# The Roman Auxilia: Non-Citizen Soldiers Who Defended the Empire

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-roman-auxilia-non-citizen-soldiers-who-defended-the-empire
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-roman-auxilia-non-citizen-soldiers-who-defended-the-empire.md
Podcast: [The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683)
Published: 2026-06-18T01:02:35+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0105.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0105.mp3
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Duration seconds: 359

## Resource

The Roman Empire wasn't defended by legionaries alone. Episode 105 turns to the auxilia: the non-citizen troops who served as cavalry, archers, slingers, and scouts on every frontier from Britain to Syria. Lucas takes us through the recruitment, organization, and eventual citizenship grants for these soldiers — including a look at the ala and cohortes, the Batavi revolt, and the peculiar 'numeri' units that kept their own languages and weapons. We meet the 'peregrini' who spent 25 years in service hoping for a diploma, and explore how auxiliary veterans became a bulwark of Romanization in the provinces. With specific examples like the Syrian archers at Hadrian's Wall and the Pannonian horsemen in Dacia, this episode fills a crucial gap in Rome's military story — the men who weren't citizens but were essential to holding the lines. #RomanAuxilia #Auxilia #BataviRevolt #RomanArmy #Ala #Cohortes #Numeri #RomanCitizenship #MilitaryDiploma #Peregrini #FrontierTroops #RomanCavalry #SyrianArchers #HadriansWall #Pannonia #Romanization #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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