How many men in the Roman army? We are not sure exactly how many men there were in the Roman army, but we can make a useful guess. Here is a list. Trajan's army had thirty /egions. Each legion had about 5,300 men. The total would be 159,000 legionaries The emperor's guards had 10,000 guardsmen Auxi/iary cavalry 80,000 auxiliaries Auxiliary infantry 140,000 auxiliaries Other troops, hired by the Romans or fighting with them from time to time. Probably around 11,000 irregular troops and allies Rough total of the Roman army under Trajan 400,000 Where recruits came from The Romans divided up their empire into areas called prov inces and named them after the people who lived there. Each province was governed by a distinguished Roman chosen by the Emperor, or sometimes by the Senate. Each of the prov inces also provided men for the Roman army. The map on p. 6 shows which provinces sent the most men. Recruitment from the provinces was determined on the basis of how long a province had been under Roman rule. Provinces that had been under Roman rule for a long time and whose people had been granted citizenship provided legionaries, the army's main fighting force. Ali legionaries were Roman citizens. Auxiliaries, on the other hand, were recruited from the wilder border provinces, conquered areas on the fringes of the empire. As a border province became Romanized and was granted citizenship, its men were re cruited as legionaries and not auxiliaries. In time, even the number of legionaries from the Romanized areas diminished. ltaly and areas such as southern France (Narbonensis) pro vided no auxiliaries (since almost everyone was a Roman citizen), and fewer legionaries as time went on. In Trajan's time, Italians provided only one man in five for the army. 5 ln Trajan's time more and more recruits came from the conquer the empire. They were still people from the wilder province which contained the legion's base, or a region of the provinces in Trajan's time, and rarely Roman citizens. They empire which had a similar climate and conditions. Some always lived and fought side by side with other men from their recruits were the sons of soldiers stationed at the base itself native land. But they were not usually stationed in their home and had lived there all their lives. For example the Third land in case they took it into their heads to rebel against the Augustan Legion, at Lambaesis in Numidia (modem Algeria), Romans. Archers came from Syria and Arabia and since they had 77 new recruits from provinces in the middle e&st and Asia were needed everywhere they went everywhere. The next two Minor but only one from Gaul in the colder north. maps show how much auxiliaries got around. Auxiliaries were different. The first auxiliaries had been the Normally there were enough volunteers to keep the Roman allies the Romans made at the time when they first began to armies going. But sometimes men had to be called up and were ~,..,... ..... o -------, ~, / \ Atlantic Ocean II DACIA I SICILIA 5ea Mediterranean auxiliaries came from this province ? 2r0 5po miles o 400 800km 6 made to go into the forces. Here is a letter from a priest in Egypt to a cavalry officer there. It dates from the fourth century A.O. 'Mios to his beloved brother Abinnaeus, I am writing to you Men were sent to Britain trom these countries because about my wife Naomi's brother. He is a soldier's son and he their units could be spared trom other trontiers, or has been signed on as a soldier. lf you can release him again because they used a specialised weapon (Syrian it is a fine thing you .do ... since his mother is a widow and bowmen) or had a special skill, such as men trom the has none but him. But if he must serve, please safeguard him Tigris who handled barges on the geographically from goirig abroad with the army. May God preserve you.' similar shallows of the River Tyne. Auxiliaries in Britain from these countries Atlantic Ocean 7 Once auxiliaries were in the army they seem to have set The Romans do not seem to have had basic training camps tled down alright. They were under strict military discipline, as most armies have today. Recruits were sent straight to a but they were fed and looked after. Their lives might have legion and given their kit (equipment) and training when been even harder at home than it was in the army. they got to camp. A recruit usually joined one of the legions Most soldiers joined up when they were between eighteen stationed in or near his native province. We do not know if a and twenty-two years old. Some were younger. We know that young soldier had any personal choice in the matter. a fourteen-year-old served with the Twentieth Legion, sta tioned at Chester, England. But very few soldiers were ln Trajan's time Britain was still a partly conquered that young. province, unsuitable tor recruiting legionaries. But some Roman soldiers had to swear a solemn oath when they British irregular troops (numeri) were sent abroad to joined the army. They promised to be faithful to the emperor, places shown on this map. This both took likely rebels never to leave the line of battle (except to save a comrade's out of their homeland and made their fighting skill life) and to obey orders. useful to Rame. British auxiliaries abroad Atlantic Ocean 8 Where the R·oman It is easy to see from the