Enlisting in the Roman Military

[Anjelus]

Hello everyone. This is my first post and I'm afraid I'm beaming with questions so I'll jump right in.

 

With strong emphasis on the pre-Marian army:

 

How did one actually enlist? Was there a recruitment officer in the forum seated at a table with a gigantic logbook?

 

And what kinds of questions would he ask you? How would he ascertain your identity (or would they even care?) Was there some oath of service you'd have to take?

 

Most importantly, what books exist on this and related subjects?

[Kosmo]

Serving in the army was a privilege that only citizens of a certain wealth had so I guess that one had to prove those qualities. With this in mind I think that recruitment was done by the tribes.

[Melvadius]

This is a topic which crops up from time to time on the site so you may wish to also check out 'Joining a Legion which is a closely allied but more general question.

[Virgil61]

Polybius Book VI sec 20 has a short outline of how the Romans he observed enrolled and sorted out the new recruits [barely a generation before Gaius Marius came to prominence].

 

 

There are some clues on recruitment methods found on papyrii preserved in the Egyptian desert, remnants of clerical documents from centuries, cohorts & legions. They're outside the scope of pre-Marian recruitment but it may give some insight.

 

Here are some source documents from "The Roman Army 31 BC - AD 337 A Sourcebook" by Brian Campbell;

 

1 CPL 102, papyrus, Fayum, Egypt, AD 92

Titus Flavius Longus, orderly (optio) of Legion III Cyrenaica, in the

century of Arellius (?), made a declaration [and gave as guarantors _ _

_] Fronto, in the century of Pompeius Reg[ _ _ _, and Lucius Longinus]

Celer in the century of Cre[ _ _ _], and Lucius Herennius Fuscus, veteran,

and stated on oath that he was freeborn and a Roman citizen, and had

the right of serving in a legion.

 

Whereupon his guarantors, [ _ _ _ Fronto, and Lucius Longinus

Celer, and Lucius Herennius Fuscus, declared on oath by Jupiter] Best

and Greatest and the spirit of Emperor Caesar Domitian Augustus,

Conqueror of the Germans that [the aforementioned Titus Flavius

Longus] was freeborn and a Roman citizen and had the right of serving

in a legion.

 

Transacted in the Augustan camp in the winter-quarters of Legion

III [ _ _ _], year 17 of Emperor Caesar Domitian Augustus, Conqueror

of the Germans, in the consulship of Quintus Volusius Saturninus and

Lucius Venuleius Montanus Apronianus.

 

9 P. Oxy. 1022=Fink RMR 87, papyrus, Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, AD

103

Copy

Gaius Minicius Italus sends greetings to his own Celsianus. Give

orders that the six recruits approved by me should be included in

the roster of the cohort which you command, to take effect from

February 19. I have appended their names and distinguishing marks

to this letter. Farewell dearest brother.

 

Gaius Veturius Gemellus, age 21, no distinguishing mark

Gaius Longinus Priscus, age 22, a scar on left eyebrow

Gaius Julius Maximus, age 25, no distinguishing mark

[ _ _ _ ] Julius? Secundus, age 20, no distinguishing mark

Gaius Julius Saturninus, age 23, a scar on left hand

Marcus Antonius Valens, age 22, a scar on right side of forehead.

 

Received February 24, year six of our Emperor Trajan by means of

Priscus, aide. I, Avidius Arrianus senior clerk (cornicularius) of the third

(or second) cohort of Ituraeans declare that the original letter is in the

archives of the cohort.

 

33 EJ 260=Smallwood GN 279, inscription, Simitthu (Chemtou),

Africa, 1st C.AD

 

Lucius Flaminius son of Decimus, of the Arniensis tribe, soldier of Legion

III Augusta, century of Julius Longus, chosen in a levy by Marcus

Silanus, served nineteen years on garrison duty only to be killed in

battle by the enemy in the Philomusian area. He lived dutifully for

forty years. He lies here.

 

An equestrian directly appointed to position of centurion (from his tombstone epitaph):

85 ILS 2656=Smallwood NH 294, inscription, Rome, 2nd C.AD

 

To Tiberius Claudius Vitalis, son of Tiberius, of the tribe Galeria, from

the rank of Roman eques he received the post of centurion in Legion V

Macedonica, was advanced from

 

It looks like--at least in the inscriptions found--for recruits in the Principate it may have been just as common to be enrolled into cohorts as legions. Here's an example;

36 P. Mich. 466, papyrus, Karanis, Egypt, AD 107

Julius Apollinarius to Julius Sabinus his dearest father, very many

greetings...

...You will pass on the message to those with Aphrodas, the son of the

condiment dealer, that they enrolled me in the cohort at Bostra. It is

situated eight days

Edited May 16, 2011 by Virgil61

[Anjelus]

That was extremely helpful! I don't mind anything post-Marian since it's likely they weren't too terribly different from the pre-Marian methods. This forum is a serious boon to my research

[Virgil61]

... How would he ascertain your identity (or would they even care?) Was there some oath of service you'd have to take?

 

In the pre-Marian army property qualification--how much and so on--played a big role in politics as much as war, tax or citizenship documentation was already in existence. The oath was called the sacramentum in later years towards your general or the emperor instead of Rome. In the Dura-Europos excavation there's surviving documentation showing that oaths were repeated every day during daily muster formation.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Virgil61