The Roman army, famed for its discipline, organization, and innovation in both weapons and tactics, allowed Rome to build and defend a huge empire, which for centuries would dominate the Mediterranean world and beyond (www.ancient.eu.com/Roman_Army/).
Roman armies were trained vigorously and shown no slack. Soldiers were taught ferocious fighting styles, and training was rough, as were the reprimands for failure in battle. The Roman army wanted to keep the best soldiers out of the new recruits and get rid of the ones that wouldn’t last, so they would put the recruits in the front lines of battles to narrow down the numbers, while keeping the ones that survive. The idea was that if they lost a veteran soldier on the front lines, it would be a great loss, but if it were a recruit, the loss wouldn’t be a big problem. If the recruits survived, they would be experienced and a great addition to the army. They also did this to keep recruits from fleeing the battle if they started to lose, because they would have to run through the rest of the army, most likely leading to their death.
When the Roman Empire needed soldiers, they raised a red flag, and the news was carried through all of Rome’s territory. Only the taxpaying landowners were subject to military service, for it was deemed only they had reason to fight (www.roman-empire.net/army/becoming.html). Those who were between seventeen and forty-six years of age had to serve. If you had served a certain amount of campaigns or had earned the right, you didn’t have to fight. Consuls would then start with the wealthy class, working their way down the classes to choose their soldiers. These recruits would swear an oath of allegiance to complete the transformation from citizen to soldier. ...
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...um was a heavy shield that weighed roughly ten kilograms, and was used frequently, whether it was on defense or offense. It was used to ram enemies and as cover, so soldiers could fight from behind it. It was also used in the testudo tactic mentioned earlier. Overall, it was one of the most important parts of a soldier’s “apparel”. There were certain exceptions with some armor. For example, a vexillarius, or a flag bearer, would be allowed to wear the flag on their back, allowing them to carry the flag and fight if necessary. Naturally, the higher a soldier’s rank, the better their armor was.
In conclusion, the Roman army was not a force to be trifled with. Known as one of the most successful armies ever, it sent fear into its enemies, and for good reason. Romulus, the one said to have created the army, did Rome proud, and helped the empire thrive for many years.
In Document B it states, “[Before the year 400 CE] foot soldiers wore breastplates and helmets. But when, because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it. Therefore, they first asked the emperor to set aside the breastplates… and then the helmets. So our soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for chest and head and were often beaten by archers. Although there were many disasters, which led to the loss of great cities, no one tried to restore breastplates and helmets to the infantry. Thus it happens that troops in battle, exposed to wounds because they have no armor, think about running and not fighting.” Also, the failure to enforce conscription weakened Rome because armies need power to hold front since equipment is useless if there is no person to use it. It also didn’t enforce it mostly on the useless people like the rich who don’t contribute very much to society. The second paragraph in Document B it states, “There can be little doubt that the weakness of the late Roman army were largely due to the eventual failure… to enforce regular conscription [draft of soldiers]... The exempted categories were. Numerous. Hosts of senators, bureaucrats, and clergymen were entitled to avoid the draft; and among other groups who escaped were cooks, bakers, and slaves.” This proves how the Roman Army caused the fall of the Roman Empire because of their laziness and failure to enforce
Prior to Augustus’s reforms, when legions were raised, they were comprised almost entirely of Italian recruits. This was out of the question with this new standing army, and filling the ranks with Italians gave way to supplementing legions with local auxiliaries, then later integrating these Romanised locals into a legions structure proper.5 This action undertaken by Augustus seems to have had ramifications as the centuries progressed, with the percentage of Italian born recruits steadily dropping, to the point where by the time of Hadrian, there were almost not Italians serving in the legions. Augustus’s methods of recruiting elsewhere to support the strength of his legions became so successful that they became the primary method of filling the requirements of the Empires new professional
Since the beginning, Rome had been a military state it was central to its life and they had excelled in the technique of organization and technology. Since the Romans had established a formal language they were able to communicate with one another. The Romans had conquered anything that they had seen weakness in and this had eventually made their Empire as large as 60 million people. Their strategy for milita...
One reason that many avoided Army service was because Roman citizenship was now offered freely, where in prior times military service had been a path to citizenship. The result was less manpower available for Rome. The Roman army was left with no choice but to recruit barbarians, who could in this way both find employment where they had no skills, and hope to obtain Roman citizenship.
Previously they had used their own short swords that had proven to be inadequate on the battlefield (Real Armor of God). In order to increase the number of soldiers within their armies, the Romans would often incorporate new soldiers upon conquering a new territory. This was done instead of the common practice of slaughtering the soldiers of those that had been conquered. In order to ensure that these mostly unwilling recruits would not desert, the Romans would send these new recruits to the opposite end of the empire to fight.... ... middle of paper ...
