The Roman army in its era was considered the strongest on the planet. Few people could compete in military power at that time. Thanks to the strictest discipline and high-quality training of the military, this whole “war machine” of Ancient Rome was an order of magnitude ahead of many military garrisons of other developed states of that time. Read about the strength, ranks, units and victories of the Roman army in the article.
Discipline Priority
Units of the Roman army have always been under the strictest discipline. And generally accepted principles should correspond to absolutely all soldiers, without exception. For any irregularities in the troops of the famous Roman army, even corporal punishment was applied to the "obeying" soldiers. Often, those who did not maintain order in military camps were beaten with liquefied rods.
And those actions that could have had serious negative consequences for the military unit of the Roman army were generally punished with the death penalty. This action allegedly emphasized the fact that it was unacceptable for an empire soldier to behave inappropriately so that all his other comrades would not follow a bad example.
The most severe death penalty during the existence of the Roman army was rightfully considered decimation. Entire legions were exposed to her for her cowardice during the fighting, or for failure to comply, or the complete disregard for military orders. The essence of this "unpleasant procedure" consisted in the fact that every 10 warrior was selected by lot by a lot, which was guilty during the battle. And these unfortunate soldiers scored the entire remaining detachment with stones or sticks until their death.
The remaining warriors of the powerful Roman army were also subjected to the shameful condemnation of their cowardice shown on the battlefield. They were not allowed to put up tents in a military camp, and instead of wheat, barley was given to such soldiers as food.
The fustuary was more applied to each individually for any serious misconduct. This type of punishment was most often applied in practice. He suggested beating the guilty soldier to death with stones and sticks.
Shameful punishments were very often used, the main purpose of which was to provoke a sense of shame among the guilty. They could be completely diverse in nature, but the main educational feature was the only one - so that the military man who committed the cowardly action would never again resort to it!
For example, weak-willed soldiers could be forced to dig unnecessary trenches, wear heavy stones, take off all their clothes to the waist, and in such an unsightly appearance appear in a military camp.
The structure of the army of ancient Rome
The military unit of the Roman army consisted of the following military representatives:
- Legionnaires - they included both Roman warriors and mercenaries from other states. This legion of the Roman army consisted of cavalry, infantry units, as well as cavalry.
- Allied cavalry and allied units are the military of other countries who were granted Italian citizenship.
- Auxiliary troops - recruited locals from the Italian provinces.
The Roman army consisted of many different units, but each of them was well organized and properly trained. At the forefront of the troops of Ancient Rome was the security of the whole empire, on which all state power was based.
Ranks and ranks of the Roman military
The ranks of the Roman army contributed to the construction of a clear military hierarchy of the time. Each officer performed a specific function assigned to him. And this largely contributed to the maintenance of military discipline within the legions of the Roman army.
The senior officers included the Legate of the Legion, Tribune Laticlavius, Tribune of Angusticlavia and the Prefect of the camp.
Legate of the Legion - a certain person was appointed to this post directly by the emperor himself. Moreover, on average, the military held this position for 3 or 4 years, but in some cases he could hold out at this post for a little longer than the specified period. In the provincial area, the Legate of the Legion could fulfill the function of governor assigned to it.
Tribune Laticlavius - the emperor or the senate decided on this position of the military by their decisions. In the legion, a military man wearing this rank was considered the second oldest man.
The prefect of the camp was the third most important and influential post within the legion. Often, those veterans who previously held the rank of Centurion and eventually got promoted became the perfect ones.
Tribune Angusticlavius - these ranks were received by those soldiers of the Roman army who were in charge of administrative posts for a certain time. If necessary, this category of senior officers could well command even a whole legion.
And the military ranks such as Primipil and Centurion were assigned to the middle officers of the army of Ancient Rome.
Primipil was an assistant commander of the legion and he was taught an important mission - to organize the protection of the unit’s banner. And the main attribute and pride of the legions was the "Roman eagle." Also, the duties of Primipila included the supply of certain sound signals, telling about the beginning of the offensive.
