The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History - Karatunov.net

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The Roman A rmy
original recruitment, but the tribesmen were likely recruited with the main purpose
of g u a rding ro utes and policing the fron ti ers wh ere the pop u l a ti on was
sparse and large-scale warfare was not a perceived threat, relieving the ordinary
auxiliary units of these more mundane tasks. Occasionally, the Romans resorted
to rec ru i tm ent en masse of b a rb a rian tri be s m en from beyond the fron ti ers ,
usually in accordance with a treaty after a war. These men were often dispersed
by allocating them to several auxiliary units, but sometimes they were kept together
and sent to a distant province. For example, Marcus Aurelius sent 5,500
Sa rm a tians from the Danu be regi on to Bri t a i n . The set t l em ent of d i s p l aced
tribesmen within the Empire became quite common from the second century
ad, in large numbers if the ancient historians are to be believed, and some of
these settled tribes were obliged by the terms of their treaties to provide soldiers
for the army. In the later Empire , these rec ruits were som etimes form ed into
units of foederati or laeti. Very little is known about the internal structure or the
command systems of these units.
Women
The Roman army was an all-male institution; women did not feature as comb
a t a n t s , and the soldiers were forbi d den to marry. Non et h el e s s , t h ey form ed
unofficial liaisons with local women. The original marriage ban may have been
instituted by Augustus in the aftermath of the civil wars. Just as Marius removed
camp followers from the army that faced the Celtic tribes at the end of the second
century bc, so Augustus avoided the encumbrance of families, which adversely
affected the mobility of the troops. If a soldier was married when he enlisted,
the marriage was broken off.
By the second century ad, most units were settled in permanent forts and
were only moved to another post in times of expansion or emergencies. In these
c a s e s , the unofficial assoc i a ti ons with local wom en could hardly be stamped
out, and since a discontented army perhaps posed more of a threat to the Imperial
rule than an army with families, no emperor chose to enforce the ban on
marriages. All that could be achieved was to refuse to recognize the union during
the soldiers’ service lives, but when time-served men were discharged, the
right to marry (conubium) was granted, and the existing and future children of
the union were enfranchised. As evidence we have the diplomas that were issued
to the auxiliaries, the sailors of the fleets, the Praetorians, and the men of the
Urban Cohorts. It is generally agreed that the legionaries did not receive diplomas,
but they were granted the same privileges with regard to their marriages
and their children. The ban on marriages concerned all ranks up to that of centurion,
but equestrian officers who served for only a short time with the army
were exempted. The writing tablets from Vindolanda in northern England re-