07-20-2013, 07:43 PM
Donatives have already been mentioned - depending on the era, these could be quite a considerable part of a soldier's overall wealth. Accession bonuses, also paid on anniversaries, also had the advantage of being hard cash or specie and paid in a lump sum rather than instalments. By the early fourth century, a soldier could expect donatives totalling several times his annual pay.
Nathan Ross