Centurion is the basic officer rank in the entire structure of ancient Roman military structures. In the legions, there were about 59 soldiers with this rank, who lived together with ordinary soldiers in tents, and during the battles they commanded them.
The army of ancient Rome had in its ranks a lot of junior officers. Among their ranks were Options, Tesserarium, Decurion, Dean.
The option was an assistant to Centurion and on the first occasion could successfully replace it during heated combat fights with the enemy.
The Tesserarium was the deputy of the Option, while his duties were entrusted with the functions related to the organization of guards and the transfer of necessary passwords to the sentries.
Decurion - led a small horse detachment, consisting of 30 horsemen.
Dean - commanded a small combat unit, which included no more than 10 soldiers.
All ranks in the Roman army were awarded for any specific merit in the military sphere of activity. But this does not mean at all that the highest ranks obeyed purely experienced fighters. There were quite a lot of situations when a young, but promising officer who perfectly understands his job was appointed to a high post.
Historical victories
It's time to talk about the most significant victories of the Roman soldiers. History knows many cases when a well-organized military group of Ancient Rome literally smashed its enemy. The victories of the Roman army marked to a greater extent the assertion of the power of the entire empire in the world hierarchy.
One such case occurred at the Battle of Varzellas in 101 BC. The Roman troops were then led by Gaius Marius, against whom the Cimbri detachments led by the leader Boyorig came forward. Everything ended with the true destruction of the opposing side and the Cimbri on the battlefield lost from 90 to 140 thousand of their twin cities. This is not counting 60 thousand of their soldiers captured. Thanks to this historic victory of the Roman army, Italy secured its territories from unpleasant enemy campaigns on them.
The battle of Tigranakert, held in 69 BC, made it possible for the Italian forces, inferior in number to the Armenian military camp, to defeat the opponent. After this armed conflict, the state of Tigran II completely collapsed.
The Battle of Rockster, which took place in 61 AD in the territory of modern England, ended with the confident victory of the Roman legions. After those bloody events, the power of Ancient Rome rather firmly entrenched over all of Britain.
Severe Strength Tests During Spartacus Rebellion
The army of the Roman Empire underwent real tests of strength with the suppression of the massive slave uprising organized by the fugitive gladiator Spartacus. In fact, the actions of the organizers of such a protest were dictated by the desire to fight for their own freedom until the very end.
At the same time, the revenge of the slaves for the Roman military leaders was prepared with a particularly tough one - they were not spared a bit. Perhaps this was a revenge for the humiliating actions that were applied in ancient Rome to the gladiators. They were forced by the high ranks of Rome to fight in the sand until their death. And all this happened as a kind of fun, and living people died in the arena and no one really considered this.
The war of slaves against their Italian masters began all of a sudden. In 73 BC, the escape of the gladiators from the school of Kapue was organized. Then about 70 slaves, well trained in military craft, fled. The shelter of this unit was a fortified position at the foot of the volcano Vesuvius. Here the first battle of the slaves against the detachment of Roman soldiers, which pursued them, took place. The attack of the Romans was successfully repulsed, after which many rather high-quality weapons appeared in the arms of the gladiators.
Over time, an ever-increasing number of freed slaves, as well as those civilians of Italy who were dissatisfied with the then authorities, joined in the Spartak uprising. Thanks to the art of Spartacus, it is good to organize their units (even Roman officers recognized this fact), a solid army was formed from a small detachment of gladiators. And it smashed the Roman legions in many battles. This made the whole empire of Ancient Rome feel a certain fear for its continued existence.
