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- Imperial_Roman_army abstract "The Imperial Roman army is the term commonly used to denote the standing forces deployed by the Roman Empire during the Principate era (30 BC – AD 284). Under the founder–emperor Augustus (ruled 30 BC – AD 14 ), the legions, which were formations numbering about 5,000 heavy infantry recruited from Roman citizens only, were transformed from a mixed conscript and volunteer corps serving an average of 10 years, to all-volunteer units of long-term professionals serving a standard 25-year term. (Conscription was only decreed in emergencies.) In the later 1st century, the size of a legion's First Cohort was doubled, increasing the strength of a legion to about 5,500.To complement the legions, Augustus established the auxilia, a regular corps of similar numbers to the legions, recruited from the peregrini or non-citizen inhabitants of the empire, who constituted about 90% of the Empire's population in the 1st century. In addition to large numbers of heavy infantry equipped in a similar manner to legionaries, the auxilia provided virtually all the army's cavalry, light infantry, archers and other specialists. The auxilia were organised in units about 500 strong. These units were termed cohortes if they consisted of infantry, alae if they consisted of cavalry and cohortes equitatae if they were composed of infantry with a cavalry contingent attached.Until about AD 68, the auxilia were recruited by a mix of conscription and voluntary enlistment. After that time, the auxilia became largely a volunteer corps, with conscription resorted to only in emergencies. Auxiliaries were required to serve a minimum of 25 years, although many served for longer periods. On completion of their minimum term, auxiliaries were awarded Roman citizenship, which carried important legal, fiscal and social advantages. Around AD 80, a minority of auxiliary regiments were doubled in size.Alongside the regular forces, the army of the Principate employed allied native units (called numeri) from outside the Empire on a mercenary basis. These were led by their own aristocrats and equipped in traditional fashion. Numbers fluctuated according to circumstances and are largely unknown.As all-citizen formations, and symbolic protectors of the dominance of the Italian "master-nation", legions enjoyed greater social prestige than the auxilia for much of the Principate. This was reflected in better pay and benefits. In addition, legionaries were equipped with more expensive and protective armour than auxiliaries, notably the lorica segmentata, or laminated-strip armour. However, in 212, the Emperor Caracalla granted Roman citizenship to nearly all the Empire's freeborn inhabitants. At this point, the distinction between legions and auxilia became moot, the latter becoming all-citizen units also. The change was reflected in the disappearance, during the 3rd century, of legionaries' special equipment, and the progressive break-up of legions into cohort-sized units like the auxilia.By the end of Augustus' reign, the imperial army numbered some 250,000 men, equally split between 25 legions and 250 units of auxiliaries. The numbers grew to a peak of about 450,000 by 211, in 33 legions and about 400 auxiliary units. By then, auxiliaries outnumbered legionaries substantially. From this peak, numbers probably underwent a steep decline by 270 due to plague and losses during multiple major barbarian invasions. Numbers were restored to their early 2nd-century level of c. 400,000 (but probably not to their 211 peak) under Diocletian (r. 284-305). After the Empire's borders became settled (on the Rhine-Danube line in Europe) by AD 68, virtually all military units (except the Praetorian Guard) were stationed on or near the borders, in roughly 17 of the 42 provinces of the empire in the reign of Hadrian (r. 117–138).The military chain of command was relatively flat. In each province, the deployed legions' legati (legion commanders, who also controlled the auxiliary units attached to their legion) reported to the legatus Augusti pro praetore (provincial governor), who also headed the civil administration. The governor in turn reported directly to the Emperor in Rome. There was no general staff in Rome, but the leading praefectus praetorio (commander of the Praetorian Guard) often acted as the Emperor's de facto military chief-of-staff.Compared to the subsistence-level peasant families from which they mostly originated, legionary rankers enjoyed considerable disposable income, enhanced by periodical cash bonuses on special occasions such as the accession of a new emperor. In addition, on completion of their term of service, they were given a generous discharge bonus equivalent to 13 years' salary. Auxiliaries were paid much less in the early 1st century, but by 100 AD, the differential had virtually disappeared. Similarly, in the earlier period, auxiliaries appear not to have received cash and discharge bonuses, but probably did so from the reign of Hadrian onwards. Junior officers (principales), the equivalent of non-commissioned officers in modern armies, could expect to earn up to twice basic pay. Legionary centurions, the equivalent of senior warrant officers, were organised in an elaborate hierarchy. Usually promoted from the ranks, they commanded the legion's tactical sub-units of centuriae (about 80 men) and cohorts (about 480 men). They were paid several multiples of basic pay. The most senior centurion, the primus pilus, was automatically elevated to equestrian rank on completion of his single-year term of office. The senior officers of the army, the legati legionis (legion commanders), tribuni militum (legion staff officers) and the praefecti (commanders of auxiliary regiments) were all of at least equestrian rank. In the 1st and early 2nd centuries, they were mainly Italian aristocrats performing the military component of their cursus honorum (conventional career-path). Later, provincial career officers became predominant. Senior officers were paid enormous salaries, multiples of at least 50 times a soldier's basic pay.Soldiers spent only a fraction of their lives on campaign. Most of their time was spent on routine military duties such as training, patrolling, and maintenance of equipment. Soldiers also played an important role outside the military sphere. They performed the function of a provincial governor's police force. As a large, disciplined and skilled force of fit men, they played a crucial role in the construction of a province's military and civil infrastructure. In addition to constructing forts and fortified defences such as Hadrian's Wall, they built roads, bridges, ports, public buildings and entire new cities (colonia), and cleared forests and drained marshes to expand a province's available arable land.Soldiers, mostly drawn from polytheistic societies, enjoyed wide freedom of worship in the polytheistic Roman system. Only a few cults were banned by the Roman authorities, as being incompatible with the official Roman religion or being politically subversive, notably Druidism and Christianity. The later Principate saw the rise in popularity among the military of Eastern mystery cults, generally centred on one deity, and involving secret rituals divulged only to initiates. By far the most popular cult in the army was Mithraism, an apparently syncretist cult which mainly originated in Asia Minor.".
