The Romans

Why was the Roman Army so successful?

The Roman Army

The brilliance of the Roman army was the key
to Romes success in building its Empire.
By the end of this lesson, you should know:
What kind of person joined the Roman army.
How the soldiers spent their time (when not
fighting!)
Why the army was so successful.

What was the army like to begin with?

As Roman power grew, more people were made to join
the army. Why?
At first the soldiers were the better-off citizens. (Why
did you have to be well-off?)
They copied Greek armies and fought on foot with long
spears.
They were sent home when a war ended.
How do you think the growth of the Empire affected
the following
who joined,
how they were equipped, and
how the army was run?

How did things change?

As the Empire grew bigger and

bigger the army had to fight
further and further away from
home.
Being a soldier became a full-time
job - they were no longer sent
home when a battle ended.
These full-time soldiers were welltrained and disciplined. They had
to be tough and confident in the
use of a number of weapons.

How was the army organised?

Roman soldiers were grouped into
large numbers called legions. There
were between 29 and 30 of these at
different times.
Each legion was divided into 10
cohorts of 480 men.
Each cohort was divided into 6
centuries of about 80 men led by a
centurion.
Each century was split into 10 groups
of 8 men who shared a tent or
barrack room.
What a lot of people!

Each legion had a golden eagle carried on a pole. Each

century had its own standard, or flag.
To lose your standard, or worse, the
Eagle, would bring great shame on the
soldiers concerned.

This is why a trusted, experienced

soldier was given the role of standardbearer.

How did you become a legionary?

The legions were made up of male Roman
citizens.
To join the army you had to be recommended by
someone in the army, physically fit and of good
character.
Recruits had to be at least 20 years old.
They joined for 25 years.
They were not allowed to marry whilst in the
army.
When they retired they were given money (three
gold coins) and land to farm.
The legion also contained specialists such as
engineers, surveyors, doctors, vets, stonemasons,
craftsmen, and even torturers and executioners!

What if you werent a Roman citizen?

If you were not a citizen of
the Roman Empire, but
wanted to join the army,
you could do so as an
auxilliary. They were made
citizens when they retired.
This picture shows a
citizenship document
giving Roman citizenship to
a soldier named Gemellus.

What
makes the
legionarys
uniform
and
equipment
so effective
for a man
about to go
into battle?

But was that all the equipment they

needed? Study the following sources...
An extract from a letter found at the
Roman fort at Vindolanda on Hadrians
Wall
I have sent you .. pairs of woollen socks,
two pairs of sandals and two pairs of
underpants ..
Vegetius, A Military Digest, 4th century
AD
For building the trenches they find it
useful to have pick-axes, shovels,
baskets and other equipment always on
hand
The young soldier must be given frequent
practice in carrying loads up to 60lbs
while marching at the normal speed
because on difficult campaigns they will
have to carry their rations as well as their
weapons.

Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War, written in

the 1st century AD
Foot soldiers are armed with a cuirass (body
armour) and a helmet. They carry two swords ..
a spear and round shield. In addition .. a saw, a
basket, a mattock (pick) and an axe, as well as a
leather strap, a sickle, a chain and enough
rations to last him for three days. In fact he
carries so much equipment he is not very
different from a mule.
From a modern textbook
A Roman soldier would march 20 miles a day
carrying his armour and weapons AND 2 posts
about 2.4 metres long to make a fence at night,
a thick cloak to keep him warm and to sleep in,
his cooking pot, bowl and spoon, a spade to dig
holes for the posts, corn, dried beans and salt
for 3-4 days, a bag with spare boots, money,
dice etc.

Not only did he have to carry a lot of equipment, but

training was hard for a legionnaire. He had to...
March 30km 3 times a month
wearing his armour which
weighed 20 kg.
Do a drill once a day, twice if
he was a recruit.
Learn to build camps, swim,
sling stones, ride, mount and
dismount from a horse fully
armed with his shield and no
stirrups!
Learn how to use a sword,
spear and fight mock battles
with weapons which had
covered tips for safety.
So what fighting techniques
did they learn...?

Fighting Techniques: The Repel-Cavalry

Type: DEFENSIVE
When used:
- To combat a cavalry charge.
How it works:
- The soldiers form a line, with the men at
the front crouching down with their
shields in front of them and their spears
stick out of the gaps. The men behind put
their shields over the top of the men in
front, and have their spears ready to
throw.
- The spears would stop horses from
running at the soldiers, often causing
them to retreat. Those retreating would
then knock into the cavalry behind them,
causing a domino effect and making
themselves easy targets for archers.

Fighting Techniques: The Wedge

Type: ATTACKING
When used:
- Used aggressively to divide the enemy.
How it works:
- The centurion is at the front of the V and the legionaries
form the sides of the V . They have to stay close together
to stop the enemy from breaking the line.
- As the wedge advances, more soldiers join on at the ends
to divide the enemy even further.
- Breaking the enemy formation was key to winning on the
Roman battlefield!

Fighting Techniques: The Tortoise

Type: DEFENSIVE
When used:
- To advance but remain protected from
spears, arrows, etc.
How it works:
- The Tortoise is square. The men at
the front hold their shields in front
of them. The men at the sides hold
their shields to the sides. The men in
the middle hold their shields above
them.
- The men had to move in close
formation to ensure that the shields
were touching so that no missiles
could get in and injure any soldiers.

Fighting Techniques: The Orb

Type: DEFENSIVE
When used:
- If part of the army had been split
off from the main group or
encircled by the enemy.
How it works:
- The legionaries form a circle
around the officers and the
archers (these were the most
important people!) using their
shields as protection.
- Seen as a desperate last stand.

How did they keep so many men

under control?
As you have seen, the Roman army was huge.
How do you think its leaders managed to keep
so many people under control?

Punishments and Rewards

Discipline was very harsh. Centurions carried a vine
stick which they used to beat soldiers who had
disobeyed an order. Fines were also common, but
there were much worse punishments...
Deserters and soldiers who left their posts or fell asleep
whilst on look-out were beaten to death by their fellow
soldiers.
A particularly horrible punishment was decimation
where every tenth man in a cohort (chosen randomly)
was executed by his comrades.

However, on a more cheerful note, for bravery there

were awards for different ranks, such as medals, arm
and neck bands or torques. Gold crowns and silver
spears were given to officers.

But surely they didnt

spend all their time
fighting?

No as well as fighting
major battles, the legions
built forts, bridges and
roads. When they were on
a campaign, they built a
camp fortified with banks
and ditches at the end of
each days march.
But they did have time for
relaxation as well what
kind of activities do you
think they did when they
were off duty?
This picture shows part of
what is left of Hadrians
Wall, a defensive wall the
Romans built between
England and Scotland.

Off-duty pastimes clues!

Homework
For homework you are going to imagine that
you are applying to become a Roman soldier.
Think about what you have learned in todays
lesson, and use the application form
worksheet to make sure that you have told the
army recruitment officers everything they
need to know about you!