+- RomanArmyTalk (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat)
+-- Forum: Research Arena (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Roman Military History & Archaeology (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Thread: a soldiers story (/showthread.php?tid=7129)
a soldiers story - TITVS PVLLO - 10-16-2006
anyone know of a first hand description of a roman legionaries military experience from enlistment to discharge,a chronological order of events starting from enlistment to discharge,minute details would be nice
Re: a soldiers story - Praefectusclassis - 10-17-2006
Hi Salvatore,
Sadly our records almost never allow such minute reconstructions. Extensive career inscriptions are rare. Papyri sometimes provide the minute details you'd like, but never span a full career.
Re: a soldiers story - Uwe Bahr - 10-17-2006
Salve Salvatore,
may-be the best summary of a special soldier's career and military actions is the tombstone of TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS MAXIMUS. Well-known to us as the man who caught the Dacian king Decebalus.
He started his career as legionary infantryman, later changed to a cavalry ala and was promoted up to decurio. All is summarized by Peter Connolly in his two books:
[url:2oatq6gt]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0199104255/ref=sib_dp_pt/202-7576415-9118232#reader-link[/url]
[url:2oatq6gt]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0199104247/ref=sib_dp_pt/202-7576415-9118232#reader-link[/url]
You can find his fine tombstone in Jasper's excellent image database:
[url:2oatq6gt]http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/option,com_imagebase/task,view/cid,121/Itemid,94/[/url]
The stone shows the incident that was the highlight in his career; the same does this image on Traian's column:
[url:2oatq6gt]http://cheiron.mcmaster.ca/~trajan/images/hi/3.38.h.jpg[/url]
Greets - Uwe
Re: a soldiers story - Tarbicus - 10-17-2006
Kate Gilliver pointed this one out (Spurius Ligustinus):
link from old RAT
There are also firsthand accounts in the letters discussed here (Claudius Terentianus):
link from old RAT
Not as detailed as I think you're after, but as good as it gets.
Re: a soldiers story - Praefectusclassis - 10-17-2006
Those letters are indeed some of the glimpses one can catch from the life of Roman soldiers, but they do not describe complete careers.
Re: a soldiers story - Tarbicus - 10-17-2006
True. But you could take both of the main correspondents, Terentianus and Tiberianus together, and get a glimpse of both miltary and everyday life in the same province at the same time, from pre-enlistment to post-retirement as speculator.
Re: a soldiers story - Praefectusclassis - 10-17-2006
Certainly!
Re: a soldiers story - D B Campbell - 10-18-2006
Quote:anyone know of a first hand description of a roman legionaries military experience from enlistment to dischargeThe inscriptions tend to be for promoted men, like Tib. Claudius Maximus. We never get that level of detail for ordinary legionaries (afaik).