5 Things That Surprise People About Roman Soldiers
When most people picture a Roman soldier, they imagine a man in armor carrying a sword and shield while marching off to conquer some distant land. That’s not entirely wrong. But there’s a lot about Roman soldiers that surprises people once they start digging a little deeper into history.
At nearly every event, we hear visitors say something along the lines of, “I had no idea Romans did that.” Honestly, that’s one of the reasons we enjoy what we do. The real Roman army is often much more interesting that the version most of us grew up seeing in movies and television. Here are five facts that tend to surprise people the most.
1. They Carried More Than Just Weapons
When people think of soldiers, they usually think about fighting. The Romans expected much more from their soldiers. A Roman Legionary wasn’t just trained to fight. He was also expected to build. Some soldiers had special skills like carpentry, masonry, blacksmithing, writing, and leather working. Almost all soldiers carried tools such as shovels, picks, axes, and other equipment used for construction. Roman armies built roads, bridges, fortifications, and camps everywhere they went.
In fact, a soldier might spend far more time digging, building, repairing, and hauling materials than actually fighting. It’s not the most glamourous image of military life, but it's one of the reasons Rome was able to maintain such a vast Empire.
2.They Built a Fortified Camp Almost Every Night
Most people imagine ancient armies marching until sunset and then simply sleeping wherever they happened to stop. The Romans preferred a different approach.
When a Roman army halted for the night after approximately 20 Roman miles of march, the soldiers often constructed a fortified camp. This camp was complete with ditches, earthworks, gates, palisades, and designated areas for subunits (Cohorts/Centuries) It’s easy to read about it and just glaze over the fact but when you stop and think about it, it sounds exhausting. After marching approximately 20 miles in roughly 5 hours, half of the army would start building the camp, while the other half stood guard. Even though it was back breaking work doing this day after day, it helped keep Roman armies organized, disciplined, and safe no matter where they were operating.
3.Roman Soldiers Wore Socks With Sandals
Sounds like a modern fashion fopaux but it was definitely not the case two thousand years ago. We also must address an elephant in the room: the “sandals” Roman soldiers wore, were not in fact sandals, but ancient equivalent to combat boots. The open leather straps helped prevent chaffing and allowed the feet to dry quickly. But most people picture Roman soldiers marching around in their “sandals” under the warm Mediterranean sun. The reality is that many soldiers spent their careers stationed in places that were cold, wet and miserable such as Britain.
Archaeological discoveries from sites such as Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall have revealed evidence that Roman soldiers wore socks and other cold weather clothing. The Romans were practical people. Staying warm was more important than looking fashionable to today’s standards.
4.Many Soldiers Served Far From Home
The Roman Empire stretched across an enormous amount of territory. As a result, soldiers often found themselves serving hundreds or even thousands of miles away from where they were born. A recruit from Syria might end up stationed in Britain, or someone from Spain might serve along the Rhine frontier. A soldier born in Gaul (modern day France) could find himself deployed to the eastern provinces. Military service exposed people to different languages, cultures, foods and customs from across the Empire. For many Roman soldiers, joining the army was the greatest adventure of their lives.
5.The Sword Wasn’t Their Most Important Tool
This might be the biggest surprise of all. The Roman gladius is one of the most famous weapons in history, and it certainly played an important role on the battlefield. But swords alone didn’t build an Empire. Roman success came from discipline, organization, engineering, logistics, and training. The shovel carried by a Legionary may have been just as important as the sword hanging from his belt. Those tools build camps (which some turned into modern cities). Those camps protected armies. Those armies built and secured roads, supply lines, and frontiers. The sword won battles. Everything else helped Rome win wars.
The Real Romans Are More Interesting
One of the things we enjoy most about Roman living history is helping people discover that Roman soldiers were much more than warriors.
They were Engineers.
Builders.
Laborers
Travelers.
Craftsmen.
And apparently, occasional wearers of socks and sandals.
The more you learn about the Roman army, the more impressive, and human it becomes. That’s exactly why we’re still talking about them nearly two thousand years later.
Legio XIIII, Protinus!
