The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337

305 Pages·2006·2.14 MB·English

by  Brian Campbell

The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337
The Roman imperial army was unrivalled until recent times in its
professional structure, efficient training, detailed organization, and
ordnance support. It was remarkable in an age of poor communications
and limited technological advance. The army sustained a great empire
militarily and politically. First, its skill and success ensured Rome’s
domination, and second the loyalty of the troops ensured the political
survival of the emperors, who sought to preserve the fabric of
government and make it work. The army was therefore a vital element
in the subsequent development of Western Civilization.
The large number of soldiers and their associated dependants meant
that they had significant impact socially, economically, and culturally
on the settlements that grew up round the camps and on some of the
communitites where they settled after discharge. The privileges of the
soldiers set them apart from other men of their social class, and the
enhanced position of veterans established them as a very important
group in their own right, an integral part of the whole phenomenon of
Roman ‘government’. The study of the Roman army therefore embraces
not only military but also political, social and economic history.
This source book collects literary and epigraphic material, and papyri
and coins which illustrate the varied aspects of army life both at war
and at peace, and it takes account of evidence made available by recent
archaeological investigations in many parts of the empire. Subjects
covered include training, officers, the role of the emperor, fighting,
community life, politics, and veterans. The introductions to each section
and the linking passages provide a narrative structure and explain
difficulties of the source material.
This book will appeal to a wide audience: students of the army and
the Roman empire, and all those interested in the ancient world and
military studies.
Brian Campbell is Lecturer in Ancient History at the Queen’s University
of Belfast. He is the author of The Emperor and the Roman Army, 31
BC-AD 235 (1984).

The Roman Army,
31 BC–AD 337
A Sourcebook
Brian Campbell
London and New York
First published 1994
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 1994 Brian Campbell
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Campbell, J. B.
The Roman Army, 31 BC-AD 337: A sourcebook /
Brian Campbell
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Roman—Army I. Title.
U35.C35 1994
335′00937—dc20 93–9032
ISBN 0-203-13730-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-17773-8 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-07172-0 (hbk) 0-415-07173-9 (pbk)
For Karen

Contents
List of plates ix
List of maps and tables x
Preface and acknowledgements xi
Abbreviations xiii
Emperors from Augustus to Constantine xvi
Weights, measures and money xviii
Introduction 1
1 The soldiers 9
Recruitment 9
Training 15
Conditions of service 20
Careers 28
2 The officers 46
Centurions 46
Prefects and tribunes 56
Senior officers 61
3 The Emperor as commander-in-chief 68
The emperor with his troops 69
The emperor as general 72
Imperial military honours 74
4 The army in the field 79
The disposition of the army 79
Fighting 89
Medical service 103
Incentives and punishments 104
viii Contents
5 The army in peacetime 110
Military life in and around the camps 110
Soldiers as builders and engineers 120
Religion 127
Military Collegia 136
6 The army, the local community, and the law 140
Soldiers in local life 140
Soldiers, marriage, and family life 151
Soldiers before the law 160
Soldiers and civilians 170
7 The army in politics 181
8 Veterans 193
Discharge and benefits 193
Veteran colonies 210
Veterans in local life 221
9 The army in the later empire 231
Select bibliography 250
Index of translated passages 256
Index of names and subjects 264
Plates
1 Ti. Claudius Maximus
2 Centurion monument from Colchester
3 Trajan as commander-in-chief
4 Trajan addresses the army; receives an embassy
5 Aureus, AD 46–7: Claudius’ triumph over the British
6 Sestertius, AD 116–17: conquest of Armenia and Mesopotania
7 Model of a Roman camp
8 The Roman siege ramp at Masada
9 Reconstruction of a Roman catapult from Masada, made for a
film version of the siege of Masada
10 Roman ceremonial helmet, AD 3–4
11 The Mithraeum at Carrawburgh on Hadrian’s Wall
12 Aureus, AD 41–2: Claudius and the praetorians
13 Bronze diploma—interior faces
14 Bronze diploma—exterior faces showing holes for binding wire
15 Bronze diploma—interior face
16 Bronze diploma—exterior face
17 Bronze diploma—binding wire and parts of metal cover for
protecting seals of witnesses
18 Bronze diploma—exterior face with metal cover in position