Roman Legions. Where Were They Gotten From?

[Guest Scanderbeg]

I know about late Empire being mostly barbarian. But what about during the early empire or late republic? I heard they got many soldiers from Greece. Is there any truth to this?

[Marcus Regulus]

Others can correct me, but everything I have read seems to indicate in the early republic they were Roman citizens. Later Greeks were added as Aux. Troops. The republic was pretty proud of its citizen army. Seems to be part of the problem became the hring outside of the fold if you will. The Barbarians became us and that caused problems.

[Zeke]

When Rome became a big empire...few of its soliders were accually ITALIAN born. Only the officers were Italian or Roman technically the rest were Thracians, Gauls, Spanish,Greeks,Britons, Illyrcriums, Bebers, Egpytians the list goes on and on. But in the early days of the Republic most people of the Legions were Italian the Romans most likely considered the Celts or the people that latter became a huge part of the army as "Barbarians not fit to serve Rome."

 

Sorry about spelling,

Zeke

[Primus Pilus]

Greece was not an over abundant source for recruiting in the legion. Surrounding territories in the Balkans was. Illyria, for example, was a major supplier of soldiers. Some define the 'Hellenized' world as Greece, when it was really separate provinces and people, even if they were of similar stocks.

[Marcus Regulus]

That seems ot be the progression -- in the early days of the early republic there were more Italians, but as time goes by this gets to be very rare as citizenship begins to be offered more and more to those in the borders and not so much to those in Rome itself. For a freeman the fastest way of advancement for his family was very often a military course. It enabled many to leave a legacy for their children to build on.