Summary:
the most essential troops of the Roman army were the soldiers who served in the legions. These legionary soldiers were all Roman citizens and full time professionals. They had signed to be in the army for 25 years. These soldiers were highly trained in infantry warfare.
'Life for a legionary soldier was difficult and lacking in reward.' To what extent do you agree with this opinion"
Maybe the most essential troops of the Roman army were the soldiers who served in the legions. These legionary soldiers were all Roman citizens and full time professionals. They had signed to be in the army for 25 years. These soldiers were highly trained in infantry warfare, and usually, were skilled in other things.
A Roman legion consisted of about 5,000 foot soldiers. They were more than capable of constructing forts and camps. They also manufactured their own weapons and equipment in addition to building roads.
I think that the life of a legionary soldier was very difficult. Firstly, the problems with recruitment made life hard for a Legionary soldier. Before a soldier could be accepted into the army he had to have an interview (probatio) and also a medical examination. Passing these tests was quite difficult as the man had to be a Roman citizen, or the son of a soldier. Also, the medical had to prove that the man was at least 5ft 8in tall, have good eyesight and to be in excellent physical shape.
When a man enlisted to join the army, a letter like the following would help him get an interview:
To Julius Domitius, legionary tribune
From Aurelius Archelaus, his orderly
Greetings. I have recommended my friend Theon to you before and I beg you once again to look on him as you do me. For he is the kind of man you like... I beg you to let him have an introduction to you and he can tell you all about our business himself. Keep this letter in front of you, Sir, and imagine that I am addressing you in person, Goodbye.
Papyrus Oxrhynchus 1.32
This letter shows that it was hard to get an interview with the legionary tribune in order to be accepted. The fact that Theon has already asked for an interview and been rejected shows that the army were not willing to accept anybody for an interview. This problem with recruitment made life difficult to get into the army.
If a soldier managed to pass the medical and interview then he had to take a special oath (sacramentum). In this oath he swore:
'to perform with enthusiasm whatever the Emperor commands, never to desert, and not to shrink from death on behalf of the Roman state'.
Vegetius 2.5
This shows that the army was extremely strict and wanted the soldiers to be motivated and alert at all times. This would have proved, I think, hard for a legionary soldier, as at times they would be tired and maybe home sick.
The army tended to favour recruits who came from certain trades such as blacksmiths, wagon-makers, butchers and huntsmen. This made life difficult for the men who wanted to be legionary soldiers who were confectioners or weavers.
A new recruit, after being accepted and sworn into the army, would then begin the hard and strenuous training. This training was thorough, systematic and extremely hard. It made life physically and mentally difficult for the new recruit. First, the soldier had to learn how to march at the regulation pace for distances of up to 24 Roman miles (about 35 kilometres). This march would have been at about 4 miles per hour, which would have been very tough for the soldiers to march at this rate a constant speed, under pressure.
The Roman writer, Vegetius, who wrote towards the end of the 4th century AD, describes the training:
' At the beginning of their training recruits must be taught the marching step. For nothing is so important on the march or in the field as all the men keeping their marching ranks. They will only learn to march quickly and in time with continuous practise . . . And so in the summer months they must complete a march of 20 miles in 5 hours at normal marching speed. When they march at the faster speed they must cover a distance of 24 miles in the same time.'
Vegetius 1.9
This is evidence of the vigorous and hard training the soldiers had to go through. It shows that the soldiers were forced to march in the summer months, when the weather was extremely hot, which would have made marching exhausting and exceptionally difficult. Considering the opposite extreme, however, the colder months would have been just as difficult to endure for the soldiers. For example, if the soldiers were in a colder country, like Roman Britain, the winter training would have taken effort and willpower.
To increase the soldiers' physical fitness, they were also made to participate in running, jumping, swimming and carrying heavy packs, containing 3 days rations, cooking pots, an axe for felling trees, a sickle for cutting corn or clearing a path, a basket for shifting earth, a spade for digging ditches, a saw, a chain and a rope. It is obvious that with all of this weight to carry the soldiers would have endured a lot of painful and strenuous exercise in order to fit in to the army's expectations.
Next, the soldiers were introduced to weapon training. They started with wooden swords and wicker shields. The soldier learned how to hold the shield properly and also how to attack a dummy with the wooden shield correctly. It took a long time to master the skills, which made it a long and probably tiresome process for the soldiers. After the soldiers had mastered the skills with the wooden swords and the wicker shields, they progressed to the real thing and probably used a leather tip at the point of the shield. The soldiers also learned how to use the javelin (pilum).
