traits of a Roman legionary

[Graham Sumner]

Oh Jeez, come on! Anyone ever gone through boot camp? I put on 30 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks. It has tended to stay. I have also lazed around a tavern or two.

I think we like to believe the Roman army was always a lean, mean, fighting machine

...The army you took over was demoralized by luxury and immorality and prolonged idleness.....more often found in the nearest tavern than in the ranks....horses shaggy from neglect but every hair plucked from their riders: a rare sight was a soldier with arm or leg hairy........the men were better clothed than armed.....horses saddled with cushions.......few of the men could vault upon their horses, the rest scrambled clumsily up by dint of heel or knee or thigh.....not many could make their spears hurtle but tossed them like toy lances......gambling was rife in camp, sleep night long....if a watch was kept it was over the wine cups. Fronto. Letter to Lucius Verus.

The most demoralized of all were the Syrian soldiers, mutinous, disobedient, seldom with their units, straying in front of their proscribed posts, roving about like scouts, drunk from one noon to the next, unused even to carrying their arms, and as one man after another from dislike of toil laid them aside, like skirmishers and slingers half naked! Fronto Elements of History xi-xii

....classic error ! One should not label other societies in different times and places with our own cultural prejudices

Quite right, the Roman Legions were nothing like the United States Marine Corps! :wink: :wink:

Just take one look at John McDermott's avatar!! Surely this 'trait' is universal?

You have just made the same error Paul. There is no evidence Roman soldiers wore baseball caps and sunglasses! :wink: :wink:

Graham.