Merry Christmas and happy new year

ROMA SPQR members (Legio XIII included) wish a Merry Christmas and happy new year to all visitors.

Saturnalia ceremony

We are in December and beetween the "ante diem sextum decimum Kalendas Ianuarias" (17 of December) and the "ante diem decimum Kalendas Ianuarias" (23 of December) there is the Saturnalia festival. During this period there is also the festival of Sol invictus (or Mitra God). The birthday of this God is celebrated on the "ante diem octavum Kalendas Ianuarias" (25 of December).

Here there are some pics of the Saturnalia ceremony of yesterday!

Christmas card by Donauroemer group

Here there is the card that Donauroemer group sent to us for make us the best wishes for a happy Christmas and happy ney year.

Legionaire of the month of November

Hello all,
let's do our congratulations to Montgomery Shelman that won the Legionaire of the month prize!
Congratulation! Keep on acting like this!
Vale!

Addestramento di base delle reclute

L'addestramento iniziale di una recluta si basava sulla forma fisica e la disciplina; imparavano a mantenere le posizioni ed il passo durante le lunghe marce effettuate per aumentare la resistenza fisica. Sembra che dovessero compiere 20 miglia romane (circa 29 Km e mezzo) in cinque ore a passo normale e 24 miglia (35 Km e mezzo) a passo veloce. Le truppe poi si esercitavano anche a cavalcare, nuotare e saltare.
L'addestrameno con le armi consistea nel colpire un palo alto circa 2 metri con una spada in legno e con uno scudo più pesante del normale. Lo stesso palo serviva anche da bersaglio per il lancio dei pila.
Quando le reclute erano più esperte le si faceva combattere con armi d'addestramento in battaglie simulate, prima a coppie poi agruppi ed infine insieme a tutta l'unità.
L'addestramento durava parecchi mesi.

Conference about roman army - 9th December 1 PM SL time

Salve all,
the 9th December at 1 PM SL time in ROMA SPQR will be a conference about roman army, both in English and Italian.
Will be a nice occasion to learn more about how was in RL.
Hope to see you there, vale,
Primus Pilus Brodbiz Bagration

Salary of Legionaires

From the years of Julio Caesar to the end of the I Century AD we have an idea of how much a legionaire was paid. A simple soldier was paid 225 silver Denarii every month, about 1200 €. It is not clear how much an officer was paid but it seems that the salary was double: 450 silver Denarii, about 2400 €.
The equites should earn one time and half the pay of a legionaire: 337,5 silver Denarii (about 1800 €). We are quite sure about the salary only for the Equites principales. For the other equites ranks we have no reliable evidences.