The pre-Marius Roman army was organised as a conscript levy of all male citizens, similar to other Polies especially in Greece. It was considered the duty of every physical able man to serve in the army when a campaign was called. The incumbent consuls would then be charged with the duty of recruiting an army from the eligible citizenry of the Republic, which would have to undergo intensive training until they could be truly considered an army. Armies would then gain experiences during their campaigning, until they were disbanded with the end of the war. The soldiers would leave his farm or buisness and serve for the duration of a campaign/war, and then be released back into the populace. Soldiers were paid very low, if any, wages and the delays of this money were notoriously common. The soldiers were mostly compensated by a share of the loot. To be eligible to serve in this Roman army the citizens had to satisfy stringent property and census requirements, as well as providing their own weaponry, supplies and armour. This system of citizen-soldiers who brought their own equipment in at least comparable quality, worked well as long as the wars were relatively short affairs fought relatively close to home. With the explosive expansion of Roman territory, campaigns became longer and longer, often taking up to several years. Such extremely long periods of service often meant ruin for small farmers who had left their home to fight.