ABSTRACT
Who served in the Roman army? This simple question has a wider significance, since the social, economic and legal status of Roman soldiers, and the nature of the military community, can help us understand what inspired and motivated these men to fight for Rome under the emperors. The psychology of men in battle, and the morale and resilience of armies, sometimes against impossible odds, are complex issues. For the ancient world we usually lack detailed battle descriptions, or the memoirs and letters of individual soldiers on both sides of the conflict which are so valuable for vividly bringing to life battle experiences. However, despite obvious differences in weaponry and military organization, the factors that influence the morale of soldiers have remained pretty constant, and the methods of analysing warfare in other ages are therefore relevant.1
