Could you have survived as a Roman soldier? Here's the surprising truth about life in the ancient army

Speaking on a recent episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, historian Adrian Goldsworthy discusses the people who made up the bulk of the fighting force – what they might have looked like, and where they might have come from – and examines what life was really like for someone who found themselves battling on behalf of ancient Rome.

Who really served in the Roman legions?

During the early days of the Roman republic, before the time of Julius Caesar and Augustus, the word ‘legion’ simply referred to a levy. It was an emergency call-up of armed Roman citizens, each expected to bring their own weapons and gear.

But as the republic expanded into an empire, the model changed.

By the time of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, the legions had become a full-time professional force. Soldiers were recruited for gruelling 25-year stints and paid directly by the state. And, as this army expanded, it became gradually less ‘Roman’ in its makeup.

“By the end of the first century AD, there’s not many Italians in the legions,” says Goldsworthy. “You’ve got people who are sons, grandsons perhaps, of soldiers enlisting in the army. These are Roman citizens, but not necessarily from Rome, or even Italy.”

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Many of the men came from army colonies in north Africa, Gaul, the Balkans or the Levant – places like modern-day Beirut, a major recruiting hub for Roman forces.

As well as not necessarily being from southern Mediterranean Rome, a Roman soldier was also likely much older than you might expect.

Goldsworthy explains, “[They’re] serving for a long time, 25 years. These are, on average, fairly mature men.

“We often associate warfare with young conscripts, but when you show the ‘ideal’ soldier on, say, Trajan's Column [a second-century AD triumphal column in Rome, decorated with scenes of Emperor Trajan’s victories], he's bearded; quite mature and grizzled… It’s an emphasis of strength and maturity. These men are tough as old boots.”

A modest wage, but steady rewards

For all their toughness, Roman soldiers were poorly remunerated. As Goldsworthy puts it, “you get paid, but your pay is comparable to that of an agricultural labourer.”

The difference, though, was reliability. “The advantage is that you get it every day of the year, and the army looks after you.”

Meanwhile, in permanent garrisons, soldiers had access to military hospitals and medical care, with Roman forts housing some of the most advanced medical facilities in the empire. After completing their 25 years of service, legionaries often received a lump-sum pension or plots of land – a powerful incentive in a society where land ownership brought both status and opportunity.

That stability mattered. For many recruits (especially those from poor rural backgrounds) a steady income, food rations and the promise of eventual discharge pay offered a form of social security that civilian life could rarely match.

And for those who weren’t Roman citizens, particularly in the auxiliary forces, there was an even greater reward on offer: citizenship itself. That meant legal rights, tax advantages and, crucially, the ability to pass on citizenship to their children.

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Clerks and careers beyond the sword

For the literate or more administratively minded, army life could open unexpected doors. While we often picture the Roman soldier wielding a sword, some of the most valuable tools in a legionary base were a pot of ink and a stylus.

“If you're educated then you've got lots of opportunities. The army thrives on bureaucracy. There are written copies of everything. There's paperwork, even if it's written on wood or papyrus. So, they need lots of people to do that,” says Goldsworthy.

Even low-level clerks were essential to the smooth running of Rome’s military machine. Pay records, supply logs, discharge certificates: all needed scribes, and those who could write might have found themselves being spared the worst of the drudgery.

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And whether it was in their literacy or their leadership, a Roman soldier also had distinct career prospects ahead of them, too.

“Potentially you've got promotion to higher ranks,” he continues. “There's the standard bearer, the optio, the second in command of the centurion…”

From there, for the most capable, the path could lead higher still – even to senior command. “If you are still young enough, active enough, you might go off to command a cohort of the troops stationed in Rome, maybe even the Praetorian Guard [an elite unit of the Roman army serving as personal bodyguards of the emperors]. You might then get promoted to command a province.”

Though few ever made it that far, the possibility existed. “Rome is always, has always been like that,” Goldsworthy adds. “There's always been a chance for somebody to come from humble origins and climb. It's not an easy path. But it's a possible one.”

Digging trenches

Despite its fearsome reputation, the Roman army wasn’t always at war. Long periods of peace, particularly in the interior provinces, meant that most soldiers spent much of their service doing something other than fighting.

“The army is also called upon to act as a police force, to help build things,” Goldsworthy explains. “So they might get distracted. They're not, for 25 years, purely training for war and nothing else, let alone fighting wars for 25 years.”

In practice, this meant constructing roads and bridges, digging ditches and quarrying stone. Forts had to be built and maintained. Grain needed to be delivered. Military engineers had to erect watchtowers and ramparts, from Britain to Syria.

Rather than nonstop combat, the day-to-day experience of a Roman soldier was perhaps just as likely to involve spades as swords – though combat readiness was never far from mind.

Would you have made it?

So, could you have survived as a Roman soldier?

You’d have needed to endure 25 years of backbreaking work and the constant shadow of death. You’d have had to march thousands of miles in all weather, dig endless earthworks and sleep shoulder-to-shoulder in crowded tents – all while following orders with unquestioning obedience.

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But if you were literate, skilled or had the stamina, the rewards were real: steady pay, the chance of promotion and a shot at rising through the social ranks.

For some, soldiering offered security, dignity and a hard but stable life.

For the rest of us? We wouldn’t have made it past the first winter.

This article is based on an interview with Adrian Goldsworthy, speaking to Emily Briffett on the HistoryExtra podcast. Listen to the full conversation.