map that trouble came from outside the Roman empire. The main job of the army was to stop army fought tribes outside the empire from breaking through the frontier defences and attacking peaceful farms and towns. A few countries in the empire were not very settled. The north of Britain and Wales had to be watched. There was a little trouble in the north of Spain, but the legion was really By Trajan's time the strongest threat to Rame in the there to look after gold and lead mines in the area. Judaea West had shifted trom the Rhine to the Danube trontier. The legions moved to counter a new threat trom Dacian was restless because its people thought that some Roman and neighbouring peoples. ln the East, Rame was customs were against the Jewish religion. A legion was sta consolidating her trontiers with roads and fortresses tioned in Egypt mainly to safeguard the grain grown in that against Parthians and desert nomads. country, which was used to supply the city of Rome itself. Th reatened frontiers Germanic tribes Caucasus AA ---......._ IV/O{/.' lta. -- "".i- ,_r-•, Legio ~-' I I ;---') \ ' desert IZ?ed,· llerranean sea desert \ .,..,,.,,. _..l.. --L--.,.,,,.. ® towns desert • legionary bases & fortresses 9 Bases for Roman legions were very carefully chosen. They had to be near the scene of possible trouble and within reach of supply lines. Often a great river was made the frontier of the Roman empire. The river protected Roman lands because it was difficult to cross it without being seen. Ships could come up the river to supply the legionary bases. Trajan fought two big wars. In A.O. 106 he defeated the Dacians and took over their country. In A.O. 116 he tried to conquer the Parthians. At first he won, but he could not hold on to the lands he gained. Trajan died in A.o. 117 and Hadrian, the next emperor, did not try to make the Roman empire any bigger. Instead he made the frontier defences stronger by building walls, roads and forts. Recruits carrying aut javelin training and sword drill under the watchful eye of a centurion. As recruits they developed strength by using double-weight wooden swords and shields tor practice. 10 2. LIVING AND WORKING IN THE ROMAN At stomachandthighs. '10w clearly how the 1-WITH THE LEGION keeping things clean. They knew dirt led 1ould move faster. they did not know why this was so. We bave found Publius Clodius Secundus guarded the gate ~ vell enough to some time cleaning officers' boots. Gaius Aemili~s vn~ round to clean the uniform of a senior officer called Helius. Then '1A worked in the armoury and the bath-house. Each of the thirty legions in the Roman army was a little army on its own. Legionaries were fighting men first and foremost. But they had other jobs to do. They were builders, engineers, Training the legion policemen, and sometimes civil servants as well. To do ali their jobs legionaries had to be very well trained. They were very well trained. The reason why the Roman What sort of training did legionary soldiers do? army won so many battles was because of the training and Firstly, they had to be physically fit. Recruits and trained discipline of its men. soldiers all had to do running, tree felling, jumping, and, we New recruits hoped for glory. At first they got something believe, something Ii ke the modern 'assault course'. This different. meant going over a number of obstacles in full armour with Romans ali got up early; the legion was up and about before weapons. Every month there were three eighteen-mile route dawn. The men put away their straw mattresses and washed. marches. Legionaries had to cover this distance in a day They did not have breakfast and so were ready for morning carrying sixty pounds of equipment plus armour and weapons. parade in a very short time. They were inspected by an officer The total weight was as heavy as a sack of coal. If the army and given their orders for the day. was in danger a man might have to march twenty-four miles in a day and build a camp in the evening. So everyone had to be trained and fit. A Roman army duty-list Secondly, soldiers had to learn drill. Roman army drill was We have found a list written on papyrus in Egypt. The dry really practice for the actual movements used in battle. Soldiers climate of that country had preserved it. The list comes from learned to march in straight lines, turn from column into line the time of the Emperor Domitian (A.O. 81-96). It gives ten of battle, open and close ranks on the march, form square and days' duties for thirty-one men in barracks. What were thesc half circle. There were also ceremonial and sentry drills, but men doing nearly two thousand years ago? we do not know how they were conducted, or the words of Gaius Domitius Celer was doing nothing. He did nothing command used. The words of command and salutes used in for nine days and then he had permission from the command films are just guesses. All Roman army drill had to be done ing officer to go on leave. Roman soldiers could ask for leave perfectly, so that men would remember in battle what they whenever they liked. If the commanding officer agreed, they learned in training. could go. We do not know how much leave was actually given. Thirdly, recruits would learn how to handle weapons. This Other men were not so lucky. Gaius Julius Valens spent his was the most