KokinchakServingtheCity

Home Life of a Roman Soldier

Rome is a strong empire. One of the reasons it exists is because of its powerful army. Serving in the Roman Army was an honor. Originally, only farmers and such could join. But soon, ordinary men could become professional soldiers. Only men were allowed to join, and for at least 25 years, their only job was to battle and protect Rome.  They assemble soldiers into groups of 80, called a century. A century was made up of 80 normal soldiers, called legionaries. Some soldiers were especially talented, and they could become a centurion, and each centurion was in charge of a century. A legion had 59 centuries. They were usually around 30 legions in an army. If you had a special rank in an army, you would have a unique stick, which you would use to beat out-of-line soldiers. A centurion would wear special armor too.  Roman Soldiers had to be tough…they usually march 20 miles per day! And they had to march wearing full armor! (which could weigh between 30-50lbs). They also had to carry their own shield, camping paraphernalia, supplies, and some food. They had to train together, and practiced often. Being a soldier in Rome is certainly hard!  