In 60 BCE, pay in the army of the @Roman Republic is fairly standardized at the lower levels and sharply unequal at the upper ones. The numbers below reflect late-Republic norms attested in ancient sources and modern scholarship, especially for the period of Marius, Pompey, and Caesar.
The ordinary legionary (miles) is paid 120 @Denarius per year as base salary. This pay is issued in installments and is not net income. From it are deducted rations, clothing, and equipment replacement, meaning the soldier retains only part of that amount in cash. Despite the modest wage, legionaries expect additional income from campaign loot, which can easily exceed yearly pay after a successful war. Upon honorable discharge after roughly 16–20 years, a legionary is commonly promised land allotments of about 20 iugera (roughly 12 acres), either in Italy or in newly conquered provinces, or a cash equivalent if land is unavailable.
The principales—including optio, signifer, and tesserarius—receive 180 to 240 @Denarius per year, depending on role. Optiones generally earn about 180 @Denarius, while signifers, who manage unit funds, often receive closer to 240 @Denarius. Their deductions still apply, but their higher pay and closer ties to command make them far more likely to accumulate savings. On retirement, principales often receive larger or better-situated land grants, typically 25–30 iugera, and priority placement in veteran colonies.
A centurion represents a major financial leap. Junior centurions earn approximately 3,750 @Denarius per year, more than thirty times a common soldier’s base pay. Senior centurions earn substantially more, with the primus pilus—the highest centurion of a legion—earning up to 15,000 @Denarius annually. Centurions also receive a larger share of plunder and discretionary bonuses from commanders. Upon retirement, they are commonly granted extensive land holdings, often 40–60 iugera, prime urban plots, or large cash rewards. Many centurions retire wealthy enough to enter local elites or the equestrian class.
Military tribunes technically receive pay, but it is relatively modest compared to their status and varies widely. Their income is supplemented by family wealth rather than army salary. Their true reward is political advancement, as service as a tribune is a prerequisite for higher magistracies. They do not usually receive land grants, but gain access to governorships, contracts, and Senate careers.
At the top, legates and generals are not paid a formal salary in the modern sense. Their wealth derives from spoils of war, provincial revenues, gifts, and political power. Successful commanders may acquire millions of @Denarius during campaigns. Rather than receiving land themselves, they control the distribution of land to veterans, using grants of 20–30 iugera per soldier as a political weapon to secure loyalty and future influence.
By 60 BCE, these exact pay disparities have enormous consequences. A legionary fights for land and survival, a centurion for wealth and status, and a general for power itself. The Roman army’s pay system no longer merely sustains soldiers—it reshapes Roman politics, society, and the fate of the Republic.
@The World:
@Rome
@Asia Minor
@Tripolitania
@Hispania
@Epirus
@Macedonia
@Achaea
@Crete
@Cyprus
@Sicilia
@Sardinia
@Corsica
@Judaea
@Syria
Roman:
@Titus Pullo
@Lucius Vorenus
@Mark Antony
@Gaius Julius Caesar
@Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
@Mark Antony
@Tullus Vagnius Titillus
@Spurius Rufius Octobrianus
@Drusus Caerellius Porphyrius