important thing of all. The Romans made up by ten days digging ditches, repairing boots and then being an s kili what they lacked in numbers. Training was copied fro m officer's steward. Marcus Arrius Niger did six days' cleaning that once used in schools for gladiators, where every man had and tidying the barracks. Romans were very strict about to fight for his life. 11 Bases for Roman lef equipment had to b~ near the scea_ Roman legionary in barracks, cleaning supply hnes. Often 'ing his Iinen undervest and short Ieather Roman empire. T}s serving in chilly Scotland. was difficult to cr<he wall he has hung his woollen tunic and up the river to S\s military blanket, also made from wool. Trajan fougtegs show his armour and weapons. His scarf is Dacians_ ~Mp' the neck of his armour cutting into his skin. COJ}-Jis helmet is made of bronze with an iron inner plate and a %ather skull-cap to take the shock of blows: There are various types of legionary helmet, but under Trajan we think that the most common type had hinged cheek-pieces and a small peak jutting out at the front. The soldier's neck was protected by a plate curving out at the back. The helmet looks very efficient and provided it fitted tightly would bave saved many a skull from being crushed. Rome's enemies often fought bareheaded. On the third peg isa scabbard. This soldier has been given a special scabbard decorated with a medallion - perhaps pre sented by his commanding officer for bravery. The soldier is . cleaning the sword which goes into that scabbard. lt is his most important weapon, two feet long overall with ~ bone grip on the handle. The sword is two-edged but legionaries were taught to stab rather than cut and thrust. We can teli from skeletons whether a defender of Maiden Castle in Dorset fell to the slash of an auxiliary's long sword or the two-inch deep, deadly accurate thrust of a legionary. Constant weapon drill made the legionary an expert at his trade. He would have been in much greater danger when stabbing without his upper-body armour, which hangs from the right hand peg. The Romans called this armour lorica segmentata. Armour found recently is enabling us to begin to understand how the lorica worked, although many details are not clear. We know that the shoulder pieces were buckled together so as to let the shoulders and upper arms move quite freely. The chest strips were secured by leather cords at the front and the back. The effect of this was to combine mobility with real protec tion against sword blows. It was the combination of aggressive sword thrusting and the safety provided by armour which helped to make the legionaries so formidable. On the shelf is the soldier's cingulum, or belt. Romfin sculp tures show the long straps hanging down at the front. We are not sure if these were thin and for decoration, or thick leather strips, perhaps with metal plates on top, designed to let the 12 soldier move bis legs while protecting bis stomach and thighs. Perhaps archaeological finds will one day show clearly how the belt was used. The soldier had no leg armour, so that he could move faster. He also protected himself with bis shield. We bave found shields at Dura-Europos, in the East, preserved well enough to tell that they were made of laminated plywood, bound round with an iron or bronze rim and covered in tough leather. A centra] boss gave space for the soldier as he shifted his shield to ward off an enemy spear. The curve of the shield also had the task of deflecting blows, like a round tower on a castle. A soldier's offensive weapons (besides bis sword and dagger) included two throwing spears. Look carefully at the spears in the picture. Notice that when the spear struck an enemy shield the point and part of the thin soft iron portion would go in. But the weight of the long wooden handle and reinforced piece joining handle to hlade would bend the soft iron. This made the spear drag on the ground. The enemy could not throw it back because it was bent and he could not use bis shield with a seven-foot bent pole sticking out of the front. He had to discard bis shield and face the armoured legionary with sword or club. Legionaries would often throw their spears and charge into close fighting before the enemy could recover. Last but not least come the soldier's boots. The Roman army fought and marched on foot, so footwear was very important. A legionary wore sandals, like all Romans. These were specially reinforced with three-quarter-inch-thick leather so les and hobnails. Strips of fur were placed inside the sandals around the soldier's feet in winter. There is no doubt that Roman soldiers' boots were as comfortable as anything worn today. (By the way, the Latin name for military sandals was ca/igae. The Emperor Gaius wore them as a child, in camp with the soldiers, so he was nicknamed Caligula~little boot'. He grew up to be a nasty person.) All members of the Roman army wore uniforms. This is common amongst modem armies but was not generally done in the ancient world. Most barbarians had to pick up what ever they could from the living or the dead. Romans had working and full-dress uniforms, with special medals, armour and decorations. They only wore the red plumes on their helmets on full-dress parades. Pictures of Trajan's army going into battle with plumes are wrong. 13 •