This made life extremely tough on the soldier as this training began with route marches on which the soldiers had to carry their heavy body armour and weapons, but also rations of food, together with equipment for making an overnight camp like a saw, an axe and also a basket for moving earth. A statue of a legionary soldier, probably built in the first or second century AD, shows the soldier in armour:
'Along the cliffs, I saw the enemy troops, heavily armed'
Julius Caesar, 55BC
The quote above creates the image of how life for the soldiers about to go into battle was extremely tough and frightening. It shows how scared the soldiers must have been heading straight into danger and possible death.
A trumpet was sounded three times before the legion began to go into a battle. I would imagine that when the soldiers heard this trumpet some would have been extremely frightened and scared and nervous.
'Then came the standards with the eagle at the centre. The eagle goes in front of every legion because they look upon it as the king and the bravest of birds, and a symbol of their imperial power. After the sacred standards came the trumpeters, and behind them the legionaries marching six abreast under the command as usual of a centurion.'
Josephus The Jewish War III 6
This quote tells us the order in which Vespasian's army entered the battlefield during the Roman campaign against the Jews in Palestine. It states that the legionary soldiers were the last to march onto the battlefield. Also, they are the only people who are under command of a centurion, which means that they were constantly being watched and so they had to always do their absolute best in battle. The only people that came after the legionary soldiers were the slaves. This may have made life difficult for the legionary soldiers. Not only would this have made them feel unimportant, as they were being watched by a centurion, but none of them could appear to be afraid and they all had to do exactly what the centurion ordered. This must have been very hard, tense and difficult for the soldiers.
The troops attacking an enemy town needed to be protected from the missiles being hurled at them by the defenders. These missiles would often be very heavy stones; flaming arrows or they would pour boiling water over the heads of the attackers. To protect themselves, the legionaries were ordered to close ranks and form a testudo; a tortoise-like formation. To do this, the legionaries had to close ranks and form a rectangular formation. Then, they would use their shields to protect themselves. The men on the outside of the formation would hold their shields outwards and the men on the inside would hold their shields so that they were facing upwards, above their heads. The interlocking shields would protect the soldiers from enemy missiles. Although this was a clever and effective way of defending themselves from the enemy missiles, it would have been hard for the legionary soldiers because it was hard to see where they were walking and it would have felt very claustrophobic.
The battlefield would have been a very hard and frightening place for the soldiers; being forced to fight the way the centurion in command ordered.
A Jewish writer called Josephus, who was captured by the Romans and watched them fight, said,
'Their training was like a battle field and their battles bloody exercises'.
Josephus 'The Jewish War' 111 72-75
This shows that the battles were terrifying, even though the soldiers were prepared and ready.
Life in camp would have been tough on the legionary soldiers. When the soldiers were not out on exercises, route marches or campaigns, they were busy in the camp with drill and various duties. The soldiers had to help with the stores, clean and repair equipment and do lots of different chores like cleaning windows, cleaning the bathhouse or moving sand. Also, each soldier was expected to take his turn at guard and sentry duty. The soldiers would hardly get any rest in this busy camp life, which made their life tough.
We know, from a record of the duty roster for a unit serving in Egypt when Domitian was emperor in about 90AD, which a soldier called Marcus Arrius Niger was on barrack duty for a whole week. Barrack duty was one kind of punishment for minor offences; perhaps Marcus had not cleaned his equipment or had been sloppy on parade.
Another example of difficult life on camp was Publius Clodius Secundus; he had been forced to clean the centurion's boots for three days running.
This evidence shows that life in camp could be strict and hard work for the soldiers.
Soldiers were not legally allowed to marry while serving. This could make life very lonely and difficult for a legionary soldier.
A legionary soldier's life was, I think, lacking I reward. In both war and peacetime, a soldier would receive the same rate of pay. The annual pay was about 225 denarii. But, the soldier did not receive all of this money at hand. After deductions for food, clothing, equipment and subscriptions to a burial fund, he was probably left with less than half of his original pay. This was not very rewarding.
The possibility of promotion was statistically very small for a legionary soldier. Most legionary soldiers would work for their 25 years and then receive no reward. Some would even die before these 25 years were over.
