Life as a Soldier:

In many ways, the Legions built the Roman world: road-by-road and conquest-by-conquest. At the same time, they were a principle tool in the civil wars which led to Rome's downfall.

Life as a Roman soldier was hard and adventurous. The discipline, cohesion and technologies of the Roman legions are celebrated - after the fall of Rome, it was a thousand years before the Western world would see an army its equal.

The military interests of The Roman Way are primarily for the education and entertainment of the public. We have several members who have spent years studying everything from the tiny details of a soldier's "kit" to the long-term changes the military underwent over time. We love sharing that knowledge with each other and the public.

For military experiences as historically pure as possible, many of our members also belong to our sister groups, Legio VIII Augusta (San Antonio) or Legio X Fretensis (Houston). These are local living history groups that focus on many different aspects of the Roman military experience, from immersion events to educational appearances.

While these groups all focus on slightly different things, all celebrate the achievements of ancient Rome, and share many of the same members. We also team up at many events with local Celtic reenactors, the members of the Texas Coritani.

Officers and soldiers (above and below) of the Legio X Fretensis making an appearance at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The Legio X Fretensis made two appearances at the HMNS - the first in February of 2007 with The Roman Way and The Texas Coritani, and an encore appearance in July of 2007.

Our members recommend these books on the Roman military:

	The Roman Legions Recreated in Colour Photographs by Dan Peterson Written by one of the preeminent military living historians of the Roman era, this book presents in gorgeous photos the equipment and weapons of the Roman army, recreated in painstakingly accurate detail. This is the first book you should buy as you consider building your own "kit." ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus		Roman Warfare by Adrian Goldsworthy A really cool thing about this book is the way it lays out the strategic moves used by generals in historically important battles. You get to see how the armies were organized on the field as they came together in battle. ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus
	The Making of the Roman Army by Lawrence Keppie This gives fantastic descriptions of the various roles, functions, and structures of the the Roman Army from the Republican Era, through Caesar's Conquest of Gaul and into the early Emprire. If you are interested in how the technologies and structures of the Roman military changed over time to adapt to new enemies, this is a must-have book. ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus		The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy This is a wonderful resource for information about the specific equipment and organization of the Roman arm throughout both the Republican and Imperial eras. Photos of battlegounds, statuary, and modern-day ruins add a reat deal to the excellent information in this book. ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus
	Roman Military Clothing by Graham Sumner This book does a splendid job of describing and depicting the clothing of various military ranks from 100 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. It uses a great deal of evidence from statuary and actual physical finds to present a wide array of military gear. ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus		The Praetorian Guard by Roris Rankov and Richard Hook The Preatorians were the Emperor's bodyguards--the elite--and so had a different set of duties, styles, and gear. This is another wonderful Osprey book which draws on actual archeological finds and statuary to generate some very detailed images of how many different Praetorians probably looked. ~Marcus Sempronius Sophus