bookandswordblogAlready in the second century BCE the Romans did something radical. They divided recruits into groups of four then the tribunes of the legions took turn picking one (rotating which tribune had first pick). Whereas almost all armies are based on preexisting social ties and relationships, the Roman army of Polybius was already like a modern army which breaks up those ties and forces the troops to build new ones. #romanArmy #histodons #antiquidons
In almost all armies, you fight with the men (and one crazy woman) of your tribe and district born in the same year, or the houseowning men of your quarter of the city, or the friend of your uncle who got a subcontract to raise a lance and needs a strong servant. The Roman army or the Canadian army did and do something radically different by breaking those ties and demanding that soldiers create new bonds within artificial combat units. 2/n
Author-ized L.J.@bookandswordblog There's something to be said for scattering families and regions among units--else you get a Saving Private Ryan situation, or British villages that lost an entire generation of men to WWI because they were in the same trenches and... yeah. That said, I doubt humanitarian concerns were at the top of the Roman military leadership's minds xD