How were soldiers assigned?

[bellatrix]

I had wondered about patrons. Patrons make a lot of sense for the upper classes, at least. For example, I had thought that if a guy from an upper-class family wanted to serve in the military, he might turn to a patron to get a cushy job, maybe a staff job or something in the military. That is, if he didn't want to be down in the trenches.

And recruiting drives...I imagine the promise of "steady" pay (such as it was) and regular rations of grain would be enough to gain quite a few new recruits. I think the Roman army must have provided the chance at some adventure and a little financial stability, much like our military today. It's awesome to think about, the parallels between today's society and the world the ancients knew.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!