Off the Battlefield: The Civilian’s View of Late Roman Soldiers
By Hugh Elton
Expedition, Vol.39:2 (1997)
Introduction: When historians discuss the Roman army, they usually talk about the administration of the army or about the army at war. I shall do neither. Instead, I try to show how civilians saw the army when it was away from the battlefield. In many ways their view was very different from the “sharp end,” the sort of picture the enemies of Rome saw and that historians often write about.
The army of the late Roman Empire differed in many ways from the better documented and better known army of the early Empire, but it is no less interesting. I focus here on two aspects of late Roman military life: the widespread corruption and extortion that often accompanied the army, and the lavish ceremonial displays and parades that frequently took place. Then I look at the archives of a cavalry officer in Egypt to see what they tell us about the daily life of soldiers. Do the military records tell a different story than contemporary writers? Most of my examples come from the late 4th century AD, though similar conditions existed throughout the late Roman and early Byzantine periods.
Click here to read this article from the Penn Museum
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Off the Battlefield: The Civilian’s View of Late Roman Soldiers
By Hugh Elton
Expedition, Vol.39:2 (1997)
Introduction: When historians discuss the Roman army, they usually talk about the administration of the army or about the army at war. I shall do neither. Instead, I try to show how civilians saw the army when it was away from the battlefield. In many ways their view was very different from the “sharp end,” the sort of picture the enemies of Rome saw and that historians often write about.
The army of the late Roman Empire differed in many ways from the better documented and better known army of the early Empire, but it is no less interesting. I focus here on two aspects of late Roman military life: the widespread corruption and extortion that often accompanied the army, and the lavish ceremonial displays and parades that frequently took place. Then I look at the archives of a cavalry officer in Egypt to see what they tell us about the daily life of soldiers. Do the military records tell a different story than contemporary writers? Most of my examples come from the late 4th century AD, though similar conditions existed throughout the late Roman and early Byzantine periods.
Click here to read this article from the Penn Museum
Sponsored Content