Comments by "Big Blue" (@bigblue6917) on "The Roman Galea and Forgotten History of the Legions of Rome" video.

I think you are out by 1000 years. Actually many of the legionnaires were not Roman by birth but obtained Roman citizenship just before joining the legion. This was partly because of a lack of recruits amongst Roman citizens and partly because those who did join were of such poor quality they ended up in the auxiliaries. When the 10th passed through Rome it was noted that they were taller then the local citizens and many were blond. Also many were having difficulty with the hot Roman summer. In Scotland on the Roman Antonine Wall there is evidence the Legionnaires were eating couscous from some of the pottery found there. This would suggest they could have been North African by birth. The reason for such poor levels of recruitment with natural Roman citizens is because many would only join when no other options were available to them. Apparently the US Army had the same problem in the 19th century.
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