The Roman Army
It was a mess, 2nd century BC and Rome had no army. Troops were drawn periodically from the population of male, property-owning citizens between 17 and 46. Men were ranked by age and height to ensure that no one legion monopolized the prime candidates, officers from various legions took their pick in turn. Romans considered military service a privilege, even though the soldiers received a small allowance and had to provide their own weapons and equipment. This levy system worked well as long as the tour was brief. At the end of the 2nd century resentment for the levy flared up, the need for more troops made Roman consul Gauis Marius overlook the property-owning requirement and entice poor citizens by giving arms and equipment at the states' expense. They flocked to the city and served for 16 year terms. As the Republic dissolved and emperors came into power they realized their power rested on their control of these massive armed forces, paid for out of the emperor's own pocket and bound to him by an oath of allegiance. Without a generous pension, maintaining a standing army would have been almost impossible. Becoming a soldier.....Typically men in their late teens and early twenties wanting to enlist reporte
Yearly salary for regular soldiers in the 1st century AD was 225 denarii (raised to 300 in the next century) from which they had to pay for their own clothing and rations. Low ranking officers got double and all soldiers got a bonus of 3,000 denarii (about 13 years pay) if they finished their term of service. Recruits also trained with other offensive weapons, especially a javelin or throwing spear called a pilum. Once in shape and having completed his initial weapon training, he had to get used to marching with a full pack consisting of sixty pounds of weapons, tools (such as a sickle, basket, bucket, saw, and pickaxe), and rations. Then he learned about standard battlefield moves, where one or more cohorts formed various lines, wedges, and circles for offensive or defensive. They learned how to create a testudo, or turtle, a squared, tightly packed formation of men all holding shields overhead for protection from enemy rocks, arrows, or spears. Last he was trained in rapid making and breaking of an elaborate camp that included a sturdy stockade. "ran and jumped to harden his physique, learned to swim, practiced marching with the standard military pace, which enabled troops to cover 24 miles in 5 hours, and took lessons in handling the legionary's standard weapon, the short sword; at the outset he hacked with a wooden sword at a wooden stake, a technique introduced into the army from the gladiator schools." * The army sponsored patriotic festivals devoted to the traditional Roman gods and men were allowed to honor their favorite cults only outside of camp. There were small temples dedicated to Mithras (god of Persian origin). There were others dedicated to Syrian goddess, Astarte and to the demigod, Hercules. Mithras personified truth and light, locked in an eter
Some common words found in the essay are:
According Casson, Gauis Marius, BC Rome, Augustus AD, Hercules Mithras, , near camps, 2nd century, discipline harsh, short sword,
Approximate Word count = 1218
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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