Time Team has excavated many Roman sites in the past. A number of these have been military settlements: for example, Birdoswald fort on Hadrian's Wall and Castleford fort in the north of England. What was life like for the ordinary soldier who lived in military places nearly 2,000 years ago?

Apart from the Time Team programmes, there have been hundreds of excavations undertaken on Roman military sites across the country. The finds that have been uncovered (including written records) represent every aspect of life in Roman times. The combined evidence from this work lets us build a picture of the past and helps us to reconstruct a day in the life of a legionary soldier.

The legion
Up to 6,000 men could be based in a standard legionary fortress under the command of a legate. They were divided into ten cohorts, nine of which were made up of 480 men, with the first cohort nearly double size at 800 men. Each cohort was then divided into six centuries of 80 men commanded by a centurion. Each century occupied a single barrack block within the fortress. The centurion would occupy a range of rooms and offices at the end of the block, while the 80 legionaries were housed in ten sets of twin rooms (comprising a sleeping room and a utility room).

The legionary's day
The day started at sunrise. Our legionary would have spent the night in the bunk room (which he shared with seven other soldiers) in the barracks, with possibly a brazier and woollen blankets to keep him warm. The atmosphere within the barracks was probably very similar to any army barracks today, with soldiers rushing about trying to get everything ready for roll call.

A trip to the latrines would also have been a priority first thing in the morning. The latrines were simple and effective: a long bench formed a row of unpartitioned seats with holes. This ran around the walls inside the toilet block. Below the seats running water washed away the waste, while in front of the seat a shallow gutter ran with water which could be used to wash the Roman equivalent of toilet paper: a communal sponge on a stick.

Breakfast would have been prepared in the front utility room of their double room set within the barracks. Porridge was a favourite, washed down with beer. While the soldiers were scrabbling around in the first light, their centurion would have been at the fortress headquarters' building with the other officers receiving the orders and work rosters for the day. Tasks within the fortress included guard duty, patrols, collecting food and fuel, manning the bath complex, cleaning the latrines, or working in the various workshops and offices in the complex.

Kit and inspection
After the centurion had received his orders from the fortress legate he would have returned to inspect his men. The soldiers would have been wearing woollen tunics, which came down to just above the knees, and linen undergarments. On their feet they would have worn military hobnailed sandals. In colder months the soldiers could also wear trousers and socks. A sword and dagger hung from the waist by a belt. Their armour consisted of a cuirass made from strips of iron called lorica segmentata. The standard broad neck guard helmet with cheek pieces and the rectangular shield would have completed the kit.

The centurion's inspection could well have been a nervous moment for the men. Reputations for harsh discipline preceded many of the officers. As a rank of office a centurion carried a heavy vine stick with which to administer punishment. Officers had the authority to beat soldiers at will for any violation of the rules and also regularly handed out the worst roster jobs to unfavoured soldiers. Reports of soldiers bribing centurions to get the best jobs are well known in the archaeological record.

Training
After roll call many soldiers would commence training. The Roman writer Vegetius tells us that soldiers were trained every day so that they would be ready for battle at all times. This required constant and vigorous training with personal and siege weapons, running, jumping and swimming. Working in formations, marching, ditch digging and preparing temporary camps were also standard activities. Every three months the soldiers had to complete a route march of 20 miles carrying full equipment within a time limit of five hours. The centurion with his vine stick would be waiting for the stragglers.

Duties
After training the soldiers would start their allotted duties. Most of the tasks involved keeping the fortress and its complement supplied with all its requirements. The army was largely a self-contained and self-sufficient body. Large areas of the fortress were filled with workshops and storehouses, and it was the soldiers themselves who built and maintained these buildings. Many of the soldiers learned trades such as carpentry, metalworking, pottery and tile-making, armour construction, quarrying, leatherworking or stonemasonry. In addition to the manual crafts, numerous clerks were needed to administer the fortress, keep records and co-ordinate the logistics of running a 6,000-strong military unit.

One clerk serving in the east wrote a letter to his mother bragging about his easy life compared to the manual workers: 'Thanks be to Serapis that while the others are working hard cutting stones, I am now a clerk and stand around all day.' Just like in any modern army, the temptation was certainly there to try to find the easiest jobs with the best skiving opportunities.

As soldiers learned new trades they could advance and be promoted through the ranks.

Evening mess
The soldiers took their main meal of the day in the evening. Unlike in a modern army, there was no communal mess. Each soldier was responsible for preparing their own food (with the exception of bread which was baked for each century) in the front utility room of their double room set within the barracks. The diet was a varied one. Corn was the staple, which could be made into porridge or bread. Meats such as beef, mutton and lamb and a variety of fish supplemented this. A wide range of vegetables was also available, such as lentils, beans, cabbage and carrots, as well as fruit and nuts. In addition to local produce, the fortress imported favourites from the continent, including figs, dates, wine, olive oil and fish sauce.

If a soldier chose not to cook his own food he could always buy a snack from a plethora of food sellers grouped around the fortress baths.

Free time
With duties completed, soldiers would have enjoyed the bath house. Here our legionary could play ball games, swim, gamble, employ the services of a hair-plucker or have a massage. He could also take his time to go through the series of cold, warm and hot baths, adding oil to his body before the hot suite, then having it scraped off before a final plunge into the cold bath.

Providing passes were issued he may also have visited the civilian vicus, or settlement, which always grew up around a military base. Traders, bars, performers and brothels were all keen to extract some of the hard currency that the soldiers were paid in. Though not allowed to marry whilst in the army, many soldiers had unofficial partners who lived in the vicus settlement and who relied on the soldiers for financial support.

End of the day
As night drew in the soldiers would have to return to their double barrack room where we first started our day. Perhaps they would finish off the day with some gambling or board games in their shared quarters, or if they were unlucky they may have had to get ready for night duty.

A soldier's life offered a good wage, reasonable diet, clothing, security, respect and excitement. You could learn a valuable craft and even dream of setting yourself up in business on your retirement (new recruits signed up for 25 years). Even your burial was taken care of, in the event of things turning nasty, by a special burial club.

Though this article has looked at a standard day we shouldn't forget what armies actually do. In times of fighting the whole Legion could be on the move. Then your average day could be quite different.

The Roman soldiers of 2,000 years ago would have followed careers, had hopes, fears and aspirations just like anybody today. The work of archaeologists has given us an insight into their lives and helped us understand how they lived.

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