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Leisure in the Roman Military Community
#1
Hi People,

I'm new to this community, so please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place or something like that.

I'm currently studying leisure in the Roman military community and am attempting to define this, is there anyone able to advise me on how I can go about this?
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#2
Hi Ian

Part of the problem you'll face is that leisure (otium) was defined as one of the hallmarks of the aristocratic life; the labouring classes (from which most army recruits were drawn) were supposed to work - and did so much of the time! Balsdon's Life and Leisure in the Early Roman Empire is getting rather dated these days, but provides some useful coverage on the concept of leisure as the Romans understood it. (*Edit - actually Toner's Leisure and Ancient Rome is probably a better bet!)

Soldiers did have leisure time, of course, although the ways they used it tend to leave little to the archaeological or literary record. You might be interested in my review of MacMullen's Soldier and Civilian in the Later Roman Empire, which examines much of the non-martial side of the soldier's life. Davies's more recent Service in the Roman Army covers, I think, similar ground - I haven't read it myself, but there's a review here by Duncan Campbell which I can't seem to access at the moment...

You might like to look at the development of bathhouses in legion forts - as they grew bigger and more substantial over the centuries, they surely served as the foci of much off-duty time - not just bathing but general socialising, games and relaxation, in what for the average legionary (unaccustomed to the pleasures of metropolitan life) must have been very grand surroundings!
Nathan Ross
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#3
Hi Nathan,

Thanks for the reply, I have been reading the books you have suggested here in an attempt at working this out and have encountered the issue you highlighted with regards to otium

This is for my dissertation, I am planning on examining bath houses for the second chapter (if I ever get that far!), I have just hit a bit of a wall for the first chapter in which I'm attempting to define leisure in the military community.

Your comments are very helpful though and I will certainly read the reviews you have suggested
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#4
Quote:I have been reading the books you have suggested here in an attempt at working this out and have encountered the issue you highlighted with regards to otium.
I'd recommend Sara Elise Phang's Roman Military Service (CUP, 2008) for a good overview of the Roman military mentality. She discusses "leisure" and "idleness" versus the labor expected of the military.
posted by Duncan B Campbell
https://ninth-legion.blogspot.com/
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#5
Thank you very much for the suggestion, I was not aware of this publication and will pick it up next week. I notice that this book is focused on the late republic and early principate. My area of study is the Hadrianic frontier system, so the date range is approximately early 2nd to very early 5th century, would you think the ideologies would be similar in the different time periods?
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#6
Quote:I notice that this book is focused on the late republic and early principate.
"Early Principate" runs down to Septimius Severus, so you're quite safe.
posted by Duncan B Campbell
https://ninth-legion.blogspot.com/
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#7
of course, my head is all over, should have realised that, haha!
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