Punishment in the late Roman Army

[Cheyenne]

We have to remember that the later period sees much of the time of the Limitanei taken up with craft skills to supplement a meagre and rather inadequate income from the army. By AD400, the pay had not increased for over 200 years and as such inflation meant that the soldiers pay and benefits would not support families. For those in areas such as Hadrians wall, border raiding by parties from the north were highly unlikely to have taken up the full time of stationed troops - and as such, enlisted men were given certain flexibilities to become involved in highly lucrative cottage economies.

It makes perfect sense...