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They were marching five abreast and seemed to stretch back endlessly into the heart of the great city.  He had never seen such a beautiful sight and could not take his eyes off the moving mass of shinny armor, huge shields, and pointed spears.  From that day forward, whenever anyone would ask what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would stick out his little chest and proudly respond, “A soldier of Rome.”  Seven years later, on his 17 th birthday, Manius Titurius Tullus walked through the entrance of Campus Martius and declared his intention to become a Roman legionnaire, like his older brother Gaius had done three years earlier.
    Campus Martius was the Legionaries’ training area.  It was a flat, low lying somewhat swampy 600 acres that was bounded on the west by the Tiber River and on the east by the city walls.  Since the field periodically flooded, the barracks, classrooms, and administrative building were build on the sides of the surrounding hills.
    It took about a week for Manius’ romanticized image of Legionaire training to meet reality head on.  He got along well with the other recruits, easily master the physical aspects of the training, but decried the lack of sleep and skimpy meals.  Nonetheless, he was fulfilling his dream and would not be deterred.
    That is until his first 20 mile road march in full battle gear in five hours.  It was the hardest thing he had ever done!  His arms and shoulders ached from the weight of the shield and spears and his feet pulsed with hot spots.  He distracted his mind from the pain by remembering the many idyllic days spend fishing on the Tiber with his father.  The following week was another 20 mile march, but this one seemed somewhat easier.  The third was easier still.  He was becoming a warrior and he could feel it.

As the recruits hardened and became more proficient with the gladius [sword] and shield, they often talked about the barracks’ rumors that had them deploying to fight in Sicily in conjunction with the Navy’s attempt to defeat the Carthaginian Navy.
Figure 2 Campus Martius
    However, before the recruits could graduate, the 23 year old First Punic War ended in a decisive victory.  The Carthaginians lost their fleet to the new and powerful Roman Navy.  They also lost their possessions in Sicily, known as the bread basket of the Mediterranean, and the island of Sardinia.  Carthage also agreed to pay Rome an enormous indemnity to cover the cost of building the same Roman fleet that had just defeated them.
    A month after the 1 st Punic War ended, in April 242 BC, Manius’ class of Roman recruits graduated from basic training.  Manius was selected by his peers and Training Centurions as Best Recruit of the Class and received an iron gladius with his name emblazoned on the edge.  He was bursting with pride as he slid the weapon into its scabbard.  He was finally a legionaire and had achieved his boyhood dream.  He now wanted to test himself in actual combat as his brother had, but the war with Carthage was over.  He feared he missed his only chance to prove himself by a matter of mere months.
    Most of the Legions mustered in for the war with Carthage were disbanded.  Only six were retained to maintain order throughout the Italian peninsula and to stand ready should the Gauls of northern Italy once again attempt to invade central Italy as they had done successfully in 387 BC.
    It was hard for young Manius to imagine that 145 years ago, Rome was so weak that the Senoni , a Gallic tribe from northern Italy led by Brennus, actually defeated six legions at Allia, a mere 11 miles from Rome, then sacked the city and were even paid an indemnity.  He angrily vowed that that same ignominy would not happen again while he was in the army.
     

Davood Farrid ~ Carthaginian Ambassador to Rome 242 BC
    At the end of the 1st Punic War, the Carthaginian Ambassador to Rome and chief negotiator to handle end of war settlements was an odd fellow by the name of