Augustus and the Army

Admin, Terms of Service, Provincals, Praetorian Guard

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Admin

Set up military treasury

demobilisation of troops, veterans received land/money

reduced total number to 28 legions

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Terms of Service, AD6

Praetorian Guard, 12-16 years (selected citizens), paid 750 D

Legionaries, 16-20 years (citizens), paid 225 D

Auxiliaries, 25 years (citizens of imperial provinces) ???

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Provincials

Recruited from north and west of Empire.

Help serve in the areas they were recruited from (inside knowledge of land).

Given Roman citizenship upon discharge

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Praetorian Guard

Emperors bodyguard (as well as German bodyguard)

didn't go on campaign unless Emp. did

28BC, 9 cohorts. 3 in or near Rome, 6 in other Italian states

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Sources

Tacitus- after your official discharge your service is not finished...'settled' in some waterlogged swamp or untiled mountainside. Truly the army is a harsh, unrewarding profession

Res Gestae- about 500,000 Roman citizens took the military oath of allegiance to me. Somewhat over 300,000 of these i settled...once they had served theor time

Strabo - divided the whole Empire into two parts. Imperial needed military garrison

Suetonius- legions and their auxiliaries were distributed among the various provinces...never kept more than 3 cohorts on duty in Rome...he formed an Army Treasury maintained by additional taxation

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