Sold into Freedom’s hero is Quintus, a military tribune.
In Rome’s earliest history, all Roman citizens were contained in three tribes organized by Romulus (8th century BC). Each tribe was headed by a tribune. There was no standing army, so each tribe sent one commander when an army was mustered.
In Imperial times, military tribunes were the six most senior officers in a legion of the Roman army. They ranked below the legate (general, commander of a legion) and above the centurions. In practice, this was more a political position than a military rank.
Six tribunes were posted to a legion. As officers, tribunes wore finer armor and a cloak which distinguished them from ordinary legionaries. Tribunes had many administrative and logistics responsibilities: managing the legion’s’ food supply, overseeing the general health of the legionaries, and assuring the security of the camp. Tribunes also conducted courts-martial—imposing fines, reducing pay, ordering corporal punishment, and even declaring the death penalty. A number of clerical assistants prepared reports, records, and rosters.
There were two types of tribune. The second-in-command to the legate was the “broad-stripe” tribune (so-called because of the wide stripe on his tunic and toga). These sons of senators began their military service in their late teens or early twenties, watching and emulating the actions of the legate. They could lead the unit in the absence of a legate, though most had little military experience since tribune was the first step in a long ladder of political positions. After a year they moved on.
A tribune in uniform.
The other five tribunes were ‘thin-stripe’ tribunes, lower in rank, and from Equestrian families. Tribune was the second in a set of three required positions, so unlike the senior tribunes, they usually had several years’ military experience, yet no authority in battle. They were in charge of the troops’ welfare and discipline, but not tactics. When they finished their three posts, they were in their mid-thirties and some moved on to administrative posts in the Empire.
As is true today, both wide- and thin-stripe tribunes could simply put in their time until they returned to civilian life, or take advantage of the lessons and experience available to them.
After all, Julius Caesar started out as a tribune, and look what he learned.