Brick with stamp of the Tenth Legion, "L X FRE," and the accidental imprint of a Roman soldier's sandal (caliga)

In peacetime, Roman soldiers were employed in public works. The most hated of these were the back-breaking construction projects: paving roads and building fortresses, walls, dams, and aqueducts. The legions would record their labors for posterity with Latin inscriptions carved in stone. They produced their own building materials in special workshops, stamping them with military symbols to prevent their sale on the open market.