Life and Times in the Roman Legion - Essay Example

The legions were the largest composite of the Roman army. For many centuries these divisions of the Roman army were adept in defeating their enemies.They were very impressive in their tactics and for many centuries served as examples for military and army prowess. Emperor Augustus 27 B.C. – A.D. 14 is credited for being the first person to set up legions on a permanent basis. Prior to this, legions were of a temporary nature that were being used for specific military purposes and dissolved afterwards. The operation of legions goes as far back toward the Roman Republic which started with the abolition of the monarchy in 510 B. C. The ancient Roman army was made up of several legions which included several cohorts of heavy infantry. Although the main legions consisted of Roman citizens there existed some auxiliary units that comprised soldiers who were not Roman citizens. These smaller units served as boosters for the legions. In the early years legions numbered approximately one hundred and twenty soldiers each. There were substantial increases in sizes in later centuries. From the early period military service was an obligation and duty upon Roman citizens, but also a kind of privilege (Campbell, J. B. 4). Soldiers served in the army and were categorized according to wealth and political power. All male citizens in Rome who were healthy and in possession of property were divided into five classes with the purpose of serving in the military. Those with substantial amount of wealth served as cavalry. They also enrolled as equestrians. These men were also dressed in accordance with their wealth and power. They normally wore a spear, sword, helmet, breast plate and round shield. Many members of the cavalry eventually ended up in politics. In comparison to the other classes in the military the cavalry had the least number of men. The three lower classes of soldiers were drawn from among the not so wealthy. They served in the infantry and wore fewer decorations than those persons in the cavalry. They, however, formed the principal unit in the military. The fifth and lowest group composed only of slingers. Since they were the least armed they sometimes acted as scouts. Soldiers were responsible for the acquisition of their weapons. Those citizens who had no property and lacked the resources to acquire weapons were excluded from military service. This classification within the legions changed when Gaius Marius (157 B.C. – 86 B.C) assumed political power. His reform of the military changed it into a more professional service. The changes he made came to be known as Marian reforms. The army became larger because he chose men from among the poorest class who previously were not qualified to be enlisted. Following the Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC, Marius granted Roman citizenship to all Italian soldiers. One of the highlights of Marius’ reform was the organization of the legion. A legion was organized into ten cohorts and was under the command of a centurion. There was also a senior centurion who acted as advisor to each legion. The centurions were titled in order of seniority (Goldsworthy 13). The rankings were pilus prior, pilus posterior, princeps prior, princeps posterior, hastatus prior and hastatus posterior. The primus prior was the title given to the pilus prior of the highest rank. His salary was sixty times the base wage. Generally the centurion was in charge of the daily operation of the legion. Sometimes the centurion’s name came to be identified with the century. The century was a reflection of his rank. A typical legion then consisted of about four thousand to five thousand men and a large number of servants and slaves. The aquilifier had a rank almost as high as the centurion. He acted as the treasurer. It was a very honorable position that was the envy of many soldiers. There were other legionaries who did not have such fortunes. The ordinary legionaries or infantry was responsible for his own resources as well as preparing for camp at nights. Apart from his weapons and armor he was also responsible for travelling with food, clothing, a few cooking utensils and any personal possessions. One of the most renowned legions was the tenth legion commanded by Julius Caesar. It was known as one of the bloodiest. In those months of the spring and summer of 61 B.C., marching, digging, charging, breaking down gates with battering rams, going over walls on scaling ladders, storming through towns and villages, cutting down anyone who stood in their way, raw recruits became soldiers, and the 10th legion became a killing machine (Dando 10). The legionaries invaded the Iberian Peninsula killing and taking captives as slaves. The spoils were divided among themselves. Caesar also used them to fight against the Helvetians in 58 B.C. He also recruited the 11th and 12th legions as companion units. Shortly after that they defeated the Germans and chased King Ariovistus from his occupying post. In 51 B.C. as a reward for their continued allegiance Caesar offered substantial rewards to the men in the legions with the centurions getting the major portion. The Gallic Wars which followed were further examples of how ruthless the legionaries were. In the town of Uxellodunum they disconnected the water supply, allowing the citizens to die of thirst. Some of the captives also had parts of their bodies dismembered. It is said that over one million Gauls were killed by the legions. At the end of his military operations in 45 B.C., Caesar promoted programs that sought to