03-13-2001, 09:38 AM
Salve,<br>
<br>
The penalty for desertion laid down in military law was the death sentence. This was in force both during the republic and the empire. Though the Roman disciplinary system was in theory very strict and harsh, it was in practice often not always applied with the severity stipulated in the various legal texts. Several rescripts, answers made to requests by soldiers to the emperor for assistance in legal matters, are in fact pointing to a discipline which would be very relaxed by our modern standards. A request has been preserved by soldier who went absent without leave for several years before returning to his unit and claimed the backlog in pay for his time away. He was courteously informed that that his request could not be taken into consideration. Other references also indicate that troops who had deserted or gone AWOL were not treated harshly, though this was probably dictated by circumstances for instances of executions are known. Soldiers were in general too valuable to be wasted and though from time to time deserters would be executed to make a point most would get off more lightly.<br>
<br>
More can be read about the subject of military regulations and discipline in:<br>
<br>
<br>
Brand, C. E. <i> Roman military law</i> (Austin, Texas 1968).<br>
<br>
Campbell, J.B., <i> The emperor and the Roman army: 31BC-AD235</i> (Oxford, 1984).<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
<br>
The penalty for desertion laid down in military law was the death sentence. This was in force both during the republic and the empire. Though the Roman disciplinary system was in theory very strict and harsh, it was in practice often not always applied with the severity stipulated in the various legal texts. Several rescripts, answers made to requests by soldiers to the emperor for assistance in legal matters, are in fact pointing to a discipline which would be very relaxed by our modern standards. A request has been preserved by soldier who went absent without leave for several years before returning to his unit and claimed the backlog in pay for his time away. He was courteously informed that that his request could not be taken into consideration. Other references also indicate that troops who had deserted or gone AWOL were not treated harshly, though this was probably dictated by circumstances for instances of executions are known. Soldiers were in general too valuable to be wasted and though from time to time deserters would be executed to make a point most would get off more lightly.<br>
<br>
More can be read about the subject of military regulations and discipline in:<br>
<br>
<br>
Brand, C. E. <i> Roman military law</i> (Austin, Texas 1968).<br>
<br>
Campbell, J.B., <i> The emperor and the Roman army: 31BC-AD235</i> (Oxford, 1984).<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
