Answer: A Roman soldier was a well-trained fighting machine.
Explanation: A Roman soldier was a well-trained fighting machine. He could march 20 miles a day, wearing all his armour and equipment. He could swim or cross rivers in boats, build bridges and smash his way into forts. After a long day's march, Roman soldiers had to build a camp, complete with a ditch and a wall of wooden stakes.
Only men could be in the Roman Army, no women were allowed. There were two main types of Roman soldiers: legionaries and auxiliaries.
The legionaries were the elite (very best) soldiers. A legionary had to be over 17 years old and a Roman citizen. Every new recruit had to be fighting fit - anyone who was weak or too short was rejected.
Legionaries signed up for at least 25 years' service. But if they survived their time, they were rewarded with a gift of land they could farm. Old soldiers often retired together in military towns, called ‘colonia’.
An auxiliary was a soldier who was not a Roman citizen. He was only paid a third of a legionary’s wage. Auxiliaries guarded forts and frontiers but also fought in battles, often in the front lines where it was the most dangerous.
Slaves in the North did primarily work in stores and small craft centers. This was mostly true for the middle colonies as well. Slaves in the South worked in the fields.