reward member of the legions. Many were awarded land grants and those allies who sided with the legions were granted Roman citizenship. Some of his allies were recruited while he was fighting in Gaul. His cavalry there comprised of Gallic allies, German hostages, and mercenaries and included some Spaniards (Goldsworthy 35). Augustus’ rule had an emphasis on personal relations with his troops hence giving permanence to legions. Following a number of civil wars he reduced the number of legions to twenty eight. They were placed at strategic points in order to maintain Roman power and authority. He also increased the number of years a soldier served in the army from six to twenty years. The legionary would also receive enough money to sustain him when he was discharged. Depending on the position that legionaries held while they were active they could hold important posts in the wider society. In 27 B.C. he distributed the legions in several regions. Legions XVI Gallica, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI Rapax were distributed in Gaul. In Spain he had legions I, II Augusta, IV Macedonica, V Alaudoe, VI Victrix, IX Hispana, X Gemina, and XX. In Macedonia he distributed legions III Scythica, V Macedonica, VII, X Fretensis. In Syria he sent legions III Galica, VI Ferrata. In Egypt there were legions III Cyrenaica, XII Fulminata, and in Africa he distributed legion III Augusta. Legion XVI Gallica helped to defeat Pompeius who was occupying Sicily. They were also sent to the Rhine along with XVII, XVIII, and XIX. Recruited in 43 B.C., the legion II Augusta was first used to fight against Mark Anthony and later against Cassius and Brutus. In 43 this legion along with IX Hispana invaded Britain under Emperor Claudius. Between 6 and 9 CE legion III Scythia participated in the war of Tiberius. Under Nero’s reign it was transferred to the east. During Caesar’s reign legion VI Ferrata was the most mobile of all the legions. Some of the places that it travelled and the battles fought included battles of Dyrrhachium and Pharsalus, and it also accompanied Caesar to Alexandria in 48 B.C. Legion XII Fuliminata took part in the Second Triumvirate before it was sent to Syria. The legion III Augusta was sent to Africa to remain there permanently. It took part in the fight against Tacfarinas. In the same way that Roman leaders such as Caesar, Augustus, and Marius used the legions to their advantage, Diocletian instituted reforms that moved legions to have a new focus. When he gained power in 284 A.D. he inherited an empire that was in economic and political shambles. Many of the poor in seeking protection from the wealthy were being extorted as they worked as serfs on their property. The military was also in a critical state. Diocletian realized that a reform was needed. In his bid to save Rome he concentrated on three aspects, namely defense, governmental issues and protection of the emperor. He increased the army to double the size it was under Augustus. He, however, separated it into main legions. One legion was stationary. This was able to retard the growth or to prevent any disturbances. The second legion that he established was a mobile one. They were mostly cavalry and their responsibility was to move to trouble spots to deal with incidents that the first category of legions or militia could not handle. Persons who were not Roman citizens were enlisted in the army in large numbers because there were not sufficient recruits coming from among Romans themselves. In protecting himself against any revolt within the legions Diocletian further separated the legion into smaller units for each general. He also kept a part of the mobile legion under his personal control. The new mobile units consisted of one thousand men. He created a central reserve known as the comitatenses. On an administrative level he also divided the empire into two sections. The west was known for its Latin culture while the east became known for its Greek culture. As the centuries progressed there was a shift from heavy infantry to cavalry. The Germanic cavalry provided that service that the Roman citizens in the older versions of the legions failed to provide. Throughout the reign of Constantine the Great, however, the infantry served as the main unit. The great impact of the Roman legions was fact diminishing. The pride that the Roman citizens took in the legions of the past was not as impressive since the legions came to be occupied by many Germanic members. Nevertheless, even if in name only they were still holding their own. Assisted by his legionaries in AD 357 Emperor Julian defeated the Germans. This was only short lived as in AD 378 the eastern army under Emperor Valens lost at the Battle of Adrianople. After losing this battle Valen’s successor employed forty thousand German horsemen to make up the cavalry. Emperor Theodosius realized that infantry was outdated. In AD 387 the western infantry under the command of Magnus Maximus were defeated in battle against Theodosius. The legions were further annihilated with the demise of the Roman Empire. Campbell, J. B. The Roman Army, 31 BC – AD 337: a sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2003. Cowan, Ross. Roman Legionaries. 58 BC – AD 69. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002. Dando - Collins, Stephen. Caesar’s legion: the epic saga of Julius Caesar’s elite tenth legion and the armies of Rome. New York: John Rile & Sons, Inc.,: 2002. Goldsworthy, Adrian Keith. The Roman army at war 100 BC – AD 200. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/legions.htm Read More