Rome's Imperial Army Essay

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Rome’s’ Imperial Army active between 30 B.C. and 284 A.D. was the most powerful military organization of its time. It ruled the western world for over a thousand years. It is famed for its discipline, organization, and innovation in both weapons and tactics. It allowed Rome to build and defend a huge empire which for centuries dominated the Mediterranean world and beyond.

Rome required all 17- 45 year old males to go to war for their country. Whenever an army was needed they were required to go whatever number was needed. This equipped Rome with the mass of numbers that would be needed in order to win any battle. This is also one of the nine principle of war that the United States focuses its military after, mass. The peak in numbers was approximately 450,000 around 211 A.D.

The Imperial Army was founded under Augustus in 30 B.C. after he won the …show more content…

It is possible that, by AD 270, the army was not much greater than in AD 24. The equipment that was used by the Army was the spear or pilum, to be used before hand to hand combat. The pilum was thrown to kill the enemy as well as if it were to stick in the enemy’s shield it would render that too damaged or unmanageable. The enemy would then have to rely on hand to hand combat and weaken the wall of shields or defensive line.

The next item of equipment was the gladius hispanienis (Spanish Sword). This was designed for stabbing and thrusting but could also be used to cut as it had sharp edges. This sword was slightly changed throughout the time with two other variations known as the Mainz type and Pompeii type. All three were mainly used for stabbing, but were shortened for more effectiveness when

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