qui dimicare gladio et scutum rotare doctissime noverit, qui omnem artem didicerit armaturae, vigilans sobrius agilis, magis ad facienda quae ei imperantur quam ad loquendum paratus, contubernales suos ad disciplinam retineat, ad armorum exercitium cogat, ut bene vestiti et calciati sint, ut arma omnium defricentur ac splendeant ...
'... just as the centurion is to be chosen with great strength, of a tall stature, who has learned expertly to fight with the sword and turn with the shield, who has learned every trick of the skill-at-arms, vigilant, sober and agile, more ready to do what he is told than to speak, holds his squaddies under discipline, keeps them at training with weapons, ensures that they are well dressed and shod, that the arms of all are being cleaned and are shining, ...'
The optio was distinguished by the use of a tipless spear with a round or mushroom shaped head used to keep the troops in order. Though in some publications it is stated that he was also recognisable by the use of two sideplumes there are no indications in the available sources that this was so. Depictions of Roman soldiers show that sideplumes were used by troops of differing rank, including rankers and cavalry standardbearers, and hardly limited to - or associated with the optio.
Other optiones with different responsibilities include:
Optio carceris (in charge of the prison)
Optio equitum (NCO in the legionary or praetorian cavalry)
Optio fabricae (in charge of workshop)
Optio navaliorum (in charge of boats)
Optio praetorii (in charge of headquarters)
Optio speculatorum (NCO of elite cavalry bodyguards)
Optio statorum (NCO of military constabulary)
Optio tribuni (assistant to tribune)
Optio valetudinarii (in charge of the hospital)
It is not known whether all of these were true NCO's or rankers with special responsibilities. Some functions in the Roman army were filled by men of varying rank and paygrade and until more evidence comes to light (eg an inscription with a more extensive career) for some of these optiones it remains uncertain how they fit in the hierarchy. The rank of optio seems to have been peculiar to citizen cavalry, the equites legionis and equites praetoriani and the speculatores, whereas in the auxilia comparable noncoms were usually simply named duplicarius after their pay grade.Some publications of interest:
Breeze, D.J., 'Paygrades and ranks below the centurionate' in: Journal of Roman Studies 61 (1971) 130-135.
Breeze, D.J., 'The career structure below the centurionate during the principate' in: Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen
Welt II-1 (Berlin-New York 1974), 435-451.
Breeze, D.J., 'The organisation of the career structure of the immunes and principales of the Roman army' in: Bonner Jahrbücher 174 (1974), 245-292.
Breeze, D.J., 'A note on the use of the titles Optio and Magister below the centurionate during the principate' in: Britannia 7 (1976), 127-133.
Speidel, M.P., The framework of an imperial legion (Cardiff 1992) 47p.
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