A Soldier’s personal possessions in the field.

[stevesarak]

After plundering a city (the spoils of war) soldiers would acquire more personal possession. I keep reading in the Conquest of Gaul how the soldiers possession were kept in the baggage trains, which were stored in a safe city or sometimes half the luggage in one place the other half someplace else, while they were out campaigning

How did that work? Did each soldier report his new acquired possessions to someone, who would keep a log and gave him a receipt? Or was there a large pile of loot that they shared in. How could a soldier be guaranteed that all his personal possession would still be there when he got back? What stopped the guarding soldiers from rummaging through it and taking a piece now and then, the honor system?

[Tarbicus]

What stopped the guarding soldiers from rummaging through it and taking a piece now and then, the honor system?

Punishment was severe. If so decided by the commanding officer the punishment was harsh for theft, that of fustuarium, where the condemned man was beaten to death with sticks (fustis is latin for 'stick') and stones by his fellow soldiers. If he escaped or was allowed to do so, then he was banished and could receive no aid. So, if you wanted to be a thieving son of a pig then it was your funeral.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/R ... arium.html

[tlclark]

It would be great to have crime statistics from back then wouldn't it?

Travis

[Gaius Honorius Felix]

"Sticks and Stones" Ouch.

[Caius Fabius]

from Polybius...
As soon as the encampment is completed, the tribunes, having assembled together all the persons, both free men and slaves, that are in the army, administer to every one of them apart the following oath: "That they will not steal any thing from the camp; and even if they find any thing that they will bring it to the tribunes.

Rome at the End of the Punic Wars
[History, Book 6]
[url:378ey8p9]http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/polybius6.html[/url]

[Mithras]

I would imagine each contubernium would have their own mule, and their own slave/servant, whom they kew would look after their stuff - on pain of death!

Better than a big pile of loot.

[arklore70]

I am also sure that there were plenty of merchants that followed the Roman Army and were only too happy to purchase their spoils of victory at rock bottom prices to help facilitate the legionary with a more lighter and manageable load.

Thoughts?

V/r
Mike

[stevesarak]

I am also sure that there were plenty of merchants that followed the Roman Army and were only too happy to purchase their spoils of victory at rock bottom prices to help facilitate the legionary with a more lighter and manageable load.

Thoughts?

V/r
Mike

That goes hand in hand with what I was thinking about another question. At the end of one siege, Caesar rewards each soldier by giving each one, an occupant of the city to be sold as a slave. I was wondering how that would happen. If it was “Monty Pythonâ€

[stevesarak]

I am also sure that there were plenty of merchants that followed the Roman Army and were only too happy to purchase their spoils of victory at rock bottom prices to help facilitate the legionary with a more lighter and manageable load.

Thoughts?

V/r
Mike

Just to make it official, I read last night in the Civil Wars that Scipio was harassing Caesar’s columns in the rear and separated the camp followers and the traders from the column.

So the traders did follow the legions.

[Matt Lukes]

Sure, it makes perfect sense- you go where the 'supply' is.

[Kate Gilliver]

There is loads of literary evidence for merchants (mercatores) following around Roman armies (along with other 'camp followers' such as soothsayers, prostitutes and cooks (!)); 'good' disciplinarian generals like Scipio Aemilianus and Metellus chuck the whole lot out of camp; Caesar let them stay, but they seem to have been made to camp outside the fortifications usually - when Q.Cicero's camp was attacked by Ambiorix in 53 BC, the merchants got caught first because they camped 'sub vallo' - at the bottom of the rampart (B.G. 6.37.

[Caballo]

" There is loads of literary evidence for merchants (mercatores) following around Roman armies (along with other 'camp followers' such as soothsayers, prostitutes and cooks (!))"
I used to work in the City of London and my office building was built over the gateway of the old Roman fort. Next door was "Love Lane"- and a medievalist friend explained that the ladies there were still selling their wares in that same street in the Middle Ages and beyond.

Now the street holds the offices of lawyers and investment bankers .....