Help with some info on the army

[Anonymous]

Hi,<br>
I am writing a fiction book and need to know some stuff about the roman army. Like the diference between axilleries and legionaries, what they did. Just general info.<br>
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[Anonymous]

What sort of book are you writing? <p>____________________________________________
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[Anonymous]

I am also a writer, and this site I have found to be incredibly comprehensive, regarding the legions. Everything you could ever want to know about the Roman military machine is in there. Just be good to the webmaster, when you are downloading. His bandwidth is meager, and too much borrowing at a time causes him to get shut down, for hours, and sometimes days.<br>
<br>
www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/6622/<br>
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These gentlemen here are also a wonderful fountain of knowledge, and everytime I have come running over here with a question, I find someone else has wondered the same thing I was, and was given vast references and honest, well-researched answers. <br>
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I would also be curious as to what you are writing.<br>
<br>
Boudicca<br>
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[Guest]

Salve,<br>
<br>
More specific questions can provide better clues to what information you are exactly looking for. Bes sure to check the index of threads to check for earlier discussions on the subject.<br>
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The Roman army had traditionally been composed of two main parts, one composed of citizen troops, one of allied or auxiliary troops. The main strength of the former was in the legions, while the latter served at their side in the <i> auxilia</i> or supporting forces. As time went by the original status difference between citizen legionary troops and non citizen auxiliary troops began to blur as spread of the Roman citizenship resulted in increasing recruitment of citizens into the ranks of the auxiliaries. Recruitment of conquered and allied men into the auxiliary forces helped Romanisation of the empire.<br>
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To some extent the auxiliary forces complemented the legions by providing specialist fighting skills in numbers not available in the legions, comprising large quantities of cavalry and substantial numbers of archers. Though irregulars often fought in native styles, regular units of the imperial army were usually reorganised and reequipped on the Roman model. Though there were light infantry skirmishers, most auxiliary infantry fought in a similar way to the legionary heavy infantry. Deployment could be either on the flanks of the legions or forming a battle line in front of them.<br>
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Service conditions between legionaries and auxilaries differed but seem to have been more harmonised over time. Rates of pay for those in the <i> auxilia</i> were slightly lower than for their legionary counterparts. Donatives, special monetary grants to soldiers were initally limited to citizen troops but lateron included auxiliaries as well. Terms of service were at first longer than in the legions, though they were eventually set at the same period of some 25 years. Extant evidence for retirement gratuities in land or cash is slight, though soldiers not possessing Roman citizenship could be granted citizenship on discharge, at first occasionally, later regularly, including the right of <i> conubium</i>, legal marriage according to Roman law according citizenship to offspring. Chances of promotion may not have been as good as in the legions or the praetorian guard, but auxiliaries could still make a career, especially when serving in one of the guard units of <i> singulares</i>.<br>
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Some reading on the Roman army and auxiliaries:<br>
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Bohec, Y. Le, <i> The imperial Roman army</i> (London 1994) 304p.<br>
Campbell, B., <i> The emperor and the Roman army 31BC-AD235</i> (Oxford 1984) 468p.<br>
Dixon, K.R. en P. Southern, <i> The Roman cavalry</i> (London 1992) 256p.<br>
Goldsworthy, A.K., <i> The Roman army at war 100 BC-200AD</i> (Oxford 1996) 311p.<br>
Goldsworthy, A., <i> Roman warfare</i> (London 2000) 224p.<br>
Keppie, L., <i> The making of the Roman army from republic to empire</i> (2nd edition) (London 1998) 272p.<br>
Saddington, D.B., <i> The development of the Roman auxiliary forces from Caesar to Vespasian</i> (Harare 1982).<br>
Speidel, M.P., <i> Guards of the Roman armies</i> (Bonn 1978) 149p.<br>
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Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

Sander is possibly a bit modest to suggest it himself, but I've always found his Roman Army Page to be the best 'first stop' whenever I have a question about the Roman Army. Anything I can't find out there I usually find out by asking on this forum or by checking Matt Amt's Legio XX page which is excellent for detailed questions on equipment.<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
<p>Tim O'Neill / Thiudareiks Flavius<BR>
<P>
Visit Clades Variana - Home of the Varus Film Project<br>

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