Recruiting Roman Armies in the Civil Wars of the Late Republic

[Jim Webster]

A lot of places did have large amounts of military equipment lying about

The Jewish philosopher Philo was involved in the crisis in his community in Alexandria, due to the pogrom initiated in A.D. 38 by the prefect Flaccus, during the reign of the Roman emperor, Gaius Caligula. Philo was selected to head the Jewish delegation that went to Rome to see Gaius Caligula. Philo's account of these events is found in his two writings Flaccus (In Flaccum) and The Embassy to Gaius (De Legatione ad Gaium). In Flaccus he writes about the search Flaccus had made for arms he assumed the Jews had hidden in Alexandria, there were none, and Philo contrasts this with the arms found in the countryside earlier.
Philo Judaeus

"90) Nevertheless, though a most rigorous examination took place, how great a quantity of defensive and offensive armour do you think was found? Helmets, and breast-plates, and shields, and daggers, and javelins, and weapons of every description, were brought out and piled up in heaps; and also how great a variety of missile weapons, javelins, slings, bows, and darts? Absolutely not a single thing of the kind; scarcely even knives sufficient for the daily use of the cooks to prepare and dress the food.

(91) From which circumstance, the simplicity of their daily manner of life was plainly seen: as they made no pretence to magnificence or delicate luxury; the nature of which things is to engender satiety, and satiety is apt to engender insolence, which is the beginning of all evils.

(92) And indeed it was not a long time before that, that the arms had been taken away from the Egyptians throughout the whole country by a man of the name of Bassus, to whom Flaccus had committed this employment. But at that time one might have beheld a great fleet of ships sailing down and anchoring in the harbours afforded by the mouths of the river, full of arms of every possible description, and numerous beasts of burden loaded with bags made of skins sewn together and hanging like panniers on each side so as to balance better, and also almost all the wagons belonging to the camp filled with weapons of every sort, which were brought in rows so as to be all seen at once, and arranged together in order."

[Trev]

Hi Jim,

Here's a bit from Appian on the Macedonians

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/4*.html

75 1 We will now relate the transactions of Brutus in Lycia, first glancing at what has been mentioned  p267 above in order to refresh the memory. When he had received from Apuleius certain soldiers which the latter had under his command, together with 16,000 talents in money which Apuleius had collected from the tribute of Asia, he passed into Boeotia. The Senate having voted that he should use this money for his present necessities and that he should have command of Macedonia, and of Illyria in addition, he came into possession of the three legions of the army which were in Illyria, which Vatinius, the former governor of Illyria, delivered to him. Another one he captured from Gaius, the brother of Mark Antony, in Macedonia. He collected four more in addition to these, so that he had eight legions in all, most of whom had served under Gaius Caesar. He had a large force of cavalry, light-armed troops, and archers. He had a high opinion of his Macedonian soldiers and he drilled them in the Roman way.

[Jim Webster]

He had a high opinion of his Macedonian soldiers and he drilled them in the Roman way.[/b]

Thanks Trev
That's very useful thanks.

It does look as if you did you legionary service and picked up your citizenship on the way out 

[Trev]

It certainly seems that recruitment criteria were loose in times of need.

Here's another one, this time from the Alexandrian War.

