The Birth and Death of a Roman Legion DOCUMENTARY

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A military history documentary on the birth and death of a roman legion in the era of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. We begin the episode by taking a look at Rome's earliest legions which came in the form of levies. These would have been called up in a process led by the consuls whereby able bodied men were assigned a legion and then a unit role within the formation based on their wealth and age class. Once mustered, these legions of the Republican Roman Army would march to war. Initially these outings only lasted a year and the army would be disbanded after each campaign. However as Rome expanded its military campaigns this system began to change.

By the 2nd Century BC, Roman soldiers were serving abroad with their legion for several years and commanders could sometimes expect to have their terms of command extended. In addition, both the number of legions in the Roman Army and those who could command them was increased. The method of recruitment also changed as can be seen with the Marian Reforms. Thus by the end of the Roman Republic, the army was already headed away from a mere annual levy and towards a semi-professional force.

Following the civil wars, Augustus reformed the Roman Army to include a draw down of forces from 60 to just 28 legions. These now became professional, salaried, volunteer troops who served 15 years until receiving their pension upon retirement. The organization of the legions also changed slightly to be more consistently made up of 10 cohorts. This new army of the Roman Empire was born at the whim of the Emperors who held ultimate control over military forces. Recruitment was undertaken by officers in designated areas with recruits being put to the test, made to take an oath, and being sent to join their unit. Once formed, these roman legions could last centuries.

The way they died is the subject of the last part of our video. This generally involves death in battle, attrition, merging, and disbandment. We also include some practical examples of these from the service history of various legions.

Sources and Recommended Reading
Legionary, The Roman Soldier's Manual by Philip Matyszak
The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy
The Roman Army by Chris McNab
Legions of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins
Roman Legionary by Ross Cowan
#History
#Documentary

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