Life Of A Roman Soldier Essay, Research Paper

Roman Soldier Outline

A. Joining the Army

– Qualifications if any

– Wage or benefits received

– Initial preparation no boot cantonment in those yearss

– Soldiers oath ( page 6 Legionary book )

B. Life at the Fort

– Adjustments

– Food

– Showers bathrooms

-Free clip

– No weekends off but had all spiritual vacations off

– Religion

– Temple of Mithras, he was most of the soldiers god,

You had to go through 7 trials of accomplishment to go of full

Mithras brotherhood

C. Duties

– Lookout responsibility

– Cooking / Cleaning

– Working ( pg. 16 Legionary book )

– Built roadsbridges

– Made tiles for public edifices

– Built aqueducts

– Drained fens to construct new garrisons on

– Prey, rocks for edifices etc.

– Polished Fe armour and arms

– Sweeping

– Merely a choice few got out of bad occupations and they were clerks,

cobblers, Smiths

D. The Centurion

– Was the foreman of all the soldiers who worked

– Dress was much more luxuriant

– Carried a vine wood stick

– was a badge of award besides used as a whip for

disobedient soldiers

– ProfessionalOfficers

-Were rough taskmasters

– Punishments

– petit larceny such as being late would be to do the soldier

expression like a sap and do them stand outside w/o

arms or armour to demo he is non worthy to be a

soldier

– serious offense such as kiping on guard or deserting

resulted in whipping, rank lowered. At the clip of war the

punishment was decease

– If a unit disgraced itself in conflict it might be & # 8220 ; decimated & # 8221 ;

– 1 in 10 selected to be clubbed or stoned to decease by

the remainder of the ground forces

– Decimation was stopped after Emperor Trajan

ruled

E. Family Life

– Forbidden to get married

– That was non purely enforced

– Evergreen state non unusual to maintain married woman and kids in nearby places

F. Pay

– Wage was low

– Tax write-offs were taken out for worn out cogwheel, bedding nutrient,

boots, apparels etc.

– Often got a fillip in wage to observe an of import event

( one-year )

I wanted to fall in the Roman Army of all time since I was a immature male child playing in the Fieldss of my

place in ( NAME A TOWN OR CITY RELATED TO ROME HERE ) . My male parent was a

legionaire in the Roman Army for 25 old ages. It was my end in life to follow in his footfalls. The

difficult portion of being a Legionaire in the Roman Army was non going a soldier. To go a

soldier you jsut had to be slightly physically fit and be at least 5 pess 8 inches tall. The wage for

being a legionaire was besides non all that attractive to me. I got paid 250 ( DOLLARS, PESOS,

FRANCS? ? ? ) per month. There were many tax write-offs taken out of that 250 that I did non like.

Approximately 10 for my bedclothes, 80 for nutrient and 60 for apparels. So after all those tax write-offs I was

non left with all that much. The signifer kept path of all my money and nest eggs I had. When I

foremost became a legionary there was no inital preparation or boot cantonment to go an official soldier. I

merely showed up and was given my equipment and instructed on where to travel and what to make. I

was given a few inquiries to do certain I was a echt citizen before I could take the Soldiers

Oath. After the curse I was given 4 motnhs fillip wage which was really nice and so instructed on

which century I was to describe to. A century is an 80 adult male company. Six centuries made a cohort

and ten cohorts made up a host.

Populating inside the garrison was non all that bad. I was fed really good and my life quarters were

rather suiting to me. The nutrient I ate varied rather frequently. It all depended O

n what the work forces in teh

auxillary killed while runing. Most frequently it was buffalo which I have liked since I was a kid.

We all showered in a large unfastened country made of concrete. We showered approximately one time per hebdomad on

norm. The bathrooms were a big room with two long rows of benches on each side. It was a

penalty if you were assigned to clean the bathroom. One of the things I did non like about

life at the garrison was that I got really small free clip to myself. I worked from dawn to sunset

each twenty-four hours with no weekends to myself. Although I did acquire all of the spiritual vacations which was

really gratifying. I prayed at the Temple of Mithras. Mithras was most of the soldiers god. To

go a full Mithras brother I had to go through 7 assorted trials of accomplishment.

There were many occupations that had to be done around the garrison on a day-to-day footing. On any given

twenty-four hours I could be constructing new roads or Bridgess which was really labour intensive. Making tile for all

of the new assorted edifices that were invariably being built. Building aqueducts for the new

countries under redevelopment. As land filled up with garrisons we would hold to run out fens to construct new

garrisons on. I would stop up in the prey breaking up rock rather frequently which was one of the worst

occupations. A really deadening occupation which involved merely sitting down was the changeless shining of armour and

arms. If it was a slow twenty-four hours and I thought there was nil else to be done I would ever

stop up brushing out the edifices merely to maintain busy. Merely a choice few people were of all time able to

acquire out of all that labour. Those were the people who were the clerks, cobblers or Smiths. I would

make anything to hold one of there occupations. Although they do non acquire treated with every bit much regard by

all of the other soldiers because they are thought to hold it easy. About one time a month I would acquire

lookout responsibility. Sentry responsibility was guarding the edifice which was the shrine of the criterions.

In order to keep subject throughout all of us soldiers there was a centurion. I ne’er

liked any centurion who was assingned to my cohort. Many of the centurions seemed to be on a

power trip. The centurions frock was much more luxuriant than the regular soldiers. He had

glistening armour all decorated with assorted decorations. The centurion carried a vinewood stick. His stick

was non merely a badge of award to separate him from other soldiers but it was besides used for

disobedient soldiers. The centurions were rough taskmasters. They gave out the worst

penalties. If the soldier did a little junior-grade mistake such as holding soiled armour or being late on

parade so the centurion would do him look like a sap. I arrived one clip with soiled armour

and teh centurion made me stand outside the garrison with no armour or arms and state all who

passed by me that I was non worthy of being a Roman soldier. The centurions took pride in

doing people look foolish. For a more serious offense such as kiping while on guard or non

demoing up for guard responsibility at all would ensue in being beaten, flogged or being lowered in rank.

If a soldier was caught kiping at a clip of war the punishment was decease. If a whole group of

soldiers were disobedient they would frequently be put on a ration of nutrient, merely plenty to last. My

centurion was non happy with my centuries work so he made all 80 of us kip outside the garrison

walls. We had to do our ain shelters for the nite and go forth excess work forces on guard. That was a

dark that will non be shortly forgotten. If a unit had disgraced itself in conflict the worst of all

penalties that I hated to see was decimstion. Decimation was when one out of every 10 of the

scandalous soldiers soldiers were selected to be clubbed or stoned to decease by the remainder of the

ground forces.

A Roman Soldier was forbidden to get married. Although that regulation was non purely enforced. It

was non unusual for a soldier to maintain a married woman and kids in nearby places outside the garrison.