Armor of Ancient Rome Ancient Rome expended a great deal of economic resources and effort upon conquest and expansion through military means. The role of armor was fundamental in this expansion as it played a significant role in the success of the Roman armies on the battlefield. There were three common requirements for armor construction throughout its history: The first was that armor had to be flexible enough to allow the wearer freedom of movement; second, it also had to be lightweight enough to be worn without tiring the wearer while providing protection against opponents' weapons; and third, armor had to be cost effective. These three aspects influenced the evolution of Roman cuirass (lorica) design throughout Rome’s history. The central concept in the study of Roman armor is that it was always a compromise between mobility, protection, and cost. There were at least four cuirass types in use during the first century A.D. These were the muscle, scale, mail, and segmented cuirasses with mail and segmented cuirasses being the most predominant. The study of these armor types relies upon three main sources of evidence: iconographic (e.g., sculpture, tombstones, monuments); archaeological; and literary sources. The evolution of Roman lorica was driven by the needs and circumstances of the Roman Army. Armies of the 1st century A.D. were firmly established within the Empire and control fell solely under the auspices of the Emperor. Increasingly the main strength of the Roman army, up to thirty legions, was garrisoned on the frontiers. Only a token military force, the Praetorian Guard, remained in Rome. The military situation in this period was seldom dormant. In the 1st century the invasi... ... middle of paper ... ...ry Press, 1974. Simkins, M., The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan. Hong Kong: Osprey Military Press, 1994. Simkins, M., The Roman Army from Hadrian to Constantine. Hong Kong: Osprey Military Press, 1994. Tarrassuk, L., and Blair, C. ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1982. Warry, J., Warfare in the Classical World. London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1980. Webster, G., The Roman Imperial Army of the First and Second Centuries A.D. London: Adams & Charles Black, 1969. Ancient Authors Plutarch, Plutarch's Lives Vol.III, Translated by Arthur Hugh Clough. London: Everyman's Library, 1971. Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, Translated by Michael Grant. London: Penguin Classics, 1989. Caesar, The Conquest of Gaul. Translated by S.A. Hanford. New York: Penguin Classics, 1983.
From about 50 BCE to the year 200 CE, the Roman Empire was a powerful nation. Rome was the city that became the center of the Roman Empire and by 200 BCE Rome became a powerhouse. The Romans conquered Scotland to Spain, controlled the Mediterranean Sea, and established colonies in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. By the year 44 BCE Julius Caesar became a Roman Emperor and Rome had a great military. Then around the 5th century CE the Roman Empire began to weaken. The primary reasons for the fall of Rome was because of the Roman Emperors, the Roman Army, and foreign invasion.
While these problems existed to a greater of lesser degree, since the end of the 2nd century, their effects were accelerated by the reforms of the emperors Constantine and Diocletian. These reforms changed Roman life as well as the face of the Roman army, moving it away from its classical infantry-based structure to a more cavalry-based system. The army was reorganized into lightly armed troops called "limitanei" who defended the border, and large mobile armies composed of troops called "comitatenses". The border troops were given land to live on around forts they protected. This structure led to farming becoming the job of the border troops so that they could feed as well as protect those on the frontier. Over time, this in turn led to out of date weaponry and neglect in training. The weakness of these troops meant that more mobile troops were needed to compensate, and an easily penetrable border as a result of the weakness led to the need for highly efficient mobile armies. Since the cavalry were the most mobile unit of the army, they began to be the favored military unit. With forces strung along the border and concentrated large mobile armies, an increased number of recruits were required; however, land owners were reluctant to let themselves or their kin be recruited because that left less workers for their farms. At the same time, the division of the empire into outer imperial provinces and inner provinces controlled by the Senate had its own effect. Since the armies largely remained in the outer imperial provinces, the people of the inner provinces were out of touch with the army and were no longer attracted to service, again reducing the available pool of recruits. 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.
the idea that they were loyal to Rome and not to him. To show the
Morey, William C. "Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 19." Forum Romanum. 1901. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. .
This section taken form book 4 provides us with information into the location of various legions throughout the empire at the time of Tiberius. This material shows us the extent of the Roman Empire at the time of Tiberius whilst at the same time allowing is to highlight the most volatile points of the empire. Here we can see that on the Rhine the main bulk of the army is stationed providing a defence against the Gauls and the Germans, ‘Spain, lately subjugated, was held by three’ here we see that Spain had only recently been brought under Roman control so therefore needed to have more men there to provide support in case of any rebellion. The source also provides us with the role of the legions under Tiberius portraying the importance of the auxiliary troops that supported them but also the manoeuvrability of these units as they can travel to where they are needed. ‘There were besides, in commanding positions in the provinces, allied fleets, cavalry and light infantry, of but little inferior strength.’ Here we can see those that are not in the legions not having as important role as the soldiers in the main bulk of the army. ‘But any detailed account of them would be misleading, since they moved from place to place as circumstances required, and had their numbers increased and sometimes diminished.’ It als...
414-443. Antony Kamm The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93. Dio Cassius Roman History (as presented in Antiquity 2). Augustus (Octavian) Res Gestae Divi Augusti (as presented in Antiquity 2). Eck, The Age of Augustus, p.45 (as presented in Antiquity 2).
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
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)
Dio, Cassius. "Roman History - Book 50." 17 June 2011. University of Chicago. 31 October 2011 .
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...
Medical personnel in the Roman army became a crucial part of the fighting forces. Under Emperor Augustus the army comprised of about 24 to 27 legions. Each legion contained 10 cohorts with 480 men in each cohort. There were 10-12 physicians place in each legion with about 800 total physicians in the army. The medical staff fell under the support section of the legion. Somewhere between 27 B.C. and A.D. 476 Roman military medicine was at its peak. During the reign of Emperor Augustus the very first Roman Medical Corps was created. The incorporation of the medical unit into the legions gives the army the advantage at the structural level and the creation of the separate medical corps is an early reflection on the medical units in contemporary military units.
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
The War with Veii played a significant role in the expansion of the Roman Empire. The war, which ended in 410 B.C., set in motion an entirely different Roman army. No longer was the army a volunteer militia, instead it became a paying and contractual organization. The “Roman victory brought an end to Rome’s most threatening neighbor and began its rise to prominence in the central Italian peninsula” (www.warandgameinfo.com).