Transcript Principate

The Roman Army
Major Changes
Augustus and the Principate
The Emperor’s Army
Beginning with Augustus, the army was no
longer the army of the Roman people
(populi Romani exercitus) but the army of
the princeps (the first citizen), later of the
Emperor
 The language of Augustus’ Res Gestae :
milites mei (my soldiers); exercitus meus
(my army); classis mea (my fleet) etc.
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Res Gestae Divi Augusti
The accomplishments of the divine
Augustus
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Table 3:”I waged many wars throughout the
whole world by land and by sea, both civil and
foreign, and when victorious I spared all citizens
who sought pardon. Foreign peoples who could
safely be pardoned I preferred to spare rather
than to extirpate. About 500,000 Roman citizens
were under military oath to me. Of these,
when their terms of service were ended, I
settled in colonies or sent back to their own
municipalities a little more than 300,000, and to
all of these I allotted lands or granted money as
rewards for military service. …”
RG Table 25
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“I brought peace to the sea by suppressing the
pirates (naval war against Sextus Pomepey 36
BCE). In that war I turned over to their masters
for punishment nearly 30,000 slaves who had
run away from their owners and taken up arms
against the state. The whole of Italy voluntarily
took an oath of allegiance to me and demanded
me as its leader in the war in which I was
victorious at Actium (against Antony and
Cleopatra). The same oath was taken by the
provinces of the Gauls, the Spains, Africa, Sicily,
and Sardina. ..”
A new professional army
“After the civil wars he (Augustus) did not
address any of the soldiers as ‘comrades’ in
either speeches or edicts, but always ‘soldiers’,
and indeed did not permit any other form of
address to be used even by his sons or stepsons
who held military commands. For he thought
that the former term was too flattering for the
demands of military discipline, the peaceful
nature of the times, and his own majesty and
that of his house.”
 Suetonius, Augustus 25.1 (Campbell # 119)
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Augustus’ legions
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At the time of the battle at Actium at least 51 legions (possibly 60) in
Roman Empire.
Augustus reduced them to 28, probably in order to reduce financial burden
and establish climate of peace (pax)
Number of legions varied throughout the imperial period: i.e. under
Claudius (41-54 CE) 30; UNDER Septimius Severus (193-211 CE) 33.
Legion 5,000 – 6,000 ?
Footmen divided into 10 cohorts of 6 centuries each
Each cohort = 480 men
C. mid 1st century CE, first cohort reorganized into 5 large centuries for total
of 960 men = double strength of other cohorts
Smallest union the contubernium – 8 men sharing tent/quarters in barracks;
10 contubernia = 1 century = 80 men
Turned into standing professional army deployed at frontiers and most
dangerous regions of Empire
Augustus’ structural changes
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To prevent successful generals from using their armies for their own
ambitions against the Roman state
Key was to remain in control over the provinces and their economic
and military resources
Augustus’ dilemma: he had to be the recipient of imperial resources
in order to curb ambitious aristocrats, but also had to make sure
that Roman aristocracy was not humiliated and maintained their
dignity
Senate restructured, from 1000 to 600 members; hereditary; career
in service of state; kept several administrative functions;
Augustus assumed control of army (as supreme commander),
paymaster – even used own money to pay them if required;
finances, foreign policy
Imperial provinces (wealthiest i.e. Egypt; those with armies, etc.,
Senatorial provinces (peaceful)
Paying the army
Augustus also in control of paying for the
legions
 Established military treasury (aerarium
militare);
 Ensured constant flow of money to the
treasury by adding an annual gift from his
personal wealth, later revenue of 5%
inheritance tax, 1% sales tax
 See Campbell # 18 and 19
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Recruitment
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“The recruiting officer should diligently ensure that
through a careful examination of their face, eye, and
physical constitution, he chooses men who are likely to
prove good soldiers. For the qualities not only of a man
but also of horses and dogs are revealed by many
indications…The potential young recruit therefore ought
to have alert eyes, should carry is head erect, have a
broad chest, muscular shoulders, strong arms, long
fingers, small waist, slim buttocks, and legs and feet
which are not fleshy but sinewy and strong. When you
find all these indications in a recruit, you need not pay
much attention to his height, for brave soldiers are more
valuable that tall ones.(Vegetius (4th century CE),
Epitome of Military Matters 1.6) Campbell # 4
Recruits
According to Vegetius:
 cavalrymen – height between 1.68 m (5
Roman feet, 8 inches) and 1.73 (5 Roman
feet, 10 inches) - which is rather tall for
the period.
 Cavalrymen drawn from Celts and
Germans who were taller
 Another sources claims 160 m (5 Roman
feet, 5 inches) = more realistic
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Becoming a soldier
1. Recruit (tiro) for four month; status of
neither civilian nor soldier
 2. Name included in special list (numeros
referri) identifying his origin and class
 received metal tablet: signaculum,
carried around neck identifying him as
member of the army
 3. the oath to gods and emperor
(iusiurandum or sacramentum)
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Training
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1 “We see that the Roman people conquered the world by no other
means than training in the military arts, discipline in the camp, and
practice in warfare…But against all these (peoples) we triumphed by
selecting recruits carefully, by teaching them, as I have pointed out,
the principles of war, by toughening them by daily exercise, by
teaching them in advance through manoeuvres in the field everhting
which can happen on the march and in battle, and by punishing
severely the lazy. For knowledge of military science fosters courage
in battle. No one is afraid to perform what he is confident he has
learned well…9 Right at the start of their training, therefore, recruits
should be taught the military step. For on the march and in the
battle line nothing should be safeguarded more carefully than that
all the troops should keep in step. This can be achieved only if
through repeated practice they learn to march quickly and in
formation. An army which is split up and in disorder is always in
grave danger from the enemy. So, 20 miles should be completed
with the military step in five hours, but only in summer. With the
fuller step, which is quicker, 24 miles should be completed in the
same time ..
Training ..continued
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The soldiers should also be trained jumping so that they
can leap over ditches and surmount any height blocking
the way, and consequently when difficulties of this kind
appear, they can cross them without trouble .. 10 All
recruits without exception should during the summer
months learn how to swim. For they cannot always cross
rivers or bridges, but during a retreat or pursuit an army
is frequently forced to swim…19 Recruits should be
compelled frequently to carry a burden of up to sixty
points and to march with the military step, since on
tough campaigns they face the necessity of carrying
their provisions as well as their weapons.
Training continued 3
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Book 2.2 The younger soldiers and recruits normally were trained in
the morning and afternoon with every kind of weapon. Veterans and
experienced troops had one uninterrupted arms drill session every
day ….It is excellent to train them at a fencing post using wooden
sticks, since they learn how to attack the sides or legs or head with
the point and edge (of the sword). They should also learn how to
strike a blow while simultaneously leaping up, to spring up with a
bound and crouch down behind the shield again, to charge forward
with one rush and then give way and charge back to the rear. They
should also practice hurling their javelins at the posts from a
distance in order to develop their accuracy and the strength of their
throwing arm.
Vegetius (Campbell # 13)
See also # 14