Only adverse circumstances for Spartak did not allow his army to cross through Sicily, replenish his own troops with new slaves and avoid death. The sea pirates, having received conditional payment from the gladiators for the provision of services related to crossing the sea, brazenly deceived them and did not fulfill their own promises. Cornered practically (on the heels of Spartacus Crassus was heading with his legions), Spartacus decided on the last and decisive battle. During this battle, the glorious gladiator died, and the scattered ranks of slaves were successfully destroyed by the Roman troops.
Tactics of the Roman Army
The army of the Roman world has always protected from enemy attacks. Therefore, the empire was very serious about the issues of its configuration, as well as to the development of tactics in battles.
First of all, Roman commanders always thought out places for future battles. This was done so that the strategic position of the Roman legions was in a more favorable situation compared to the location of the enemy. The hill was considered the best place, around which clear space was clearly visible. And offensives were often carried out precisely from that side from which the bright sun shone. This blinded the enemy’s forces and created an uncomfortable situation for him.
The battle plan was thought out in advance, as the transfer of orders was difficult. The commanders tried to build and train their wards in such a way that they were well versed in all the intricacies of his strategic military idea and performed all actions on the battlefield in automatic mode.
The military unit in the army of the Roman Empire was always well prepared for the upcoming battles. Each soldier individually knew his job well and was mentally prepared for certain difficulties. Many tactical developments were comprehended in exercises that the Roman generals did not neglect. This during the battles yielded certain results, so the Roman military often achieved certain successes thanks to mutual understanding and good physical and tactical training.
History knows one noteworthy fact: sometimes the Roman military commanders conducted ritual fortune-telling before the battles, which could predict how successful one or another company could be.
Uniforms and equipment of the Roman military
But what was the uniform and equipment of the soldiers? The military unit in the Roman army was fairly well equipped and had good uniforms. In battle, the legionnaires very successfully used the sword, inflicting more stabbing wounds on the enemy.
Very often a pilum was used - a dart with a length of more than two meters, at the end of which an iron rod with a double-shaft or pyramidal tip was installed. For a short distance, pilum was an ideal weapon, introducing confusion in the construction of the enemy. In some situations, thanks to this weapon, the Roman military pierced the enemy’s shield and mortally wounded him.
The shield of the legionnaire had a curved oval shape. In a hot battle, he helped a lot to avoid injuries. The width of the shield of the Roman warrior was 63.5 centimeters, and the length was 128 centimeters. At the same time, this item was covered with calf skin, as well as felt. Its weight was 10 kilograms.
The sword of the Roman military was rather short, but very sharp. They called this type of weapon a gladius. During the reign of Emperor Augustus in ancient Rome, an improved sword was invented. It was he who supplanted the old modifications of this weapon and in fact immediately gained special popularity in military affairs. The width of its blade was 8 centimeters, and the length was 40-56 centimeters. This gun weighed panicky enemy troops, relatively silent - from 1.2 to 1.6 kilograms. In order for the sword to have a presentable appearance, its scabbard was trimmed with tin or silver, and then carefully decorated with various unusual compositions.
In addition to the sword, a dagger could become effective in battle. Outwardly in structure, he was very similar to a sword, but his blade was shorter (20-30 centimeters).
The armor of the Roman soldiers was very heavy, but not all military units used them. A number of units responsible for organizing firefights with the enemy, as well as reinforcements for the existing cavalry, were easily equipped, so they did not wear heavy armor. The weight of chain mail among legionnaires could vary in the range from 9 to 15 kilograms. But if the chain mail was additionally equipped with shoulder pads, it could weigh about 16 kilograms. The material from which it was made most often is iron. Although bronze armor was found in practice, it was much less common.
Number
The strength of the Roman army in many cases showed its military power. But her training, as well as technical equipment, also played an important role. For example, the emperor Augustus in 14 AD took a radical step and reduced the number of armed formations to 28,000 people. However, during its dawn, the total number of Roman fighting legions was about 100,000, but in some cases the number of military could be increased to 300,000 if this step was dictated by necessity.
