Legion: Life in the Roman Army

Follow the life of an ordinary Roman soldier—from enlistment to the battlefield—in this intimate look at everyday life in the Roman army.

The scale and organization of the Roman army was unprecedented in the ancient Western world, leading to it becoming the West’s first permanent, pensionable military profession. Through the advent of the “career soldier,” the Roman army created an avenue for noncitizens to gain enfranchisement, build wealth, and advance their social standing upon the concl...