Paul Erdkamp – A Companion to the Roman Army

Автор: Paul Erdkamp
Название книги: Blackwell Companion to the Roman Army
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Древний мир и Античность
Страницы: 601
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

This companion provides an extensive account of the Roman army, exploring its role in Roman politics and society as well as the reasons for its effectiveness as a fighting force.
An extensive account of the Roman army, from its beginnings to its transformation in the later Roman Empire
Examines the army as a military machine – its recruitment, training, organization, tactics and weaponry
Explores the relationship of the army to Roman politics, economics and society more broadly
Considers the geography and climate of the lands in which the Romans fought
Each chapter is written by a leading expert in a particular subfield and takes account of the latest scholarly and archaeological research in that area

The guiding principle behind this companion to the Roman army is the belief that
the Roman army cannot adequately be described only as an instrument of combat,
but must be viewed also as an essential component of Roman society, economy, and
politics. Of course, the prime purpose of the Roman army was to defeat the enemy
in battle. Whether the army succeeded depended not only on its weapons and equipment,
but also its training and discipline, and on the experience of its soldiers, all
of which combined to allow the most effective deployment of its manpower. Moreover,
every army is backed by a more or less developed organization that is needed
to mobilize and sustain it. Changes in Roman society significantly affected the Roman
army. However, the army was also itself an agent of change, determining in large
part developments in politics and government, economy and society. Four themes
recur throughout the volume: (1) the army as a fighting force; (2) the mobilization
of human and material resources; (3) the relationship between army, politics, and
empire; and (4) the relationship between the armies and the civilian population. Even
in a sizeable volume such as this choices have had to be made regarding the topics
to be discussed, but the focus in this volume on the army in politics, economy, and
society reflects the direction of recent research.
Modern authors often claim that ancient Rome was a militaristic society, and that
warfare dominated the lives of the Roman people. Interestingly, the first outsider in
Rome to paint an extensive picture of Roman society and whose account has largely
survived essentially says the same thing. Polybius was in a position to know, since he
was brought to Rome as a hostage after the Third Macedonian War (171–168 bc)
and was befriended by one of the leading families. The main task he set himself in
his Histories was to explain Rome’s incredible military success during the past decades.
To Polybius, the stability of her constitution was one important element, but Rome’s
military success is explained by two other elements: manpower and ethos. At the eve
of the Hannibalic War, Polybius informs us, Rome was able to mobilize 700,000 men
in the infantry and 70,000 horsemen. To be sure, Rome never assembled an army
of such size – even in imperial times her soldiers did not number as many as 700,000.
But such a number of men was available to take up arms and fight Rome’s opponents
in Italy or overseas. In other words, almost all male, able-bodied citizens of Rome
and her allies could be expected to serve in the army at one point or another. Military
service was indeed the main duty of a Roman citizen, and military experience was
widespread. The empires that Rome had defeated in the past decades – Carthage,
Macedon, the Seleucid Empire – had lost the connection between citizenship and
military service, instead relying largely on mercenaries. Polybius was also struck by
the military ethos that Roman traditions instilled in the Roman elite and common
people alike. Citizens and allies were awarded in front of the entire army for bravery
in combat. Decorations were worn on public occasions during the rest of the soldiers’
lives. Trophies were hung in the most conspicuous places in their homes.
So when we consider this people’s almost obsessive concern with military rewards and
punishments, and the immense importance which they attach to both, it is not surprising
that they emerge with brilliant success from every war in which they engage. (Polybius 6.39)
At the time that Polybius witnessed Roman society, the army and military ethos played
important roles in the lives of almost all male Roman citizens. In that sense, Rome’s
was a militaristic society.
Although war and the army remained important aspects of the Roman Empire, it
would be difficult to characterize Roman society at the time of Augustus (31 bc–14 ad)
or Trajan (98–117 ad) as militaristic to the same degree. Just as the term “Roman”
applied to ever widening circles, more and more recruits enlisting in the legions came
from Spain, Gaul, and other provinces, while the people of the capital city did not
serve in the armies anymore. Moreover, military service had become a lifetime profession
for a minority of the empire’s inhabitants. Recruits signed up to serve for up
to 25 years. Many would die while serving in the army, though more of natural causes
than due to military action. Many veterans from the legions became prominent members
of local society, while those who had served in the auxiliary forces earned Roman
citizenship at discharge. However, only a few percent of the empire’s population served
in the armies or fleets. Large sections of the empire hardly saw Roman armies at all
during the next centuries, while many soldiers never saw combat. The army still held
an important place in society, mostly so in the border regions where the majority of
troops were concentrated, but this role had changed significantly.
Waging war remained the largest task undertaken by the state, and the army was
the largest institution that the state created. It certainly was the most expensive,
taking up about three quarters of the annual imperial budget. Mobilizing, equipping,
and feeding the several hundred thousand men that were stationed between
Brittannia’s northern border and the Arabian desert was an undertaking that could
not be sustained by the market alone, and required the direct intervention of the
central and local authorities. On the other hand, the presence of Roman legions and
auxiliary forces was the engine that drove crucial developments in the economy and
society of the border regions. And it was through the army that many members of
local aristocracies were integrated into the Roman Empire