Tribal Assembly
A more prestigious position was that of a military tribune. In the early Roman Republic, 24 men at the age of around 20 were elected by the Tribal Assembly to serve as commanders on a rotating basis; each commander retained six tribunes on his staff. Tribunes could also be appointed by the consuls or by military commanders in the field as necessary. After the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC, the six tribunes acted as staff officers for the legionary "legatus" and were appointed tasks and command of units of troops whenever the need arose.