The Final Journey: What Happened When a Roman Soldier Died? (Video)

The Roman Empire was built on the backs of its soldiers, who marched and fought tirelessly to expand its borders and fend off its enemies. But what happened when a Roman soldier died? How did the empire honor its fallen warriors and ensure that their legacies lived on? The rituals and customs that were practiced when a Roman soldier died, from the somber processions that carried their bodies to their final resting place to the elaborate funerary rites that were performed to honor their sacrifice, can teach us a lot about Roman attitudes towards not just their soldiers, but death in general.

Top image: Roman soldier burying a dead warrior. Source:  Monsalvettstock / Adobe Stock.

By Robbie Mitchell