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Pay and Promotion in the Roman Legions (Patreon)

Published:

2023-06-19 21:03:39

Imported:

2026-06

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The Roman military was one of largest pre-modern professional armies that ever existed. Protecting over 7,000 kilometers of border and consisting of over 400,000 legionaries and auxiliaries, the army was perhaps the most important institution in the Roman world. Often this statement is contextualized around its defensive and offensive wars. We should remember, however, that this institution had perhaps a far larger impact just by its very existence. After all, the Roman army was among the largest employers of its age and represented the single greatest line item in the imperial budget.

Let us step inside this ancient military industrial complex to see what it was like for a soldier to earn a living and make a career in the Roman Legions: from raw recruit to senior Centurion.

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How Did Roman Soldiers Level Up? Pay and Promotion in the Legions DOCUMENTARY

Learn how to make a career in the Roman Army! Thanks to MANSCAPED for sponsoring today's video! Get 20% OFF + Free International Shipping with my promo code "INVICTA" at https://mnscpd.com/Invicta We continue our Live History series which seeks to use reenactment to bring the past to life. This was made possible thanks to the awesome team at Imperium Romanum: https://www.youtube.com/c/ImperiumRomanumYT Additional clips were produced in collaboration with "Nova Polaris" and "Veteres Milites Sibiu" In this history documentary we look at the topics of pay and promotion in the Roman army. This begins with a review of the early Roman Army of the Republic which was a militia based system with neither of these standarzied. However as the state expanded such systems would become necessary, especially with the transition to a fully professional army in the Roman Empire. We then discuss pay in the Roman Army. This covers everything from their basic salary, to bonuses, and other forms of compensation. We then turn to an understanding of the organization of the Roman Army and how one might advance up the ranks of a legion from a recruit, to a centurion, and beyond. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:57 Early Pay & Promotion 05:27 Pay Rates 08:27 Sources of Funding 10:42 Spending Moeny 14:40 Rewards of Service 15:38 Low Level Promotion 19:08 High Level Promotion 21:02 Examples of Careers Credits: Research = Chris Das Neves Script = Chris Das Neves Reenactment = Imperium Romanum, Veteres Milites Works Cited: Goldsworthy, A. K. (1998). Roman Warfare Goldsworthy, A. K. (1998). The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200. Oxford – N.Y. Duncan-Jones, Richard (1994). Money and Government in the Roman Empire. Webster, G. (1998). The Roman Imperial Army. London #history #documentary #rome