Although I think that, overall, life as a legionary soldier was difficult and lacking in reward, there were some positive aspects to life as a legionary soldier.
Firstly, the results of the training, although difficult, were positive. The soldiers got in better physical shape and found tasks easier and easier to complete the more they practised. For example, Vegetius describes the training when the recruit went on route marches in full armour and carrying his weapons and equipment:
'The young soldier must be given frequent practise in carrying loads of up to sixty pounds while marching at the normal speed, because on difficult campaigns they will have to carry their rations as well as their weapons. This is not difficult if they get enough practise.'
Vegetius 1.19
This shows that although the initial training was hard, the good side was that the more the soldiers practised, the better they became at the physical tasks at hand.
The vigorous training did make the soldiers disciplined and efficient, preparing them for battle well.
In battle, the soldiers had been taught many techniques to prevent them from getting injured. To save the soldiers from being injured by missiles thrown by the enemy, the soldiers were ordered to make a tortoise like shape. This protected the soldiers extremely well and was an efficient way of preventing injury. It is even said that the strength of this testudo was tested by riding a chariot over it. This means that the army ensured that the legionary soldiers were as safe as possible.
During the siege of Marseilles, Caesar describes how the soldiers cleverly built a 'tortoise', which was a moveable covered gallery, in order to trick the enemy,
'The soldiers attacking the right-hand part of the town built a brick tower 30 feet square with walls 5 feet thick. They built the tower up as high as the first floor and covered the roof of it with bricks and clay and two pads of rags on top so that javelins from enemy ballistas could not break through the timbers'
Caesar The Civil War 11
This quote tells us that life in battle for the soldiers could have been quite easy because they had clever tactics and were able to use cunning devices to their advantage.
On the battlefield there were medical orderlies available for the soldiers, which made the battlefield safer because if a soldier was injured they could be looked after by a medical orderly.
-
The glory of winning a battle must have made the soldiers lives better because they would have felt proud to win. For example, when a victorious general and his army returned to Rome, they were usually given a triumphal procession. The general rode at the head of his army at the front of the procession, followed by his troops. It must have felt wonderful for the legionary soldiers to walk in procession behind their general while the crowds in the streets cheered happily and threw flowers on the path. This would have made a soldier's life very rewarding.
Of course, during peacetime, there was no need to go onto the battlefield so a soldier could have spent most of his service in the camp, not fighting. This would have made his life easier because his life would not have been in any danger.
Although, the camps were quite strict with the duties, which had to be done in the day, at the end of the day, when he came off duty, the soldier could relax with friends.
The camps also gave the soldiers a purpose to life, so they had a routine and structure. They were also in a community where they had something in common with everybody around them; this would have had a positive effect on the soldier. Some would get together for a game like backgammon played with dice and counters on a board. Some may gamble with dice, while others may write a letter home to their family or friends, or read letters that they themselves had received. This letter was found at Vindolanda:
'I have sent you (some) pairs of socks, 2 pairs of sandals made in Sattia, and 2 pairs of underpants. Say hello to my friends and all your mess-mates. I pray that you and they may enjoy a long-life and the best of luck.'
This would have made life easier for the legionary soldier because he could keep in touch with his friends and family.
The camp had a bathhouse as it was regarded as an important part of military hygiene. The baths were like civilian baths, with a tepidarium, a caldarium and a frigidarium and they served as a social meeting point for the soldiers. This made their life easier because they could relax and have fun.
Civilians around the camp were attracted by the amphitheatre and set up little bars to sell food and drink to the people visiting the amphitheatre. A soldier's life was made easier because these bars gave the soldiers a chance to meet local women, and although legally, the soldiers were not allowed to marry, the army did tolerate unofficial ceremonies. This was a good thing for a soldier because his wife and children grew up just outside the camp, while the soldier lived inside. When his sons reached eighteen or nineteen, they were enlisted into the army because an advantage of being a soldier was that your sons could definitely be soldiers as their father was a soldier.
Although the soldiers were not paid an extremely large amount of money, after the deductions had been made, but the pay and the conditions of service were not bad enough to discourage the recruits. Maybe the soldiers were looking forward to some promotion and eventually an honourable discharge with a gratuity of 3,000 denarii or an allocation of land. This made the soldiers' lives seem less unrewarding. Also, at least the soldiers knew that they had a steady, definite income for the whole 25 years they served in the army. This would have been comforting to the soldiers.
