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The year is 15 CE
and the Roman Empire is prospering.

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Most of the credit will go to the emperor,

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but this success wouldn’t 
have been possible

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without loyal soldiers like Servius Felix.

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Servius enlisted as a legionary 
eight years ago at age 18,

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the son of a poor farmer
with few prospects.

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Unlike the majority of legionaries,
he doesn’t gamble,

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so he’s been able to save 
most of his wages.

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He’s even kept his viaticum,

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the three gold coins he received 
when he enlisted.

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If he survives until retirement, 
he’ll receive several acres of land.

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And he’s grown rather fond 
of a girl back home

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whom he intends to marry.

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But he’ll have to wait until he completes 
his 25 years of service

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before that can happen.

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And the life of a legionary 
is dangerous and grueling.

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Today, Servius’s legion, 
along with three others,

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has undertaken a “great march” 
of 30,000 Roman paces,

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the equivalent of nearly 36 kilometers.

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Servius’s armor and weapons,

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including his gladius,

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scutum,

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and two pila,

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weigh over 20 kilograms.

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And that’s not counting his backpack, 
or sarcina,

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which contains food and all the tools
he needs to help build the camp –

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spade,

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saw,

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pickaxe,

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and basket.

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Although Servius is exhausted, 
he won’t sleep much tonight.

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He’s been assigned the first watch,

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which means looking after 
the baggage animals

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and keeping alert
against a possible ambush.

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After he’s done, he lies awake, 
dreading the day ahead,

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which will force him 
to recall his worst nightmare.

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At dawn, Servius eats breakfast 
with his seven tent companions.

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They’re like a family, all bearing scars 
from the battles they’ve fought together.

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Servius is from Italia,

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but his fellow soldiers hail 
from all over the empire,

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which stretches from Syria to Spain.

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So they’re all far from home 
in the northern land of Germania.

NOTE Paragraph

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Servius’s legion 
and three others with him today

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are under the command of
Emperor Tiberius’s nephew Germanicus,

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named for his father’s military successes
against the Germanic tribes.

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Each legion has close to 5,000 men,

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divided into cohorts of about 500,

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further subdivided into centuries 
of around 80-100 men.

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Each century is commanded by a centurion.

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An aquilifer, or eagle-bearer, marches at
the head of each legion

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carrying its eagle standard.

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The centurions march beside 
the legionaries belting out orders,

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“Dex, sin, dex, sin,"

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“Right, left, right, left,"

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starting with the right foot as the left 
is considered unlucky or sinister.

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Despite the strict discipline, 
there’s tension in the air.

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Last year, some legions 
in the area revolted,

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demanding better pay 
and a cut in the length of service.

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Only their general’s charisma
and negotiating skills

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prevented wholesale mutiny.

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Today is a “just march,” 
only 30 kilometers.

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As the marshes and forests of Germania 
lie beyond the empire’s road system

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the men must build causeways
and bridges to make headway—

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something they’ve recently spent 
more time doing than fighting.

NOTE Paragraph

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Finally, they arrive at their destination,
a place Servius knows too well.

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It’s a clearing on the outskirts 
of the Teutoburg Forest,

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where six years ago, during the
reign of the Emperor Augustus,

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Germanic tribes under 
their chieftain Arminius

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ambushed and destroyed three legions.

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Proceeding along a narrow path,

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the legions were attacked from 
forest cover under torrential rain

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with their escape blocked.

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It was one of the worst defeats 
the Romans ever suffered

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and Augustus never lived it down.

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Servius was one of the few survivors.

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Servius still has nightmares of 
his comrades lying where they fell.

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But now the army is back to bury 
the dead with full military honors.

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As he helps in the task,

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he can’t help wondering whether the bones
he handles belonged to someone he knew.

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Several times he wants to weep aloud, 
but he pushes on with the task.

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The glory of the Empire 
can go to the crows.

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All he craves is to retire 
on a small farm with his wife-to-be,

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if the gods should spare his life 
for 17 more years.