Roman Military Essay

The Roman Empire was once one of the most powerful empires in the world, but still to this day we ask, how did the empire end? Romans built their territory to be the best. They expanded their land across regions, had all the power, a large population, and technological innovations; so how could such a ‘great’ empire end? Rome was once at it’s peak but was destined to fall due to political instability, overconfidence, negligence, and barbarian attacks.

If the recruit failed the examination, a ceremony that Vegetius fails to describe, a better candidate would replace them. Initial training, according to the author, consisted of marching, running, jumping and swimming. Vegetius placed great importance on what seem like basic human actions and believed that those skills were essential in the development of a fit soldier. Following the initial training, levies were outfitted and trained on the use of the primary Roman weaponry, the short sword, javelins, bow, sling, and introduced to the wear of the requisite Roman armor. Vegetius concluded with the subsequent training of the soldiers in order to sustain their level of readiness. The author contended that his purpose for Book I was to point out methods required to field a “good and serviceable” army and discussed that some nations lost their sense of military discipline and that fact caused their downfall on the battlefield.

Romans fought in a manner very similar to the Greeks. In early times they utilized the phalanx and a cavalry back-up, but around the 1st century BCE they began to form a “checkered board” pattern. This allowed them to cover more ground and allow men room to fight. In the first century they also retired using a cavalry (Cartwright). The form of foot soldiers only with no horseback cavalry was uncommon. In

The Roman Republic military was one of the first well-organized military of all time. Because of this, most succeeding militaries follow their example by adopting and adapting some of the same characteristics. The Roman and U.S. military are from different eras, but still share similar characteristics as well as vast modernized differences that have established the U.S. military as efficient and organized.

Legionaries, the last line of defense and the emperor’s sword against the darkness of the night and yet, the same weapon used to strike out against the empires many enemies. While the American military is a shining example the American military's power. The detriment against all of America's many enemies, the weapon used to cut free the cancer of her enemies with lethal and deadly precision. The roman legion outposts and fortresses, the stepping stones that legionaries used to spring forward into the world and strike out at Rome's enemies. Scattered seemingly throughout the entire known world during the time, when Rome projected its power it was throughout the entire known world to see its glory. Forward Operating Bases small staging bases in remote locations that are used much in the same manner as legion bases, the American military's answer to the Roman outposts. Forward

Roman military tactics played an important role in these victories, especially the flexibility of the Roman legions compared the inflexible Phalanx used by the Macedonian armies. The Phalanx was the central tactic of Greek warfare, prior to and after the time of Alexander the Great. In a Phalanx. Greek hoplite infantry soldiers formed a tight rectangle to attack and pulse enemy advances. The Roman legions, however, organized along cohorts. The legion was arranged into 10 cohorts. The first cohort contained 150 men per century. A century was a section of the cohort. The other cohorts contained 80 men. The centurions stood at the bottom left corner of the century. There were 59 centurions in total. Roman legions could use several different tactics including forming a wall with their shields. Roman legions could also form sub groups called “maniples” which could act as strike forces against enemies. For example, in the Battle of Cynoscephalae in the Second

The Roman army was the most powerful war machine of its time and arguably many others. It is this vast war machine that facilitated the Roman Empire and its creation. I call the Roman army a war machine because of the meticulous organization the army displayed, organization so thorough it mimics the individual cogs and gears in a machine working in perfect unison to achieve a common goal. The roman army was responsible for developing revolutionary fighting techniques which not only secured Rome’s position as the most powerful force in the world, but would influence the fighting styles of other armies for hundreds of years. But a machine so intricate and complex was not created in a day. It was through much trial and error and the test of time that the Roman army became the world power that we remember it as. I call the legions a world power because without the approval of the legions an emperor would be powerless. History documents show many Generals who already had the approval of their legions ascending to power, most notably Julius Caesar. So the Roman army was a very prominent military and political influence. Although the Roman army did not simply consist of soldiers and future politicians, it also included engineers. These engineers were responsible for the building of the roads that carried soldiers to and from battle, along with numerous military technologies that would influence the future of warfare. The Roman army’s history and the creation of new war

History remembers the legendary Roman legions as the one of the most deadly and respected fighting forces in the ancient world. Even today, stories of their great success and invincibility in the face of their enemies echo on. One can only wonder what the key to their extraordinary success was. How were the Romans able to conquer such a vast empire that spanned over three continents at its height and maintain that power for centuries? That key to Rome’s military success during the Pax Romana period (where the Roman Empire rose to its zenith) was the advanced military innovations that the Romans incorporated into its great army that encompassed military bureaucracy, battle tactics and military technology.

Since there have been hundreds of movies and books on the Roman Empire, Lawrence Keppie starts out his introduction in The Making of the Roman Army: From Republic to Empire by stating the questions, “Not another book on the Roman Army? Can there be anything new to say?” (11). But then he goes on to explain how he will go into detail on the origins of the Roman Army, how the empire grew to be the superpower that it was, and the importance in the military during this reign. The army started out with a little militia defending a village on the Tiber River and, with the help from various brilliant leaders, developed into a dominant army.

Some more important things they were taught were drilling, route marching with full equipment. Soldiers were expected to be able to march four and a half miles per hour. The most important part of training was weapons training. They were taught how to fight with swords and spears and how to defend themselves with their shields.

The military of the Roman Empire formed the group that held Rome together. They fought with steadfast courage, love for their country, and honor for their people. They overcame some of the deadliest battles, even when they were outnumbered tremendously.

The legions of Rome were one of the biggest factors in Rome's success as an empire. They conquered vast quantities of land, and were often used by the government to improve the morale of people living in cities, which often had parts that were cramped and unsanitary. The legions were set apart from contemporary armies due to their level of organisation and especially as they fought as a unit and not as individuals, as many tribes did.

An important contributing factor to an army's success is armor for defense. An army can have skilled soldiers, but cannot be successful without the right armor. Roman and Greek armies wore similar types of armor. The Roman and Greek foot soldiers wore a square breastplate on their torso. While the Romans only wore one greave on their left leg, Greeks wore greaves on both legs. A greave was a sheet of metal worn to protect the legs (Horsepower: Harnessed…). Soldiers wear greaves even in current day. Recently, the greaves have been upgraded to protect the legs from ‘Improvised explosive devices,’ such as those in Iraq (Frost, Quad Guard). Roman soldiers wore a helmet that protected the neck, and came around to protect their face. The Greek’s helmets were more full and protective than the Roman helmets. Greek helmets covered their entire head and only left small

After several centuries, beyond many territories, the Romans showed a stunning number of military victories due to several different factors. Though all the territory they controlled was not easily taken over, they had a variety of men to choose from, a fierce and powerful army, several unified commanders, pundit engineers, and because of conquering different people they were able to broaden their logistical

The training was so hard that the soldiers became well disciplined and very fit. They were trained to such a high level that most forces they came up against were swept away; this is illustrated in the following passage: " They [the new recruits to the army] are also taught not to cut with their swords but to thrust. The Romans find it so easy to beat people who use their swords to cut rather than thrust that they laugh in their faces." Vegetius, A Book About Military Affairs