‘Militia in Urbe’. The military presence in Rome

Abstract

This chapter explores the relevance of the military presence in imperial Rome from two different angles. A first part focuses on the topography and design of military camps and their perception by civilians. This approach mainly deals with the appearance and organization of military forces under urban conditions the 'military landscape of Rome'. The second part of the chapter discusses the changes in the designs of sepulchral monuments, because these archaeological remains illustrate the development in the soldiers' self-presentation and their relation to their contemporaries more than anything else. For obvious reasons, the emergence of a permanent military presence within the context of the restoration of the republican order must be considered highly problematic, which makes it worthwhile to closely examine the soldiers' appearance and the public's reaction to their services in the capital, militia in Urbe , at the beginning of the imperial period. Keywords: imperial period; military camps; military presence; militia in Urbe ; Rome