The Impressive Training and Recruitment of Rome’s Legions

For centuries, the Roman military was feared for its reputation of glory, as it boasts one of the highest win-to-loss ratios of any army in history. This was at core due to their very complex and intricate military system that was developed from centuries of trial and error, with the sole goal of creating the ideal soldier, unmatched by the other European nations of antiquity. This system applied not only to training, but also the very selection and recruitment of soldiers. Today, I will go over the particular qualities the Romans looked out for and preferred when choosing their recruits, as well as the many training methods they highly relied upon. This video will be specifically based on the system of the early Roman Empire, which was arguably the peak of Roman military dominance. Many, such as Vegetius, go as far as to believe that one of the biggest reasons for the Roman Empire's deterioration was due to them straying away from this very strict level of recruitment and training. First of all, it is important to understand that the Romans strongly believed that some areas and even nations were better for recruiting than others. Even though every legionary recruit had to be a Roman citizen, they were aware of the effects that climate and culture had on people. Some nations had a more militaristic culture, while others were more concerned with trade. Some people grew up in cities, while others in the countryside. These were the first things that had to be considered when raising a legion. As a general rule, recruits from the countryside were preferred over those from the city, because they were more accustomed to the struggles of life from an early age. They also surely knew how to use the many tools that would be used in the army, and their bodies were more used to hunger. These were the men that were preferred, and the Romans always tried to have most of their army recruited from the countryside. Men from the cities were also taken in, but they had to undergo a slightly different program. They were to be trained extra hard in order to be brought into shape. They were also taught to bear the weather, use various tools, and had to be stationed as far as possible from their city, so that they forget about its luxuries and comfort. After drawing up the recruits, a careful examination began, with particular emphasis on certain desirable feats. The more obvious ones included a good physical shape and good eyesight, both indicators of a healthy body, good genetics, and a promising soldier. Wide shoulders and a small waist were particularly favored. A height of 5.7 Roman feet was a requirement for all infantry, with anything over that being highly favorable. A strict requirement for a height of 6 Roman feet was set to join the first cohort and cavalry of each legion, but sometimes a lack of height could be compensated with a particularly strong physique. Some of the less obvious feats involved, in the words of Vegetius, the characteristic of lively eyes, which was an indicator that the man was of quick thinking and a quick mind. Good manners as well as a reputable family were indicators of the ability to obey orders and show respect. Interestingly, even sense of humor was taken into account, as having one would imply a positive attitude as well as a capable and healthy mind, both very useful in times of war, to uplift the general mood and morale of the army. Literacy was another skill that was looked for. Any soldier that could read and write was given a position to keep records and accounts, sometimes even under the tribunes themselves. As I stated before, the Roman army started to deteriorate throughout the years, and by the time of the late Roman Empire, literate recruits were even immediately considered for the position of centurion, being in charge of 80 men simply due to the ability to read and write. But in the time of the early empire, this was unheard of. The chosen recruits now began their training. This was to be part of their four-month trial. Those that wouldn't make it would be rejected, while those that passed it would swear a military vow and become legionaries. At no point during this period were recruits taken into battle if they have not completed this trial. The first skill all recruits were taught was the march. This was the most important in their training, and it had many advantageous side effects for the men. By performing synchronized marches, they were taught the importance of coordination and unit cohesion. The very backbone of the Roman way of war. Every week they would perform a long march of 20 Roman miles in just 5 hours, while carrying 60 pounds of equipment on them. They would typically march 10 miles away from the camp, then 10 miles back. Once a while, a forced march was ordered, and the men had to complete 24 Roman miles within the same 5 hours. From their first to last day in the army, the men were constantly taught to maintain straight ranks and a proper distance away from each other. Especially when changing formations, they could be ordered to quickly double or triple the depth of the ranks, or form a wedge or a defensive orb formation, all the while maintaining the distance between each other and keeping the ranks straight. This was a lot harder than it might sound, and much practice was needed to perfect this. But no imperial unit would be considered battle-ready without these particular skills. As in today's military, maintaining ranks and marching were the most repeated of their drills. On a larger scale, proper marching also had its benefits, as it allowed the legion to navigate through tough terrain and quickly deploy for battle, all the while maintaining order in case of an unexpected engagement. It also made it harder for men to desert or get lost from their unit. The next skill that was enforced was rather interesting. All recruits, no matter if they were infantry, cavalry, or even servants, were taught to swim. This also had significant uses, the most obvious being the strengthening of countless muscles throughout the body, as well as a built-up immune system for cold