Roman Auxiliaries In Britannia Of The Early Empire

As one important section in the army of early Roman Empire, auxiliaries played a key role in the conquest and defense of territory as well as the development and Romanization of the border areas. Auxiliaries were seen throughout the empire and served as a formal and professional power. The thesis tries to make a case study on auxiliaries in Britain, introduce the system of auxiliaries in details, re-create their service life, and reveal the impact of them on local economy and culture. In quality, auxiliaries covered most branches of the armed forces and were well-equipped; they were adaptable to all kinds of situations and cooperated well with Roman legions. The soldiers were chosen through strict selection and were of high talent and hard-working. Auxiliaries made rigorous official documents, took scientific training and their loyalty and courage were maintained by many means. Auxiliaries had high salary, good diet and medical care. Their religious lives were colorful; their wistfulness for Roman civil rights and family life was strong; and they were blending into the Roman Latin culture. Auxiliaries in Britain had great influence on local development not only by protecting the borderland and playing a role in administration, but also by promoting the development of frontier regions, creating consumer markets and spreading manufacturing technique. In sum, the institution of auxiliary in early Roman Empire was an extremely successful military institution, as well as one excellent ethnic policy, sustained the unity, stability, prosperity of a multinational country.