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The year is 15 CE
and the Roman Empire is prospering.
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Most of the credit will go to the emperor,
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but this success wouldn’t
have been possible
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without loyal soldiers like Servius Felix.
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Servius enlisted as a legionary
eight years ago at age 18,
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the son of a poor farmer
with few prospects.
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Unlike the majority of legionaries,
he doesn’t gamble,
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so he’s been able to save
most of his wages.
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He’s even kept his viaticum,
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the three gold coins he received
when he enlisted.
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If he survives until retirement,
he’ll receive several acres of land.
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And he’s grown rather fond
of a girl back home
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whom he intends to marry.
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But he’ll have to wait until he completes
his 25 years of service
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before that can happen.
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And the life of a legionary
is dangerous and grueling.
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Today, Servius’s legion,
along with three others,
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has undertaken a “great march”
of 30,000 Roman paces,
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the equivalent of nearly 36 kilometers.
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Servius’s armor and weapons,
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including his gladius,
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scutum,
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and two pila,
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weigh over 20 kilograms.
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And that’s not counting his backpack,
or sarcina,
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which contains food and all the tools
he needs to help build the camp –
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spade,
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saw,
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pickaxe,
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and basket.
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Although Servius is exhausted,
he won’t sleep much tonight.
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He’s been assigned the first watch,
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which means looking after
the baggage animals
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and keeping alert
against a possible ambush.
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After he’s done, he lies awake,
dreading the day ahead,
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which will force him
to recall his worst nightmare.
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At dawn, Servius eats breakfast
with his seven tent companions.
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They’re like a family, all bearing scars
from the battles they’ve fought together.
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Servius is from Italia,
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but his fellow soldiers hail
from all over the empire,
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which stretches from Syria to Spain.
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So they’re all far from home
in the northern land of Germania.
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Servius’s legion
and three others with him today
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are under the command of
Emperor Tiberius’s nephew Germanicus,
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named for his father’s military successes
against the Germanic tribes.
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Each legion has close to 5,000 men,
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divided into cohorts of about 500,
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further subdivided into centuries
of around 80-100 men.
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Each century is commanded by a centurion.
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An aquilifer, or eagle-bearer, marches at
the head of each legion
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carrying its eagle standard.
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The centurions march beside
the legionaries belting out orders,
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“Dex, sin, dex, sin,"
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“Right, left, right, left,"
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starting with the right foot as the left
is considered unlucky or sinister.
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Despite the strict discipline,
there’s tension in the air.
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Last year, some legions
in the area revolted,
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demanding better pay
and a cut in the length of service.
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Only their general’s charisma
and negotiating skills
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prevented wholesale mutiny.
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Today is a “just march,”
only 30 kilometers.
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As the marshes and forests of Germania
lie beyond the empire’s road system
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the men must build causeways
and bridges to make headway—
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something they’ve recently spent
more time doing than fighting.
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Finally, they arrive at their destination,
a place Servius knows too well.
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It’s a clearing on the outskirts
of the Teutoburg Forest,
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where six years ago, during the
reign of the Emperor Augustus,
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Germanic tribes under
their chieftain Arminius
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ambushed and destroyed three legions.
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Proceeding along a narrow path,
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the legions were attacked from
forest cover under torrential rain
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with their escape blocked.
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It was one of the worst defeats
the Romans ever suffered
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and Augustus never lived it down.
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Servius was one of the few survivors.
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Servius still has nightmares of
his comrades lying where they fell.
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But now the army is back to bury
the dead with full military honors.
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As he helps in the task,
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he can’t help wondering whether the bones
he handles belonged to someone he knew.
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Several times he wants to weep aloud,
but he pushes on with the task.
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The glory of the Empire
can go to the crows.
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All he craves is to retire
on a small farm with his wife-to-be,
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if the gods should spare his life
for 17 more years.
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