- Imperial_Roman_army activeYearsEndYear "0284".
- Imperial_Roman_army activeYearsStartYear "-0030".
- Imperial_Roman_army country Roman_Empire.
- Imperial_Roman_army militaryUnitSize "450,000 at peak in 211 AD".
- Imperial_Roman_army thumbnail Helmet_typ_Weissenau_01.jpg?width=300.
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageExternalLink vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk.
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageExternalLink british_cohortes.htm.
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageExternalLink Auxilia.htm.
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageExternalLink MilitaryDiploma.html.
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageID "26221135".
- Imperial_Roman_army wikiPageRevisionID "605336730".
- Imperial_Roman_army branch "Army".
- Imperial_Roman_army caption "Roman infantry helmet . Late 1st century".
- Imperial_Roman_army country Roman_Empire.
- Imperial_Roman_army dates "30".
- Imperial_Roman_army disbanded "Became the late Roman army".
- Imperial_Roman_army equipment "Roman legions, Auxilia, Pretorian Guard".
- Imperial_Roman_army equipmentLabel "Unit types".
- Imperial_Roman_army group "Note".
- Imperial_Roman_army hasPhotoCollection Imperial_Roman_army.
- Imperial_Roman_army size "450000".
- Imperial_Roman_army unitName "Imperial Roman Army".
- Imperial_Roman_army subject Category:Military_of_ancient_Rome.
- Imperial_Roman_army subject Category:Roman_auxiliaries.
- Imperial_Roman_army type Abstraction100002137.
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- Imperial_Roman_army type MilitaryUnit108198398.
- Imperial_Roman_army type Organization108008335.
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- Imperial_Roman_army type Unit108189659.
- Imperial_Roman_army type YagoLegalActor.
- Imperial_Roman_army type YagoLegalActorGeo.
- Imperial_Roman_army type YagoPermanentlyLocatedEntity.
- Imperial_Roman_army type Agent.
- Imperial_Roman_army type MilitaryUnit.
- Imperial_Roman_army type Organisation.
- Imperial_Roman_army type Organization.
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- Imperial_Roman_army comment "The Imperial Roman army is the term commonly used to denote the standing forces deployed by the Roman Empire during the Principate era (30 BC – AD 284). Under the founder–emperor Augustus (ruled 30 BC – AD 14 ), the legions, which were formations numbering about 5,000 heavy infantry recruited from Roman citizens only, were transformed from a mixed conscript and volunteer corps serving an average of 10 years, to all-volunteer units of long-term professionals serving a standard 25-year term.".
- Imperial_Roman_army label "Ejército Imperial Romano".
- Imperial_Roman_army label "Imperial Roman army".
- Imperial_Roman_army sameAs Ejército_Imperial_Romano.
- Imperial_Roman_army sameAs m.0jt5bq3.
- Imperial_Roman_army sameAs Q8772741.
- Imperial_Roman_army sameAs Q8772741.
- Imperial_Roman_army sameAs Imperial_Roman_army.
- Imperial_Roman_army wasDerivedFrom Imperial_Roman_army?oldid=605336730.
- Imperial_Roman_army depiction Helmet_typ_Weissenau_01.jpg.
- Imperial_Roman_army isPrimaryTopicOf Imperial_Roman_army.
- Imperial_Roman_army name "Imperial Roman Army".