Over centuries the Roman Empire
conquered almost the entirety of Europe, giving
generation after generation the chance to spill blood
on the Roman battlefield. From the cold
Marsh's of Britannia to the burning
deserts of Carthage, the infamous Roman army
invaded, conquered, and occupied massive tracts of land. But what was ancient
Roman warfare like for the men on
the ground though? Today, we're going
to take a look at what it was like to be a
soldier in the Roman army. But before we get started, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel, and let us
know in the comments below what other Roman history life you
would like to hear about. Now, let's hear
more about the men Caesar said, "Now
it is easier to find men who will volunteer
to die, than to find those who are willing to
endure pain with patience." [MUSIC PLAYING] Job security is a big
deal in modern society, and it was in the
ancient world as well. If you join the Roman army
for better or for worse, you were likely in
it for the long haul. The typical Roman soldier
served for a whopping 25 years, often running for
the time they were 18 until they had
reached their mid 40s. Of course, many soldiers
didn't survive that long, but those who did typically
found themselves set for life. The emperor granted all
retired soldiers land of their own and a
lifetime pension. In times of peace, this
was downright lucrative. But the retirement benefits were
so good that even during war many men didn't
hesitate to sign up. Despite all the
blood and brutality, the average Roman soldier
lived a better life than most in the
empire, which really says a lot about what
life in ancient Rome was like for your average Joe. Many civilian jobs were unstable
with pay rates negotiated for every single gig. As a soldier, however, you
could always rely on steady pay, and you often had easy access to
facilities civilians struggled to have access to. Bakeries, hospitals, and baths
were a part of most barracks, and even broke soldiers
could use them for free. And let's not overlook
that the land a soldier earned after retirement
was incredibly attractive because Romans were often living
cramped lifestyles in the city. [MUSIC PLAYING] So we've established that
being a Roman soldier, even in times of war, could
have some pretty huge upsides. But as you probably
guessed, the profession came with a lot of risks
too and not just in battle. Soldiers judged
disobedient, cowardly, or grievously incompetent
by the commanders often faced extremely strict
and sometimes highly cruel forms of punishment. Write out "I shall not run
away from Spartacus" 100 times! Centurions, who led
the legions, carried canes used to strike soldiers
to enforce their will or tighten up a sloppy march. Small mistakes like that could
lead to beatings or even prison time. One particular Centurion,
named Lucilius, was known as "another here,"
because he beat his soldiers so severely he often
needed multiple canes for a single punishment. If you're wondering why
the soldiers would stand for such shabby treatment,
it's probably worth noting they didn't always. Lucilius was offed during
the Pannonian Mutiny. Larger mistakes resulted in even
more severe punishment, up to and including execution. One particularly grisly
punishment, decimation, meant that 10% of your unit
was simply and somewhat arbitrarily killed. Most infamously, General
Marcus Licinius Crassus ordered 500 soldiers decimated
for cowardice in the gladiator wars. Every group of 10 drew
lots, and the unlucky soul who got the short
straw was bludgeoned by their nine close comrades. If you want to get a sense of
what that must have been like, the Star series Spartacus-- War of the Damned dramatized
this use of decimation in the fourth episode
of the third season. Titled appropriately
enough, "Decimation." [MUSIC PLAYING] One thing the movies got right
is that Roman legionnaires tended to arm themselves to
the teeth with heavy battle equipment. Every soldier wore iron
armor and a metal helmet typically fashioned from either
iron or bronze over a wool tunic. Their scutum shields
added the most weight, but it was worth it because
they were pretty versatile, providing both protection
and an iron knob for bashing the enemy. The pilum, which was
a large spear designed to be tossed before the
start of close combat, was the Roman
soldier's first weapon. It was made of a
soft metal that bent on impact so it
couldn't be reused by the Romans' opponents. If forced into a
tight situation, their gladius swords proved
excellent stabbing weapons. Legionnaires, however,
almost never carried ranged weapons, as those
were reserved primarily for specialized auxiliaries. Joining the army came
with a ton of benefits and ultimately could prove to be
one's ticket to the good life. So, not surprisingly,
lots of people wanted in. Potential recruits
endured a battery of medical and athletic
tests to ensure they were already fit to fight. Basically, they
wanted men who didn't need a great deal
of physical training before they entered
the battlefield. Recruits also had to prove
they were of Roman birth to be a legionnaire. But both legionaries
and auxiliaries were required to be free born. If an enslaved person was
discovered to have enlisted, those responsible were slain. If you met all the
necessary requirements, you were finally allowed
to swear an oath of loyalty to the emperor and head
off to the barracks. [MUSIC PLAYING] Roman generals and
tacticians devised formations and
strategies that were infamous throughout the world. The standard formation was
known as the "triplex acies." Three lines of warriors arranged
