Roman Warfare
The Romans were the biggest conquerors of warfare in the Ancient Era. They won many military victories due to the fact that Italy was a peninsula. Rome in its time weren’t short of good military men to bring to the military squad.
“The Roman military machine was simply the best armed force in the Ancient World”.*1
The start of the Roman Army
The army was disciplined well which produced an unprecedented army. This army possessed centralised command, the army owned vital materials such as grain. An extensive supply of expert engineers. Rome also had an inclusive approach to other winners of previous wars which allowed for the Roman power to be strengthened and broadened.
Early Roman wars were normally a defeat to
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They built roads, depots and military bases. These newer armies involved people of Rome aged 16-60. During battle, in the combat zone would their be either one or two consuls which conducted the war. Consuls though didn’t control command, this lay in the hands of the praetor/pro-magistrate. These people commanded individual legions. During war, if both consuls were present, they would switch command each day. The Roman army also had success through their formations. The Roman army was divided up into groups called legions. These legions held up to 6000 soldiers, these soldiers were known as legionnaires. There were also 1000 cavalry on horseback. The consuls and praetors, were the leaders of the legions. Though during the imperial period, Legions were split up into groups as small as 100 men each which were named centuries with their leaders being …show more content…
All three wars took close to a century, first beginning in 264 BC and the last ending in 146 BC. Rome had become the superpower of Italy by the time the first one broke out. The first Punic War broke out because Carthage controlled the island of Sicily, Rome were inexperienced in the sea at the time while Carthage were the powers of the seas outside of Italy. Rome built a fleet and trained their soldiers to fight at sea. Rome ended up winning the war and Rome had Sicily and Corsica under their power.
Punic Wars: Second Punic War
Later, General Hannibal went to Italy and invaded Italy, he achieved wins at Lake Trasimene and Cannae, but Rome came prepared and fought in Spain and Africa. Hannibal though outmaneuvered Rome multiple times from Spain to France and southern Italy but Rome’s response was immediate as young general Scipio took the war to Carthage and defeated Carthage. Carthage ended up paying a huge fine as Rome took copper, lead, tin and gold from Spain.
Punic Wars: Third Punic War
Rome still wasn’t done with Carthage in 150 BC as they looked for another open window to fight Carthage. Carthage declared war but the Romans were too strong for the Carthaginians as Rome captured Carthage in a siege. This done, Rome had accumulated another
During his reign, Augustus made a number of changes how the Roman military operated. As Rome shifted from a Republic to Empire and the ideas of what Rome was to be was carefully being crafted by Augustus to fit his own narrative, the army went through a number of changes to support the new dynamic of Empire and Emperor. These changes to the army allowed the army to grow to fit its new role, and helped Rome to become a true military power.
The Second Punic war, beginning in 218 BC, was the second major war between the Roman Empire and the Carthage. Around the same time, the Roman Empire deployed troops to the Northeastern peninsula of Spain to keep reinforcements, from the Carthaginian South, from getting to Hannibal’s armies in Italy to assist them. In A Histor...
The Roman Army was a masterpiece in itself. There was no other army like it, and was impenentrable. This was probably because of the extreme patriotism and pride in battling for Rome, and maintaining their superiority. Gladiator, "RomanArmy.com", and The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire all portray this patriotism in many aspects.
Since the beginning of time, man has waged war on his neighbors, his friends and his enemies. In many cases these wars were caused by power-hungry nations that were in the process of expanding their empire and ended up stepping on the toes of another superpower or ally of a superpower. In the case of the first Punic War between Rome and Carthage, Carthage was extending its empire and they stepped on Rome’s toes. During the course of this war the winner was unclear but at times victory seemed eminent for both sides until Rome finally won. The Romans had control in the first part of the war but this would not last. After the Romans first win they decided that they needed a victory over the city of Carthage but this would turn the tides in favor of the Carthaginians. For some 15 years after this defeat of Rome the tides went back and forth between the two but would eventually lead to the Romans victory. After the victory, Rome made some very harsh demands and Carthage filled those demands even though some of them were very extreme.
The strength of the Roman military was the string that held the Roman Empire together for as long as it lasted. The military was made up of strictly disciplined men whom were ready and willing to serve their emperor.
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.
Rome became a powerful empire engulfing much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia and what seemed like this great entity called the Romans were always in the search of more territory and land to conquer and assimilate into their ever growing vast empire. However, this was not always the case, before Rome became one of the greatest empires in all of history, Rome was a republic. They were government consisted of a Senate who much like our country today represented certain classes of the citizens of the Republic. During the growth and rise of the Roman republic conquering neighboring territories and competing for land grabs was not Romans primary objectives. Romans believed in the well being and wealth of Rome, and if that meant the total destruction of a potential adversary, then as history will show that is unfortunately to the detriment of the adversary what happened.
Rome began the creation of the political and military system we know today. As early as 500 BC, the Romans had an army of at least 6,000 men that were called “The Legion,” but this was far from the Roman army that would control the ancient western world. The Roman army was comprised of citizen soldiers, part time soldiers, or they were recruited for the campaigning season. Every year, every able bodied Roman man was summoned by trumpet to report for enlistment, but not all men we accepted.
