The soldiers other punishments could include, fines, demanding of sureties, and of punishment with stripes. Being beaten to death was a common punishment for several severe offenses as, stealing, giving false evidence, committing the same fault three times, and homosexual practice. Leaving your post out of fear and throwing away any of your weapons on the battlefield was also punished with death. Polybius said ““Those who have lost a shield or a sword or any weapon on the battlefield often hurl themselves upon the enemy hoping that they will either recover the weapon they have lost, or else escape by death from the inevitable disgrace and the humiliations they would suffer at home.”
Not very often did this happen, when a squadron deserted its post. For punishment the tribune would use the famous, the horrible, sentence of decimation. The tribune called the legion on parade and ordered to the front those who were guilty of desertion of their ranks. They would call them every name under the sun to insult them, and then they would be told to choose a number. Then everyone out of ten would pay