The ''immunes'' were

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

soldiers who possessed specialized skills. They were exempt from the more tedious and dangerous tasks other soldiers were required to do, such as ditch digging and rampart patrol.

Becoming an immune

Prior to becoming an ''immune'', men were required to serve as ''miles gregarius'' (also known as ''munifex''), a non-specialist regular soldier. These men were the soldiers that made up the bulk of the legions, liable to perform guard duties, labour work and other less than desired duties. ''

Milites Milites were the trained regular footsoldiers of ancient Rome, and later a term used to describe " soldiers" in Medieval Europe. Roman Era These men were the non-specialist regular soldiers that made up the bulk of a legion's numbers and were t ...

'' would usually have to serve for several years before becoming eligible for training to become ''immunes''. ''Immune'' status within the army was achieved either through selection or through promotion. If not possessing the specialist skills that could see a soldier chosen to become an ''immune'', the legionary who wished to become one would have to undergo a period of specialist training, during which time they would be known as ''

discens A discens ( la, discens, -entis) was a soldier of the military of ancient Rome who was in training to become an immunis, or specialist within the army. Immunes took up the trades and skills of engineers, field medics, carpenters, and craftsmen. ...

''. The ''discens'' received the same basic pay and board as the non-specialists until he qualified for ''immune'' status.

Typical duties

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

s, artillerymen,

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

s, drill and weapons instructors,

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

s and medical staff were among the multiple specialized jobs ''immunes'' provided for the

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

. ''Immunes'' also received better pay than the regular troops.

Citations

External links

*{{usurped,
https://web.archive.org/web/20180603205504/http://history-world.org/roman_army.htm
}

* ttp://www.roman-britain.co.uk/glossary/ http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/glossary/ Military units and formations of ancient Rome