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Twenty-five years for a farm
Enlisting at 18
Servius Felix, a legionary from Italia, enlisted eight years ago at age 18, the son of a poor farmer with few prospects. When he enlisted he received his viaticum, three gold coins.
Unlike the majority of legionaries, Servius doesn't gamble, so he has been able to save most of his wages. He has even kept his viaticum.
The long wait
His service runs 25 years, which leaves him 17 more, and the life of a legionary is dangerous and grueling. If he survives until retirement, he will receive several acres of land. He has also grown fond of a girl back home whom he intends to marry, but that has to wait until he completes his 25 years.
How did Rome pay for veterans' retirement?
Rome had settled retired soldiers on land since the days of the Republic, and the practice often caused fights over who owned that land. In 6 CE, Augustus created a military treasury, the aerarium militare, to pay discharged soldiers instead. Cassius Dio wrote that it was funded by new taxes, including a tax on sales and one on inheritances. Augustus started the treasury with a large gift from his own money.
Why couldn't legionaries marry during service?
Roman soldiers were generally not allowed legal marriage while they served, a restriction that dated from the time of Augustus. Many formed informal unions with local women anyway, and the historian Herodian wrote that Septimius Severus relaxed the restrictions around 197 CE. Children born to soldiers during service were not treated as legitimate heirs under Roman law. The ban helps explain why a soldier like Servius would have to wait for discharge to marry.
Why was saving wages hard for legionaries?
Under Augustus, a legionary earned 225 denarii a year, according to the usual reconstruction from Tacitus and Suetonius. Deductions for food, clothing, and equipment came out of that pay. Soldiers also paid into a burial fund and kept savings in deposit accounts held at the unit's standards. Bonuses from emperors and from successful campaigns supplemented the wages.