25 Incredible Facts About Roman Legion

25 incredible facts about roman legion

Roman military is considered one of the greatest militarizes of all time. With an empire that stretched across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, the Roman empire’s strength largely came off its famous legions. But while a good bit of the history books are devoted to the great battles, campaigns, and generals of Rome, not as much focus is put on the individual legionnaires that made up the Roman army. So, with that being said, here are fifty incredible facts about Roman legions and the lives they led from their point of view.

The first of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Every day during the election campaign, the Legion consumes the following amounts on average.

The second of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

One of the biggest problems for a Roman army while on campaign was not when and where to meet the enemy but food. Roman legions had extended supply chains to keep their legions fed. However, should these chains get interrupted due to attacks, Roman soldiers carried an average of a week's worth of food on their person. The main diet while on campaign consisted of grain baked into simple cakes or cattle, which followed a legion in its march and would be slaughtered daily.

Foraging was also another way of procuring food. In fact, foraging for food was expected to be the main way to supply various food to troops in the field. It’s one of the main reasons the Romans preferred to campaign in the summer and fall so they could send their auxiliary troops to bring back grain, vegetables, sheep, cattle, and pigs to feed their armies.

The third of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Before an army that had been in garrison for a while left on a campaign, the legate would frequently turn the entire command out and force them to sleep in tents for several weeks before marching. Doing so allowed troops to get used to living outside, see what was missing from their supplies, and how to set up a field camp properly before moving out.

The forth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

When Roman armies needed additional manpower for a campaign, the army commander could request from the emperor that vexillations be sent to him to strengthen the army or replace losses. These units were supposed to be detachments of cohorts from garrison units to serve in faraway places.

While these cohorts were supposed to be made of the best men available since they were going to war, often times, centurions used this as an opportunity to rid themselves of their troublemakers, sometimes permanently.

The fifth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Despite the amount of daily guard duty, training, manual labor, and out-of-area tasks a Roman soldier might be forced into, there still was a significant amount of downtime while in garrison. A famous saying of the day was that a Roman soldier just needed a wash, wine, and a woman. Accordingly, many areas around military camps grew accustomed to this behavior with bars and brothels.

However, to combat troops spending their money on such vices, legates and Roman leadership made an effort to provide entertainment that did not involve alcohol or prostitution. Legion commanders often sponsored plays, comedy shows, and mimes to come visit the camps. These commanders could also sponsor legion wrestling tournaments and other competitions among unit personnel to build camaraderie and let off some steam.

The sixth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Roman soldiers, while in garrison, ate two primary meals. The morning meal usually consisted of cold meat and bread. The evening meal was the more substantial meal of the day and usually consisted of larger portions of meat, cheese, bread, beer, and wine. Pork was the most common meat legionnaires ate, but what was available depended on the local market.

All rations given to troops were first inspected by their tribune to ensure local vendors were not bribing Roman soldiers to provide substandard food.

The seventh of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

If a legionary was not working outside the camp's walls, he was probably standing on sentry duty. Roman soldiers stood a ton of watch. Whether at the gates, on the ramparts, in the watchtowers, the granaries, the workshops, or following the camp prefect around, Roman soldiers built their day around when they would have to stand watch the next time.

The eighth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Three times per month, the entire legion would leave the camp walls to participate in mock battles. The mock battle would begin with a forced march of ten miles preceded by a cavalry charge. Once the imaginary enemy had been broken, the legion would move forward using different formations, usually uphill, for extra exercise.

The ninth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

To prevent any man from getting singled out for extra duties or standing guard, the daily duties of each soldier were logged down in legion records.

The tenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Roman soldiers did not spend their entire time living inside the camp. In fact, they actually spent most of their time outside its walls performing other duties. Some examples of responsibilities that would take them outside the walls would be escorting Roman officials, performing construction work on roads or bridges, guarding villages against raids, performing convoy duty for merchants laden with valuable goods, or being sent to assist another legion currently on campaign.

The eleventh of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

While Roman soldiers could not be married when joining or marry while in the army, their commanders did not mind if they had families or girlfriends in the local area. Soldiers were allowed to leave often for liaisons with local women, and the children produced could become useful to the military later in life.

The twelfth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Inside a Roman camp, each century got its own barracks block. Inside the housing block, each contubernium, or squad, got its own barracks block of about 100 square feet. Inside this block, eight men shared both a sleeping quarters of about 50 square feet and living quarters of 50 square feet. They could store their things, share meals, and gossip about the day in their living quarters.

The thirteenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

During the era of the Pax Romana, Roman camps were incredibly large and complex structures. Covering an area of about 55 acres, these massive complexes were made with four rectangular walls, a main road, legion headquarters, a hospital, block houses, workshops, and granaries.

The fourteenth of the incredible facts about Roman

For immune, there were about twenty different roles they could pick from when choosing a job to get them out of menial labor.

The fifteenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Because promotion to centurion comes due to merit or bravery, the legion’s legate must recommend promotion to this rank from the provincial governor. The emperor himself would then approve each appointment to the centurion.

The sixteenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Roman officer ranks were also structured based on a strict hierarchy of seniority. Centurions almost exclusively had risen through the ranks. They gained this position through either merit, bravery, or both. These officers were the workhorses of the legion’s leadership, of which there were about sixty.

Commanding each cohort is a tribune. When not in battle, the next higher officer became the camp prefect. This person was always the most senior centurion who ran the day-to-day operations of the camp. Just above him would be the second-in-command. The tribunes latices is the most senior tribune who would assume command if the legate, the legion's leader, cannot due to death, injury, or recall perform his duties.

The seventeenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Roman enlisted men had a very distinct hierarchy of ranks, each with different rights and privileges. At the very bottom of the totem pole was the munifex. A munifex is the newest recruited soldier who has not passed any training yet. These troops are the lowest of the low and routinely carry out all the tasks no one else wants to do, like cleaning latrines, stables, carrying water, or collecting wood.

Once a soldier has been trained enough to earn his place, he is considered an Immunis. Most soldiers spend their entire careers at this rank. The soldiers here are divided into two groups. Those who know or learn a special skill, such as carpentry, blacksmithing, plumbing, etc., will continue their service by carrying out these special skills. Those who do not learn a trade are still expected to carry out tasks like carrying water and cleaning latrines.

Because of this, an immune must learn a skill he enjoys to avoid back breaking manual labor. The most desired enlisted position would be the rank of the principals. These positions were few in number and were some of the most vital in the century. For example, there was one position where the legionary carried out the watch rotations or another who would serve as second in command if the centurion fell in battle.

The eighteenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

While decimation was the worst punishment of all, several others were just as bad. Militia mutation was when a soldier lost his rank or long-service privileges, such as no longer being subjected to menial tasks. This could also be implemented on an entire unit. Soldiers who fall asleep on watch during garrison duty or hit an officer could be flogged in front of the entire unit.

Those who fell asleep on guard duty during campaigns would be beaten to death by their comrades. Units could also be punished. Units that fled in the face of the enemy may be forced to lose their meat and wheat rations. Instead, they were forced to eat barley, which was given as animal fodder, and sometimes forced to pitch their tents outside the safety of the camp’s walls until the unit proved itself in battle again.

The nineteenth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Besides decimation, Roman military officers had a variety of minor punishments they could use for everyday offenses. The most common punishment was the castigator. The castigator was basically getting whacked with a wooden staff carried by a centurion however many times he wanted.

There was no set standard of strikes, and according to one story where legionnaires killed their centurions, one was famously nick-named "Give me another," which suggests some centurions would keep hitting their soldiers until they broke multiple staffs. Roman soldiers could also get their pay docked for losing equipment in battle or get assigned unfavorable duties like cleaning stables or latrines.

The twenties of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Though decimation was infamous throughout Roman history, the last recorded decimation occurred in the year 69 AD under Emperor Galba when he decimated a unit of converted rowers who refused to give up their lives as infantry and return to their ships as rowers. It should be noted that this is the last confirmed decimation, and the martyrdom of the Theban legion in the Third Century AD is still hotly debated among historians.

The twenty-first of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

One of the most brutal methods of punishment in the Roman army was decimation, but it was not a one-size-fits-all punishment. For example, decimation was famously used several times in the Republican period for units that broke off and ran. Every tenth man was either clubbed or beheaded by his fellow soldiers. However, sometimes, entire units that fled the battlefield were slaughtered or sent on basically suicide missions to retake enemy ground.

The twenty-second of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Besides practicing individual skills, a good part of both a recruit’s and veteran’s day was formation drills. Because Roman legions built its strength around their ability to move as one in combat, these drills would be carried out routinely on the parade field and open country. Whether it was going from a line to a wedge or falling into a defensive circle, Roman soldiers would practice these skills stationary, then at a walking pace, and finally at a running pace. They also practiced changing formations, whether walking forwards, backward, or sideways.

The twenty-third of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

To increase the agility of each man, every army barracks had a vaulting horse built on the grounds. This fake horse was designed to be leapt over or on with soldiers in full armor and weapons. The vaulting horse increased agility and helped show any loose or pointy parts of a man's armor that needed correcting.

The twenty-forth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

Roman soldiers used each other for pilum practice. Once new soldiers had learned the basics of swordsmanship; they went on to cover how to throw and receive a pilum. The training pilum was the same length and weight as a regular one, but instead of a long, steel shaft, the training pilum had a soft leather button covering the end.

New recruits were taught how to throw the pilum, with the receiving recruit expected to parry it with a shield or sword. Veteran soldiers sometimes took the opportunity to throw the training pilum at new recruits and see just how much they had learned.

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The twenty-fifth of the incredible facts about Roman Legion

The first enemy a Roman soldier faced was a wooden post. It’s here that new soldiers learn the art of swordplay. Training sessions are almost always held outside in the rain, heat, or snow. Soldiers practiced their strikes against the wooden posts, sometimes with their own equipment but often with wooden swords and shields. These wooden arms are purposefully made to be heavier than their actual equipment to build strength in their troops.

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