Outward appearance was extremely important to the Romans and the first thing that new recruits learned was to march in perfect form. Once they knew how to march they were then assigned to the legions in which they would remain for the next 20 years of service. (the book) The legions were made up of between 5000 and 5500 men. In a legion there were 10 Cohorts and in those Cohorts there were 6 Centuries. Auxiliary troops, although not usually counted as part of a legion, were part of a legion and could raise the number of men from around 5000 to 6000. The number of legions active in the empire was consistently between 25 and 33. (internet, http://museum.simplenet.com/rome/military/military.htm) The average year for auxiliaries to serve was 25 years or less. After about 20 years in the legions they “graduated” to a veteran cohort, and continued service there for about 5 years. The soldiers who completed their 25 years of military service to Rome were given a “diploma” made of bronze. It was actually a record of their service throughout the years and a copy was kept in soldier’s files in Rome. (the book)
Simkin, John. “ Military Tactics of the Roman Army.” spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational, Sept. 1997- June 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
One of the prominent reasons for this great empire was the army. The Roman army was overly effective, organized, respected and professional. The army knew how to conquer and evolve as they grew. The major pillar to the development of the Roman Empire was its military might. The Roman military is thought to be the most successful and powerful military in human history. Fiero (2013) stated, “Rome’s highly disciplined army was the backbone of the Empire”. The Roman army was extremely organized and knew how to adapt. The army had endurance to defend against invasions from their enemies and to expand the empire throughout the Western world. The army was disciplined and originally all citizens, who served terms of two years. As the scope of Roman expansion shifted and the need for a larger force increased, most devoted twenty five years or more to the army. Military service was also a tool used to incorporate conquered societies into Roman life and culture.
There are many political, economic, sociological causes to the growth and expansion of the Roman republic and later the Roman Empire, but one major factor of expansion that the Romans are most famous for is there Army. There Army was famous for their harsh discipline amongst their own ranks and there mercifulness brutality amongst their enemies. According to our text Roman warfare was characterized by great ferocity and the Roman pursuit of victory was relentless. The Romans had a pragmatic view towards atrocity and massacre that viewed almost any act as justifiable if it eased the path of victory (Goldsworthy 2000) p. 24. The hoplite phalanx which originated by the Greeks and later adopted by the Roman army, demanded great discipline and adherence to orders in order for this group of soldiers...
The Spartan labor was done by slaves called helots acquired after the Messenian War in the 8th century BCE. Because the slaves completed all the labor the Spartan citizens were able to focus on military affairs. Military training for the war started at a young age. At age seven boys were required to start participating in group training, marching drills, and athletic competitions. When the boys reach the age of twelve they are sent to live in the barracks and learn to fight with weapons until they are twenty years old. Once they reach the age of twenty their ten years of active service in the hoplite army. The Spartans were concerned with the strength of their army because they did not want to be wiped out by another
Recruits were taught to march and performed parade drill twice a day. They were taught how to build a camp, swim and ride. A Roman was half a soldier from the start, and he could endure discipline which soon produced the other half (Adcock 5).
The initial population of Rome consisted of immigrants, refugees and fugitives from neighboring lands. Romulus took in these societal rejects and offered them a new starts; despite settling in the foreign land of a new city, these people accepted Romulus and the laws he laid out for them. These people were “the first step to [Rome’s] future greatness”(pg. 40). Along with laws, Romulus formed a means of governing the population through the one hundred-member senate based on patre status. Early attempts at alliances did not pan out, but after Rome’s victory over Veii, a truce was formed. Feasibly, Romulus’ most notable acts as the leader of Rome revolved around his military command. The victory over Caenina marked Rome’s first of many; Rome managed to defeat well-established cities like Antemnae, Sabine, and Fidenae, despite only being in its early stages. Under Romulus, the Roman army fought on, even though retreat proved to be the better option at times. The drive and strength of such a young force sealed the dominance of Rome for years to
Unfortunately, he is not allowed to have any important positions in the military, but that keeps him safe from the front lines. Corinthus has told me the military is incredibly well organized and this contributes to their success. There organization is kept by having specific groups within the military. The structure of the army starts with a tent group which consisted of 8 soldiers. Then, a century combines 10 tent groups which then has 80 soldiers. Century’s are commanded by a centurion. Then there are Cohorts which usually combine 6 Cohorts and 480 infantry. Finally, Legions consist of 10 Cohorts and they are the largest group in the Roman Military. The system used is very complicated and groups often have a different number of soldiers depending on the rank or experience of each soldier. For example, Cohort 1 had the most respected and elite troops, but Cohort II was usually the newer and weaker troops. This organization is a huge factor to the Roman expansion success and although Corinthus does not fall in any of these groups he is always excited to tell me about the work they’re
Roman soldiers had a lot of discipline. The first thing they were trained to do was march 20 Roman miles in five hours carrying full field pack at miliary speed (“Training”). “Roman soldiers are famous for their discipline in battle and the ability to take orders. They would train in formations ad lines that they also used in battle” (“Training”). Practice hand to hand combat with heavier wooden swords, spears, javelins and shields then the actual weapons.
Although, many might say that the Roman Empire was already very successful even without the Greek influence, the Romans were already known for their very great army. The Romans were able to conquer so many lands and keep a great structure to the point where other communities feared them because of their army. It is true, Rome was already very successful they had conquered many lands before the Hellenistic period, and were already known to be a very rich and powerful community. Just as Chris Truman states on the website the History learning site where du...