03-11-2018, 09:33 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2018, 09:34 AM by Henry of green.)
(03-11-2018, 09:31 AM)irukandji Wrote:(03-11-2018, 09:17 AM)Henry of green Wrote:(03-11-2018, 07:59 AM)irukandji Wrote:(03-11-2018, 06:19 AM)Henry of green Wrote: Irk is mostly correct ,In Rome the recruitment of slaves into army as soldiers (volones) is only known on one occasion during the Punic war, I think. There were other occasions of great peril and disruption (during the civil wars of the late republic, and the Marcomannic war) when slaves were freed and enlisted directly into the army. This period is during the Roman republic era not the Roman Empire era.
Otherwise slaves would not have fought as soldiers - free status was a requisite of military service, and Trajan instructed his governor Pliny to execute any slave trying to enlist illegally.
There were slaves who served the soldiers - they were called calones - but they performed menial tasks: gathering firewood, cleaning, perhaps cooking. It was apparently quite normal for soldiers to have several slaves - the future St Martin of Tours was praised for only keeping one slave to attend him when he served in the Scholae. Josephus (I think) mentions that these slaves spent so long in a military environment that they could act as quite effective soldiers themselves if armed, but in practice this would have been a rare and desperate expedient.
There is, in any case, no possibility of slaves serving in the army of Constantine, unless they somehow managed to conceal their origins effectively enough to pass as freeborn.
There are some things in the above that weren't pointed out. The forcible enlistment of slaves into the roman army occurred around 216 BC, and is documented in the battle of Canaae. Constantine's rule did not occur until 306 AD. Did roman tribunes continue to forcibly draft slaves into the army for hundreds of years? While not historically documented, it seems logical that once Rome used this tactic, it would continue to be employed in times of emergency.
(03-10-2018, 02:43 PM)FaceInTheCrowd Wrote: The original role of grimms was that of overseer. Royalty, as early as ancient Rome, used wesen as soldiers and managed them with Grimms.
During those times where Roman citizens freely enlisted into the army, it would be logical to assume wesen were among those citizens. It makes me wonder why Rome would have had to use grimms to oversee them. They would not act any differently than the human citizens who fought beside them.
Slaves I can understand, even the use of grimm slaves to manage enslaved wesens who were forced to serve. They might be unruly and possibly disobedient. But then, the roman army had tactics in place (like the murder of every 10th man) as a strong reminder that resistance is futile.
Irk, The battle of canaae took place during the sedcond Punic war, I know the Constantine period didn’t occur until 300 Ad which is why I stated above it took place during the Roman Empire period where as the Punic wars/ the battle of canaae took place during the Roman republic era long before Rome was really an empire. The only reason Rome drafted slaves during the Punic war period is beacuse they were desperate beacuse Hannibal was causing havoc on Rome’s own soil, Hannibal was the greatest terror the Roman republic ever faced.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cannae
Let it go, henry.
Let what go why do you have to take things personally. I merely proved my point.