http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/alexandrian.html 

Chapter 34

While these things passed in Egypt, king Deiotarus applied to Domitius Calvinus, to whom Caesar had intrusted the government of Asia and the neighboring provinces, beseeching him "not to suffer the Lesser Armenia which was his kingdom, or Cappadocia, which belonged to Ariobarzanes, to be seized and laid waste by Pharnaces, because, unless they were delivered from these insults, it would be impossible for them to execute Caesar's orders, or raise the money they stood engaged to pay." Domitius, who was not only sensible of the necessity of money to defray the expenses of the war, but likewise thought it dishonorable to the people of Rome and the victorious Caesar, as well as infamous to himself, to suffer the dominions of allies and friends to be usurped by a foreign prince, sent embassadors to Pharnaces, to acquaint him, "That he must withdraw immediately from Armenia and Cappadocia, and no longer insult the majesty and right of the Roman people, while engaged in a civil war." But believing that his deputation would have greater weight, if he was ready to second it himself at the head of an army; he repaired to the legions which were then in Asia, ordering two of them into Egypt, at Caesar's desire, and carrying the thirty-sixth: along with him. To the thirty-sixth legion Deiotarus added two more, which he had trained up for several years, according to our discipline; and a hundred horse. The like number of horse were furnished by Ariobarzanes. At the same time, he sent P. Sextius to C. Plaetorius the questor, for the legion which had been lately levied in Pontus; and Quinctius Partisius into Cilicia, to draw thence a body of auxiliary troops. All these forces speedily assembled at Comana, by orders of Domitius.

Deiotarus' troops are presumably the Galatians and it seems Domitius had very little trust in them, despite their being "trained up for several years, according to our discipline;"

Chapter 39

Domitius, more concerned at Caesar's danger than his own, and believing he could not retire with safety, should he now desire the conditions he had rejected, or march away without any apparent cause, drew his forces out of the camp, and ranged them in order of battle. He placed the thirty-sixth legion on the right, that of Pontus on the left, and those of Deiotarus in the main body; drawing them up with a very narrow front, and posting the rest of the cohorts to sustain the wings. The armies being thus drawn up on each side, they advanced to the battle.

Domitius' lack of faith seems warranted from the description of the battle.

Chapter 40

The signal being given at the same time by both parties, they engage. The conflict was sharp and various, for the thirty-sixth legion falling upon the king's cavalry, that was drawn up without the ditch, charged them so successfully, that they drove them to the very walls of the town, passed the ditch, and attacked their infantry in the rear. But on the other side, the legion of Pontus having given way, the second line, which advanced to sustain them, making a circuit round the ditch, in order to attack the enemy in flank, was overwhelmed and borne down by a shower of darts, in endeavoring to pass it. The legions of Deiotarus made scarcely any resistance; thus the victorious forces of the king turned their right wing and main body against the thirty-sixth legion, which yet made a brave stand; and though surrounded by the forces of the enemy, formed themselves into a circle, with wonderful presence of mind, and retired to the foot of a mountain, whither Pharnaces did not think fit to pursue them, on account of the disadvantage of the place. Thus the legion of Pontus being almost wholly cut off, with great part of those of Deiotarus, the thirty-sixth legion retreated to an eminence, with the loss of about two hundred and fifty men. Several Roman knights, of illustrious rank, fell in this battle. Domitius, after this defeat, rallied the remains of his broken army, and retreated, by safe ways, through Cappadocia, into Asia.

That rather suggests that the Pontic Legion had at least a cadre of Romans that Domitius felt more trustworthy than even drilled barbarians.

PS There's a line somewhere else about the Macedonians being worthy people to raise legions from, or at least comparable to the Romans in military virtue.  It might be a quote attributed to Pompey but it's a good 15 years since I read it and my memory is failing me.

[Jim Webster]

In some regions there would be some Roman citizens available for calling up but nowhere near enough for a full legion and it may have been that they were used as a cadre

[aligern]

Its years ago that one was looking a t this, but , in Gallic War, doesn't Caesar raise several legions very rapidly from the Roman Province in Gaul. I suggest tgat these troops are organised in cohorts, they are not legions til Caesar embodies them as such.  They are cohort units stationed where Roman colonists are and they have arms and armour. They need to be called up and the missing command ranks filled, but tgey would be capable of very quick deployment.
If they are based at Coloniae then they would perhaps be available anywhere Rome had military settlements.

[Jim Webster]

Some of them would obviously be veterans who had been discharged who could have been called up again. And certainly it must be easier in those circumstances to have a cohort as the soldiers/veterans in a town as the size is more possible