like a chessboard, spaced out to allow easy
throwing of the pilum and free use of the gladius
when tight enough to repel enemy offensives. The scutum shield was key
to many powerful defense formations, such as
forming a hollow square to repel cavalry or
an overhead shell to protect from
arrows and Spears. But the success of
the Roman forces wasn't all about fighting
tactics and superior equipment. They also used cleverness
to their advantage between battles, training some
of the first messenger pigeons to deliver information from
spies and digging hidden trenches in the night so
the enemy's horses would fall inside. You would think a military
force as formidable as the Roman army
would be on the cutting edge of weapons technology, but
that wasn't always the case. In fact, the Romans
were surprisingly slow to integrate siege
weapons into their armies. They often assembled
and devised artillery based on Greek designs and
only iterated as necessary. However, after
Julius Caesar success with siege engines at
Alesia, the devices became a powerful and
well-integrated part of the Roman arsenal. The most famous Roman
siege weapon, the ballista, hurled massive
stones and was known as "the onage,"
or "the wild ass," for their incredible
kickback after firing. Smaller ballista designed
to fire heavy bolts were known as
"carroballista" or "scorpio." [MUSIC PLAYING] Being a soldier
came with rewards, but not everyone
reaped them equally. Those who were citizens of
the Roman Empire did the best. Whereas those who weren't,
get nearly the same benefits from serving. Looks like there's no cake. Next year, hey? You can bet me an extra big one. You see, Roman citizens became
full-fledged legionnaires, but non-citizens had to
become mere auxiliaries. These forces weren't as
well respected, didn't earn as much pay,
and instead of land and a pension got
a military diploma granting them and their
offspring Roman citizenship. Additionally, soldiers
from influential families were often promoted faster. Surprise, surprise. And older men typically
ordered the younger soldiers to take the most dangerous
positions on the front lines. Despite the empire's
size, the Romans often did not integrate well
with their new subjects. If a tribe or kingdom
they sought to conquer had the gall to fight them
or force them into a siege, only the women
and children would have any hope of surviving. Even alliances with foreigners
were seen as temporary. When the Celtic King Prasutagus
died, leaving ally Emperor Nero half his estate,
the Romans responded by taking control of his
kingdom and brutally punishing his rebellious family. Romans regarded those
dwelling in their empire without Roman citizenship
as being of low status, and such people were
subject to especially gruesome and horrific
punishments like crucifixion. Crucifixion? Yes. Good. Out of the door, line on
the left, one cross each. [MUSIC PLAYING] While movies and
television tend to portray Roman soldiers as
battle hardened warriors constantly on the march to
their next confrontation, it wasn't usually like
that in real life. On average, Roman soldiers
lived a mundane and hard working existence. Some took up
specialties, filling in as doctors, bakers,
potters, and blacksmiths when the barracks needed them. At one time or
another, soldiers were put to work on the
infrastructure of the empire. In peacetime,
leaders of the legion often became administrators,
overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, and aqueducts
built by soldiers' hands. And regardless of whether
it was time of peace or war, there was always plenty of
dirty work that had to be done. Pass me the sponge on a
stick, will you Marcus? They don't really point this
out in the movies either, but the truth is Roman barracks
were essentially small cities. And like any city, they needed
daily upkeep and maintenance. Soldiers were put to the
dirtiest and most mundane tasks like cleaning boots,
replacing old pipes, and scrubbing the
walls of the baths. The worst of these jobs was,
naturally, latrine duty. On any given day,
a legionnaire could find himself cleaning
feces out of blocked pipes and emptying full latrine pits. Speaking of being
domestic, history teaches us that a Roman soldier
was not allowed to marry. From the time a soldier's
service started until it ended, they were not allowed
to take a wife. Pretty much any activity that
was considered a distraction from serving the
empire was discouraged. [BUZZER] Of course, this
didn't stop soldiers from sneaking off and
taking unofficial wives and girlfriends from
the nearby towns. Also not surprisingly, the
high ranking centurions were exempted from the rule and
enjoyed the privilege of being able to marry while serving. When Septimius Severus took
power in 193 CE, however, this rule was
eventually overturned. Much of the Roman
army's legendary success wouldn't have been possible
if Gaius Marius hadn't been elected consul in 107 BCE. In fact, before his attention
turned to the Roman army, it was a loosely assembled
group of ragtag volunteers who all had other
jobs and would have to bring their own weapons. Under the reforms of
Marius, however, the army became the now
legendary institution that could create all
throughout the known world. How did he do it? Well, among other
decrees, Marius allowed citizens without
property to enlist, supplied soldiers
with arms and armor, and made being a
soldier a true career. So what do you think? How would you fare
as a Roman soldier? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our weird history. [MUSIC PLAYING]
