"Citizens of Rome, hear me. We are in war with the Parthians. Your brothers are dying in the fields. Are we so weak as to allow Rome to befall in their hands? I think not! Sign up for the Roman legions and make your emperor proud!"
- Legion Recruiter
Summary
To be able to join a legion and fight for Rome was considered a great honour back in the days of Rome. Only Roman male citizens were allowed to join the legion, which were closed against the slaves and criminals. When a citizen joined the legions, he would be tested vigorously to see if he is fit for duty. If he was, he would be sworn in as a member of the legion for the next 25 years, and trained for that inevitable day in which he and his comrades would be pit against the enemy, whoever they may be. A standard legionnaire would be armed with a gladius, a pilum, a tower shield, and his standard armour. His training would consist of marching, and practising with his weapons. In the camps of a legionnaire, his life would be the same as any other army. He would spend his day either practising with his weapons, or doing duties such as guarding, hunting for food, or cleaning the latrines. In Rome, there was a number of different legions, which made up the entire Roman army. Different legions would be staged in different parts of the Roman Empire. Each legion would be separated into 10 cohorts. In every legion, there is a hierarchy. The top man would be the legate, or commander of the legion. Underneath him would be the various other sub-commanders, including the centurions. Centurions are the commanders of the cohorts. Under the centurions would have been the normal legionnaires. However, both legionnaires and centurions would have been ranked by experience.
"There is a tide in the affairs of men"- Shakespeare
For every action of men, there is a time to do it and a time not to do it, like a wave. This period, right before the battle with Parthia is the right time to join the Roman Legion.
Audience and Tone
The book itself is targeted towards an audience of people who want to know more about the Roman legion, which they cleverly hid as “prospective Roman recruits”.
- “For those who are thinking of spending the next two decades or so serving under the eagle of Rome, here is a quick checklist of what is required.” (pg 10)
- “If you can avoid fighting the Germans for long enough, they will fight each other instead”. (pg 100)
The tone of this book is comical, as the author makes many jokes about the Roman legion.
- “… when it transported almost a quarter of a million men straight to the bottom of the sea without any help from the enemy”. (pg 44)
- “One advantage of Judaea being a Roman province is that you will understand most of the insults being hurled at you”. (pg 101)
