The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

Legion

LEGION. A main division of the Roman army, nearly equivalent to our regiment. It comprised a much larger number of men, running from 3,000 men to about 6,000 at the time of Christ. The word legion came to figuratively mean a great number or multitude, for example, of angels (Mt 26:53) and of evil spirits (Mk 5:9,15). (See Roman Army).

- The legionaries were not only fighters but they were builders as well. No Roman legion fought a battle or retired for the night without first building a fortified camp.

- each legionary carried 80 pounds of equipment (weapons, armor, axe, spade, saw, basket, tent stakes, cooking utensils, and 2 weeks' rations of meal)

- Overnight camps were tents surrounded by a ditch and a wooden palisade

- When far away they built more permanent quarters of wood, stone, and brick. (These later became cities)

- The army also built roads and bridges to link the various parts of the empire.

- bridge building was a special skill of the legionary

- the simplest bridge consisted of wooden frames covered with planking supported by pontoons.

- When there was a strong current, a more stable bridge was built secured by pilings into the river bed