As the by far largest professional organization within the Roman empire, open to free-born young men from almost all parts of the empire, the Roman imperial army played a fundamental role in the integration and administration of the empire.

With their regular pay from the empire's revenues and with their sworn loyalty to the emperor, with their power and privileges, service in the army changed the attitudes of a great many men. Senatorial and equestrian officers, Rome's leading representatives of Greco-Roman culture with their cultivated life-styles were role models to the ordinary soldiers living in the same camps. Money the soldiers spent outside their camps boosted local economies. Roman soldiers also fulfilled the role of an imperial police force and officers often acted as local judges. As couriers soldiers were a vital element in the empire's communication system. According to one ancient writer, the Roman army's administration was far superior to that of any civilian organization (Vegetius 2,19). Many soldiers also served the governors of their provinces in administrative capacities. Hence, soldiers were the backbone of the Roman provincial administration. Medical doctors were given the advice to spend some years of training with the army, as there was no better place to learn their profession. The Roman army also had some of Rome's best engineers and technicians within its ranks. On many occasions the emperors ordered the use of the knowledge and expertise of these highly trained specialists as well as the work force of the ordinary soldiers to the benefit of civilian communities. In these and other such capacities soldiers, if anyone, were for most people the only visible representatives of imperial Rome in the many far-away provinces of the Empire.

When these soldiers left the army after 25 years of service, they were no longer the same. No matter where they had been born, the army had given them a common and very specific training and lifetime's experience. As veterans all were now Roman citizens. With certain additional privileges they re-joined the civilian community. Thus, the presence of soldiers and veterans had a significant impact on neighboring communities and even entire regions.

Legionary soldier carrying the attributes both of administrative and police duties. Gravestone, Corinth.

 

The Latin term "militia" and Late Roman administration — M.A. Speidel

In the Late Roman Empire the Latin word "militia" also meant civil service. This has often led to the conclusion that the Roman government of the fourth and fifth centuries was thoroughly militarized. This study traces the development of the word "militia" and its use within Roman administration and thus comes to an entirely different conclusion.

Militia    

Commagene - a small kingdom on the Euphrates becomes Roman — M.A. Speidel

For many decades of the first c. AD small kingdoms surrounded the Roman provinces in the East. Their incorporation into provincial territory particularly during the reign of the emperor Vespasian (69 - 79 A.D.) is generally understood as an act of Roman imperialism to expand the Empire. The history of Commagene, however, is an example of a rather different integration into the Roman Empire.

Commagene     

Military roads in the Roman Empire — M.A. Speidel

In many ways roads were the backbone of the Roman Empire. Many of them were built by the army and served a number of military purposes. But what exactly were the viae militares, the "military roads"?

viae militares

Mines and Quarries in the Roman Empire. Organizational Aspects 27BC – AD 235. — A.M. Hirt

The extraction of metals and marble was undoubtedly an important if not vital enterprise of the Roman state. Alfred M. Hirt’s Oxford DPhil thesis traces the organizational structures of mines and quarries under imperial control and provides a detailed overview and in depth analysis of a barely studied topic, including the role of the Roman army.

Mines and Quarries

The Roman Army and Imperial Extractive Operations — A.M. Hirt

Protecting mining and quarrying districts from external threats as well as guarding convicts condemned ad metalla were not the only tasks burdened on the Roman soldiers sent to serve in these districts. Army officers and soldiers also played a vital role in providing technical expertise and administrative knowledge to the organization of imperial extractive operations throughout the Roman Empire.

Soldiers and Mines

The Theban Legion — M.A. Speidel

The stories and legends of the martyrdom of christian soldiers also served to integrate and extend the christian community of the late Roman Empire and centuries beyond. Some of these texts contain elements of historical truth, others are mere inventions.

Thebaei