Roman Soldiers Had A Real Career

Recruiting professional Roman soldiers was the idea of the divine Augustus. Our first emperor decided that Rome needed a standing army who didn't go back to their farms the day after a battle.

When I joined the legion, in your 39AD, I knew I would have steady, well paid employment for at least the next 20 years. At that time, there were few long term jobs for a free citizen who wasn't rich or well connected.

There were risks, of course. A man could be killed or crippled. If he survived - and plenty did, - there was money, land and status (tax free status!) as a veteran.

The Legions were recruited from free Roman Citizens, like me. Generally speaking, we were the heavy infantry. We were heavily armed and wore heavy armour. When we hit you, you went down - and stayed down.

The Auxiliaries, as their name says, helped us. They were professional Roman soldiers too - the specialists who fired arrows, slung stones and got to blister their backsides riding horses all day. Auxiliaries were sort of recruited from the young fighting men of the Roman provinces.

The organization of the army was very similar across both branches.

I'll cover most topics from the legionary point of view. Drusus, a friend from Gaul, will tell you about the specialties of the Auxiliary Cohorts and Alae.

We were all professional Roman soldiers even if some of us were not Roman citizens until they retired.

Before we move on, I suppose I should mention the Praetorians and Vigiles. The Vigiles were what you would call Rome's policemen and fire fighters. They did a good and necessary job and lived in barracks in the City. In my opinion, calling them 'military' is stretching a point.

The Praetorians were the Emperor's body guard and lived in their fortress just outside Rome. They wore old fashioned uniforms and got paid a lot more than the rest of us. When they actually drew a gladius in anger, it was usually against a Roman civilian - not some barbarian warrior who could fight back. Personally, I don't count them as soldiers but I had to mention them because some people do.

"Never ask advice of anyone above the rank of Centurion."

Julius Caesar

As far as Officers were concerned, we all had the same problems. Senior officers were not professional Roman soldiers. They were usually politicians, serving their time in the Army to qualify for higher political office or to carry on a family tradition. Mostly, they served three years and you never saw them again.

Legates were too far above us to be noticed much. Unless we were on duty in the headquarters, we never saw them or the Tribunes.

Then there were centurions - the most professional Roman soldiers, ever. I don't know what they told the senators who were appointed as Legates, about being in command of a legion but the Centurions were in charge. A man's Centurion was the only officer who mattered.

Optios were officers in waiting. A man with a little power, who expects to get more can be a real nuisance. They were everywhere and a man just knew that the one he got on the wrong side of was going to end up as his next Centurion.

Most of us legionaries, aimed a little lower and hoped to become beneficarii or imunii. Not as impressive as it sounds perhaps but life gets easier with every little step up the career ladder!

We were all Roman soldiers but Legionaries were paid better than most Auxiliaries and served five years less - in theory. We were never shy about our pay. We lived and worked so close that we weren't shy about much.

A man's rank told exactly what he was paid. An Optio was a Duplicarius and received double pay. A Beneficarius might be a Susquiplicarius (Say that fast, to prove you're sober!), who gets one and a half times basic pay.

For all Roman soldiers, our training was a way of life that kept us fit and sharp in peacetime so we were always ready for war. Tactics learned as a recruit had to be practised forever. We trained till every manoeuvre was a reflex and our equipment was a part of us. That was the advantage we had over just about every enemy we met.

Being a standing army of professional Roman soldiers, meant we were always there and always ready, in war or peacetime. I would say we were the reason we had so much peace - but then, I would, wouldn't I?

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