In order for the Romans to invade and conquer other provinces, they had to spend heavily on their legions. The Roman armies and supply lines became over-stretched resulting in thousands of soldiers being recruited and deployed from Rome into other territories as invaders or defenders. They also depended on soldiers to defend the borders of the lands they had conquered from barbarian attacks which resulted in the increased manufacturing of weapons and more money being spent on soldiers. High military spending left the Romans with very limited resources for other essential government projects such as the building of more public houses and the development of roads and aqueducts as well as leading to inflation. The over-expenditure on the military led the citizens of Rome to refuse the policies and laws enforced by the government and riots were commonplace in Rome during its last century.... ...
Even before the war started, Hannibal knew what he was going to do. Since Carthage had no navy, there was no hope of going directly from Carthage to Italy over the Mediterranean Sea. Hannibal thought up a dangerous but ingenious plan. In order to get to Italy over land, Hannibal and his army would have to travel from Carthage-controlled Spain across the Alps and into the heart of the enemy. Hannibal left in the cold winter of 218 B.C. with 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. While crossing the Alps, “Hannibal’s force suffered greatly from the elements and the hostility of the local tribesmen” (Beshara, 3). By the time they reached Italy, after only fourteen days, over 9,000 men had perished along with most of the elephants, but this number was soon replenished after 14,000 northern Gaul rebels joined Hannibal’s army. This group of 60,000 men proved superior to the Roman forces, and after at least three recorded major victories, the Roman senate was exasperated. An army of 80,000 Roman soldiers was sent to stop Hannibal’s army of now 50,000 once and for all. In July of 216 B.C., the Romans engaged the Carthaginians in “the neighborhood of Cannae on the Italian east coast” (Lendering, 2). Greatly outnumbered, Hannibal realized that he would have to win by strategy, and that is exactly what he did. As the two lines met, Hannibal’s cavalry gained the flanks and, moving up the sides, attacked the rear of the Roman line.
To a soldier, war was not romantic nor an intellectual adventure: It was a job of work to which he brought a steady, stubborn, adaptable schooled application (Adcock 6). A grouping of men called Legions were the main force in the Roman Empire. In the Republican times the legions were given a serial number (I, II, III, etc.) each year they were recruited. The smallest unit in the legion was the century, made up of one hundred men. Legionaries used javelins to begin the battle at long range and disrupt enemy battle lines before charging forward to engage the enemy at close range with swords and shields. The normal strength of a Legion was four thousand infantry and two hundred calvary, which could be expanded to five thousand in an em...
Rome’s army was like no army the world had ever seen. However, Rome’s army wasn’t always that powerful. The Romans were originally a tribal group of three tribes. During the 7th century BC they would come to be dominated by the Etruscans, their more advanced northern neighbors. The Etruscan kings would rule Rome for 200 years as military dictators. Around 510 BC the Romans expelled the kings and set up a new republic government. They copied the Etruscans hoplite tactics, who had learned them from the Greeks and organized annual armies of citizen soldiers. Hence, early Roman soldiers must have looked much like Greek hoplites in battle. The introduction of the census by Servius Tullius helped shape the early legion. With this the citizens were graded into five classes, from those classes people were recruited into the ranks of the army Men were required to equip themselves and were organized by how much equipment they could afford. Rome’s nobles became cavalry and their poorest became skirmishers. The wealthiest, which were the first class, were the most heavily armed. They were equipped like the Greek hoplite warriors with helmets, round shields, greaves, and bronze breastplates. There attire also included a spear and sword. The lower classes bore lesser armament and weaponry, or no armor at all and were solely armed with slings. The army officers as well as the cavalry were drawn from leading citizens who were enrolled as equestrians. Duty was mandatory, something the honor driven early Romans didn’t need to be told though. Thus the ...
Civilizations crumbled, armies defeated and populations were enslaved at the hand of the mighty Roman army backed by the most superior medical care in the ancient world. The bloody campaigns have caused countless flesh wounds and From the innovation of having a military field hospital close to the front lines, the application of the triage to maintain medical efficiency, to the surgical procedures on the battlefield, the Roman empire had a distinct advantage over their enemies. They could take better care of their wounded more quickly and efficiently and return them to the will of the empire. In fact a Roman soldier serving in the legions lived five times longer than that of the average civilian. The famous and powerful Roman army was able to achieve their conquests thanks to advanced medical practices that can be seen well beyond to modern times.
Furthermore, the Romans are known for their impressive strength and “professionalism of their heavy infantry” which was a force that “organized and reorganized as it evolved and adapted to survive the assaults of its mortal enemies” in order to “conquer the Western world.” One can see that Ancient Rome places an enormous emphasis on its militarily, seeing that most of their culture and roots were centered around it. In Ancient Rome, the general population were in full support of their military counterparts, entwining themselves with their military and sharing similar values despite not actually being a part of the military. For example, the Roman leaders “were men with military experience” who were “expected to command the legions in times of war,” which in turn, led for not only the soldiers to have “a relentless drive, never yielding to defeat, even after suffering catastrophic losses,” but the general population as
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...