Random Things About What It Was Like To Be On The Front Lines Of An Ancient Roman Battle (13 items)

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  (#8) Soldiers Didn't Receive Equal Treatment

  Unfortunately, if you weren't a citizen of the Roman Empire, you failed to reap all the benefits of serving. Roman citizens became legionaries, but non-citizens had to become auxiliaries. These forces weren't as well-respected, didn't earn as much pay, and instead of land and a pension, got a military diploma granting them and their offspring Roman citizenship.

  Additionally, soldiers from influential families were often promoted faster, and older men ordered the younger soldiers to take the most dangerous positions on the front lines.
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  (#13) Gaius Marius Reformed The Roman Army Into History

  Much of the Roman army's legendary success wouldn't have been possible if Gaius Marius hadn't been elected consul in 107 BCE. Before his attention turned to the Roman army, it was a loosely assembled group of volunteers who had other jobs and brought their own weapons.

  Under the reforms of Marius, the army became the institution that could create awe. Among other decrees, Marius allowed citizens without property to enlist, supplied soldiers with arms and armor, and made being a soldier a true career. 
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  (#5) Signing Up Was A Battle In Itself

  Recruiters in the Roman army could afford to be choosy. Recruits endured a battery of medical and athletic tests to ensure they were already fit to fight. Basically, they wanted men who didn't need a great deal of physical training before they entered the battlefield.

  Recruits also had to prove they were of Roman birth to be a Legionary, but both legionaries and auxiliaries were required to be freeborn. If an enslaved person was discovered to have enlisted, those responsible were slain. If you met all the necessary requirements, you were finally allowed to swear an oath of loyalty to the emperor and head off to the barracks.
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  (#10) They Were More Often Laborers Than Warriors

  On average, Roman soldiers lived a mundane and hardworking existence. Some took up specialties, filling in as doctors, bakers, potters, and blacksmiths when the barracks needed them. At one time or another, soldiers were put to work on the infrastructure of the Empire.

  At peace, leaders of the Legion became administrators, overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, and aqueducts built by soldiers' hands. 
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  (#9) Treating The Enemy Cruelly Was Expected

  Despite the Empire's size, the Romans often did not integrate well with their new subjects. If a tribe or kingdom fought them fiercely or forced them into siege, only women and children had some hope of surviving once the land was captured. Even alliances with foreigners were seen as temporary.

  When the Celtic king Prasutagus died, leaving ally Emperor Nero half his estate, the Romans responded by taking control of his kingdom and brutally punishing his rebellious family. Romans regarded those dwelling in their Empire without Roman citizenship as subaltern, and they were subject to especially gruesome and horrific punishments like crucifixion. 
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  (#11) They Had To Clean Toilets And Baths

  Roman barracks were essentially small cities, and like any city they needed daily upkeep and maintenance. Soldiers were put to the dirtiest and most mundane tasks like cleaning boots, replacing old pipes, and scrubbing the walls of the baths. The worst of these jobs was latrine duty.

  On any given day, a Legionary could find himself cleaning feces out of blocked pipes and emptying full latrine pits. 

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