'The good, the bad and the ugly': positive and negative behaviour of Roman soldiers

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The project examines the behaviour of Roman soldiers in battle and on campaign from c.200 BC - AD 14, a period during which the relationship between soldiers and the state changed considerably as a result of political change, and as soldiers became more 'professionalised' and demands on them evolved with the acquisition of an overseas empire. After considering the recruitment of soldiers, an area which altered significantly during the period under consideration, and their training, the project concentrates on the negative side of military behaviour: the contribution of soldiers' actions and cowardice to defeat, particularly the role of officers such as centurions and standard-bearers, and the apportionment of blame in defeat; refusal to obey orders and wider-scale mutiny, and the murder of officers which is usually associated with these situations, but occasionally occurs at other times such as when confidence is lost in the commander; attitudes towards and the treatment of deserters, soldiers who surrendered, and prisoners of war. The positive side of soldiers' behaviour is then examined in a section on individual and unit courage, and the rewards for such actions. The concluding section considers and questions the ideal, both ancient and modern, of harsh discipline as one of the principal reasons for Roman military success