weather and disease. The more interesting use for swimming was their techniques of dealing with floods or crossing rivers. I plan to dedicate an entire video solely on the many techniques the Romans used to accomplish this, as many of them were beyond fascinating and truly deserve a video of their own. It is only now that the recruits will begin their real combat training. They will each use a wooden practice gladius and scutum to practice various drills, like quickly sprinting forward to deliver a blow, then quickly lowering back behind a shield, or practicing chains of attack. Despite the gladius' fairly capable ability to slash, the recruits were taught to stab with it instead. This was due to several interesting reasons. Firstly, when performing a stab, less of the arm is exposed to the enemy than if they were to slash with it. Secondly, a stab is a lot more comfortable to perform than a slash in a typical Roman tight formation, as it limits the possibility of wounding fellow soldiers nearby. And thirdly, a slash is more likely to be stopped by armor or bones, making it very difficult to land a lethal blow. With a stab, however, a cut no deeper than two inches is more than enough to prove lethal. Furthermore, you wouldn't need a lot of force to perform such a stab, so it saves a lot of energy in combat, and is a big factor to why the legions were known to have unrivaled stamina in battle. An interesting fact is that the wooden gladius and scutum that the Romans used for practice would be twice the weight of their original counterparts. This was purposely done to increase muscle growth, as well as comfort, accuracy, and speed when using the originals in real combat. The recruits would train with these several times a day, either with a wooden pole, fellow recruits, or with professional gladiators who were specifically chosen to instruct the recruits. The recruits would train in open fields, because Romans strongly believed that subjecting yourself to weather raises the immune system and prevents disease and sickness. And so, even during the winter when it didn't snow, they forced their recruits and veterans to train outside. But during especially tough weather, large halls were constructed for shelter, and the training continued inside them. Every man had to learn to throw a javelin. The practice javelins were also significantly heavier than the originals, in order to increase both accuracy and the muscles in the shoulders and back. Furthermore, every recruit and legionary constantly practiced using the sling. This is perhaps one of the biggest underappreciated facts about the legions, which is constantly overlooked by modern references. It is a fact that every imperial legionary not only owned, but knew how to effectively use a sling. The weapon was so respected by the Romans and their enemies, that it sometimes was thought to be more effective than bows and arrows, as its projectiles are harder to spot and could shatter bones and internal organs just by impact. It was probably a demoralizing fact for Rome's enemies that all 5,000 legionaries of every legion were able to accurately hurl sharpened stones from afar. As if this was not enough, we are also told that a fourth of the youngest and most fit legionaries and recruits were trained to use bows either on foot or horseback, and practiced them daily. From their system of training, we can imagine just why the legions were so effective. They not only were superbly equipped with the best armor and melee weapons of the age, but also could take on the role of missile troops, each being able to launch deadly javelins at medium range, and arrows and stones at long range. And even this is not taking into account all the specialized auxiliary archers and artillery that would be attached to every legion. All cavalry, regardless if they were recruits or veterans, daily practiced vaulting on and off a horse. This skill was very important for the way Roman cavalry operated and fought. The recruits were first taught how to vault without armor, but every combat-ready cavalryman was able to perform a vault while fully armored and even while carrying arms like a shield and spear. This enabled them to skillfully mount on and off a horse in an instant under unexpected alarms or even mid-battle. As the infantry performed its weekly marches, the cavalry was expected to march with them the same distance, but they were expected to constantly execute small drills while on march, like charging forward only to retreat and regroup back into formation, or practicing various maneuvers and scouting ahead. To get the cavalrymen and horses even more comfortable with each other, they were purposely tasked to march through tough, uneven terrain. It was common, for example, for both infantry and cavalry to perform their weekly marches by scaling mountains. As you could probably tell by now, training was done extensively to both recruits and veterans, the only difference being that veterans were allowed to train for combat only once a day, while the recruits did it more than once, typically in the morning and afternoon. The recruits would also have to dig trenches and collect wood throughout the days. This whole system of training would be very difficult for the recruits, and many would not make it past this initial four-month trial. Only the performance of the veterans would have shown them that this new way of life was possible and achievable. After completing four months of continuous drills, the recruits had to make a military oath, and were branded with a symbol on their hands, most probably with a hot iron. This would be their final day as recruits, and they could now consider themselves legionaries. But any experienced general would still see them as recruits, as it is one thing to pass the drills and trial, and another to execute them in the chaos of battle and not flee. Nevertheless, these drills were the core of the training that the legionaries repeated for all 20 years of their service. I'd like to give a warm thanks to all my loyal Patreon supporters, as well as all the viewers for watching. I can't wait to see you all in the next one.