01-24-2002, 09:17 AM
Salve,<br>
<br>
The Roman army had for a long time been highly involved in politics, principally through means of the officers since the rank and file seem to have had little real political interest but were not averse of the financial gains to be gotten from supporting the ambitions of others. Its battlefield performance was not necessarily directly linked to the level of political involvement and peacetime laxity in standards of discipline.<br>
<br>
Training standards were unevenly maintained in the Roman army throughout its history. Periods of lapses in discipline and lax training schedules were alternated with strict enforcement of regulations and thorough drill and this was also true in the third century. Maximinus Thrax, the first true soldier emperor, was known for his efficiency as a training officer.<br>
<br>
The notion found in older publications that the quality of officers deteriorated is not based on solid evidence. The overall quality of the junior officers at particular times of Roman history is hard to assess. The choice of these depended in Roman times as much, if not more, on the individual's personal relations as on his merits. To some extent the officer corps became more professional in the course of the third and fourth century with individuals following an entirely military career path, but the choice of men for posts was still often determined by their social relations. Sons of NCO's and subaltern officers got preferential treatment when it came to commissionings and promotions.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst<br>
<p></p><i></i>
<br>
The Roman army had for a long time been highly involved in politics, principally through means of the officers since the rank and file seem to have had little real political interest but were not averse of the financial gains to be gotten from supporting the ambitions of others. Its battlefield performance was not necessarily directly linked to the level of political involvement and peacetime laxity in standards of discipline.<br>
<br>
Training standards were unevenly maintained in the Roman army throughout its history. Periods of lapses in discipline and lax training schedules were alternated with strict enforcement of regulations and thorough drill and this was also true in the third century. Maximinus Thrax, the first true soldier emperor, was known for his efficiency as a training officer.<br>
<br>
The notion found in older publications that the quality of officers deteriorated is not based on solid evidence. The overall quality of the junior officers at particular times of Roman history is hard to assess. The choice of these depended in Roman times as much, if not more, on the individual's personal relations as on his merits. To some extent the officer corps became more professional in the course of the third and fourth century with individuals following an entirely military career path, but the choice of men for posts was still often determined by their social relations. Sons of NCO's and subaltern officers got preferential treatment when it came to commissionings and promotions.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst<br>
<p></p><i></i>