In the era of Honorius, the armed Roman garrisons were much more numerous. At that time, about 1 million soldiers defended the empire, but the reform of Constantine and Diolectian significantly narrowed the scope of the “Roman military machine” and left only 600,000 soldiers in the service. At the same time, about 200,000 people were part of the mobile group, and the remaining 400,000 were part of the legions.
According to their ethnicity, the composition of the Roman army also underwent fundamental changes over time. Whereas in the 1st century AD, local residents predominated in the Roman military ranks, then by the end of the 1st century - at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, quite a lot of Italians could be found there. And at the end of the 2nd century AD, the Roman army was only on paper such, since people from many countries of the world served in it. To a greater extent, military mercenaries who served for material rewards began to prevail in it.
In the legion - the main Roman unit - about 4,500 soldiers served. At the same time, a detachment of horsemen operated in it, of which there were approximately 300 people. Thanks to the correct tactical dismemberment of the legion, this military unit could successfully maneuver and inflict significant damage on the opponent. In any case, the history of the Roman army knows many cases of successful operations that culminated in a crushing victory by the military forces of the empire.
The essence of reform changes
The main reform of the Roman army was introduced in 107 BC. It was during this period that Consul Gaius Marius issued a historical law that substantially changed the rules for recruiting legionnaires for military service. Among the main innovations of this document are the following highlights:
- The division of legions into maniples (small units) was somewhat modified. Now the legion could be divided into cohorts, which included more people than was expected in the manipulations. At the same time, the cohorts could successfully perform serious combat missions.
- The structure of the Roman army was now formed according to new principles. Poor citizens could now become military. Up to this point, they had no such prospect. Natives of poor families were supplied with weapons at the state expense, and the necessary military training was also provided for them.
- For their service, all the soldiers began to receive regular substantial cash rewards.
Thanks to the reformist ideas that Gaius Marius successfully put into practice, the Roman army was not only more organized and well trained, the military had a considerable incentive to improve their professional skills and move up the “career ladder”, seeking the assignment of new ranks and ranks. The soldier was generously encouraged with land allotments, so this agrarian question was one of the levers for improving the combat training of the then army.
In addition, the professional army began to play a significant role in the political life of the empire. In fact, it gradually turned into a major political force, which simply could not be ignored within the state.
The main criterion, which showed the viability of the reform of the armed forces of Ancient Rome, was the victory of Mary over the tribes of the Teutons and Cimbrians. This historical battle is dated 102 BC.
Army during the late period of the empire of ancient Rome
The army of the late Roman Empire was formed during the “crisis of the III century” - this is how historians described this period. During this time of troubles for the Romans, many territories of the empire separated from it, as a result of which the threat of attack from neighboring countries was growing. Such separatist sentiments were fueled by the recruitment of many residents from provincial villages into the armed forces.
The Roman army was subjected to great trials during raids on the territory of Italy by the Alamans. It was then that the whole numerous territories were devastated, which led to the usurpation of local authorities.
Emperor Gallien, who tried with all his might to counteract the crisis within the state, is carrying out new transformations in the Roman army. In the years 255 and 259 AD, he managed to assemble a large cavalry group. However, the main marching army of this period was 50,000. Milan has become a great place to counteract the numerous raids of the enemy from there.
In the crisis period, which fell on the III century of our era, there is constantly discontent among the military of Ancient Rome with the fact that they are not paid a salary for the service. The fact of depreciation of money aggravated the situation. Many of the previous cash savings of soldiers were melting just before our eyes.
And here the moment came to carry out the last reform in the structure of the Roman army, the initiators of which were Diocletian and Aurelian. This historical period of the late existence of the Roman Empire was nicknamed "Dominate." It was due to the fact that the process of separation into military and civilian administrations began to be actively introduced in the state. As a result, 100 provinces appeared, in each of which the Dux and Komites were in command of the military. At the same time, enlistment into the legions of the Roman troops is carried out in a forced manner, compulsory draft in the army.