1. The Roman Army Be All You Can Be…

2. THE ROMAN ARMY By the end of the civil wars the Roman Army had changed dramatically Service by all Roman citizens was not practical. Long term garrison troops New terms of service were laid down by Augustus and his military aide, Marcus Agrippa Army consisted of professional, long-term soldiers who were paid relatively good salaries had to be Roman citizens (later non-citizens were allowed to enlist). receive citizenship after 20 years of service Given choice of 12,000 sesterces cash bonus or its equivalent in land at retirement

3. MILITARY STRENGTH Augustus established 28 legions About 6000 men each Trajan increased number to 30 legions and Septimius Severus increased it again to 33 legions Most stationed along frontiers of the empire 2/3s in the western provinces and the rest scattered in the east and North Africa Rome also had several fleets Two stationed along Italian coast, squadrons stations off coasts of Egypt and Syria, and one each on Danube River, Rhine River, Black Sea and the English Channel

4. LOYALTY Army loyal to emperor in normal times But no emperor ever took this loyalty for granted He kept control by making sure that: All generals and many lesser officers appointed by and responsible to the emperor Commanders continually shifted from place to place Governors were prohibited from raising their own armies and discouraged from contacting each other Not allowed to pay troops or reward bonuses

5. SPIRITUAL CONNECTION All soldiers were spiritually bound to the emperor Swore oath of allegiance when they enlisted in which they vowed: “to perform with enthusiasm whatever the emperor commands, never to desert, and not to shrink from death on behalf of the Roman state” Also observed numerous religious holidays in which the current emperors and selected past emperors were honored Not easy to incite soldiers to rebel Average rank-and-file soldier was fairly trustworthy (during first 200 years of empire)‏

6. CONDITIONS Conditions of service were pretty tolerable Soldiers were paid fairly well Dangers they faced were not particularly great Commanders were expected to win through caution rather than by boldness There were occasional disasters Such as total destruction of 3 legions commanded by General Varus by Germans during reign of Augustus But this was rare

7. ACTIVITIES Most soldiers spent their long service in peacetime activities Going on marches and training exercises Building and maintaining roads, forts, walls, and bridges Acting as police force in territories where they were stationed This job could get burdensome

8. POLICE PROBLEMS Bandits and brigands were a problem As were pirates on the Mediterranean Sea and major rivers Runaway slaves were another big problem Special brigades created just to catch them Rebellions also sometimes occurred Usually broke out within first 20 years after a new territory had been conquered Most rebellious people in the empire were the Jews Masada Revolt (66-75 CE)‏ Even worse revolt (133-135 CE)‏

9. THE PRICE OF REBELLION Open challenge to imperial system was simply not allowed If troops were called in to quell a revolt or riot, they could leave a town or city in a shambles Destroyed Cremona, Lyon, and Byzantium after soldiers put down minor revolts

10. THE FRONTIER Emperors generally content to keep what they held Preferred diplomacy to war and usually garrisoned troops on established frontiers rather than engage in more conquests They intelligently realized the technological, logistic, financial, and military limits of Roman power and that it was wise to stay within them Some exceptions Claudius’ conquest of Britain and Trajan’s conquest of Dacia But they basically still realized that to conquer more territory would have been a losing population in terms of money and manpower