Every soldier did, at least, have a chance to be promoted. If a soldier was promoted, he was paid more and didn't have to do many of the more strenuous tasks performed by ordinary soldiers. This chance of promotion would have motivated the soldiers to work hard and this spirit would have made the hard work expected of them more rewarding and less demoralizing.
After a soldier had served 20 years with the legions, the legionary soldier would be transferred to a cohort of veteran soldiers (veterani). Here he served the last 5 years.
Unless a soldier was invalided out of the army before they had served for 25 years, an official discharge certificate marked a soldier's complete service to the legion. It was a bronze tablet, which contained a copy of the soldier's service record; the original record was sent to Rome.
A soldier would also receive a sum of money as a reward for service, just as soldiers do today on retirement. A legionary soldier during the 1st century AD would receive 3000 denarii, which was an equivalent of more than 10 years pay. This made a legionary soldiers life less difficult and easier because, after the hard and strenuous work they were put through, they knew they had something to look forward to.
Instead of money, a soldier could be given a piece of land after retirement to settle down with his family on. This was a colony for veteran soldiers and was called a colonia. It was good for the soldier to know that his service was appreciated and that he had other soldiers around him to share stories with. There are also houses for veteran soldiers today, like Chelsea hospital.
When the soldiers eventually died, their families put up tombstones in their memory, many of these can still be seen today. These monuments of those soldiers who died after retiring, or during active service made sure that the soldiers were remembered, like today.
During a time of war in the Roman times, the army did not ask for volunteers to join the army; they just used the troops who they had trained and who were ready for battle. During the First World War, posters were put up to advertise for volunteers to fight for their country. This meant that, unlike the Roman army, men were sent into war without enough training or preparation. This, I think shows that the more modern army is harsher and maybe less caring than the Roman army. So, in this case, the legionary's lives were easier than the lives of the men who fought in the First World War.
On the other hand, the Roman Army's training seems a lot tougher than today's army, making the legionary soldiers lives seem more difficult. In today's army the soldiers are still made to carry their weapons, cooking utensils and tents while they are marching, but in the Roman army the soldiers had to also carry armour and instead of tents, building equipment. This is evidence that the Roman soldiers were definitely put under a lot more pressure and hardship than today's soldiers.
Armour is not worn today, so the soldiers can move about more quickly, and the soldiers today wear big, leather boots, unlike the Roman soldiers who wore leather sandals. The soldiers today also wear helmets, like the Roman soldiers, but they are not as strong as the Roman helmets because they are used to camouflage the soldiers more than to protect their heads. This makes the Roman soldier's lives seem very difficult compared to today's soldiers, because their armour was a lot heavier and difficult to move around in, although the armour did protect them, so in this sense the Roman army had life easier compared to today's troops, because their armour was more protective.
The weapons used in today's battles differ to those used in the Roman battles. Guns and grenades are used in today's battles, whereas in the Roman army a javelin, a dagger, a sword and a shield were used. Today, the soldiers have no shield. Considering the differences between the weapons of today's army and the Roman army, I think that the Roman soldiers had life less difficult than today's soldiers. The Romans could protect themselves with shields; they also carried swords and ballistas, making their life easier because they had more efficient and effective weapons.
A similarity between today's army recruits and the Roman army that today's army have to stay in their camp for however long they have signed on for, and the Roman army had to stay in camps for the 25 years they had signed up for.
Today, though, soldiers have a certain amount of allocated time to go home and rest. The Roman soldiers did not get this privilege. So in this sense, a legionary soldiers life was more difficult as 25 years is an exceptional amount of time to serve in the army for.
In conclusion, I think that the life of a legionary soldier was very difficult and unrewarding for all of the hard work that a soldier endured.
The soldiers worked extremely hard, under the command of a centurion and even though they were probably very scared at war, they still fought because they were ordered to. They not only had to fight, but they also had to build camps and roads. They also had to make their own equipment and tools. Their pay was not at all much, as they had to give most of it away to pay for food, clothing and their own equipment.
The soldiers had to sign up for 25 years until they received their reward. This is a very long time and the soldiers could fight for their whole life without being promoted.
A legionary soldiers life was definitely, I think, difficult and by lacking in reward.
This is the complete article, containing 3,824 words
(approx. 13 pages at 300 words per page).
