Roman Military Essay

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.

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.

The military prowess of Roman commanders and legionaries proved to be successful enough to turn a small community into an ancient super power. There are many discussions to be had about the tactics and success of the Roman army, some of which are: their style of fighting, the attitude toward the fight, and the fruits of their war.

Current militaries have benefitted from the principles of ancient Greek and Roman warfare by studying the ancient battles, tactics, and use of supplies to develop effective military plans. Current militaries study and debate historical turning points of the ancient battles to understand how the leaders planned and executed battles. The empires’ growth was due in part to the might and successes of their military. The strength of their militaries came from many factors including their use of armor, weapons, and military tactics. The empires’ leaders used these three advantages to create the superior armies of their time.

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

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.

Part of current understanding of the Roman Army, especially during the Republic and before, can be concluded from a study of Roman political history. Rome began as a city founded by Romulus after he killed his brother Remus, both descended from Aeneas, who escaped the Sack of Troy of Illiad fame, or so the legend goes. The young city spent the better part of 200 years under the yoke of the Etruscan League, a confederation of Latin Tribes primarily to the east and north of Rome in Central Italy. The Etruscans were in turn fond of trading with the Greeks, not just for wealth, but also for ideas. Until c. 550 BC the Romans did not normally use a state controlled army, but

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.

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 gladiators fought in various styles, depending on their background and training. Gladiatorial combat was so important to ancient Romans that they had gladiator schools to train men to be machines of slaughter for the scheduled entertainment (Johnston 287).

Throughout history there have been many great armies, however few compare to the great Roman army. The Roman army was the greatest fighting forces of its time and to this day it remains as a model for many armies of modern times. In its time, the Roman army wreaked havoc among its enemies. It was the most feared army of any nation. Only the bravest generals dared to challenge the Romans. The Romans won so many wars due to the fact that they had some of the greatest weapons, generals, and tactics.

The Roman Army The Roman army is still admired today by historians and many others alike. How far advanced technologically the Romans were over 2000 years ago still amazes many people today. They built roads that a still used today, their baths are still admired with many still standing and much of today's archaeology dates back to Roman and Greek principals. The Roman army itself was the most feared army of that period and it too is a cause of fascination.

The Roman Army served a critical role in the existence and development of the empire from its conception until its collapse. It was vital not only to the strength and solidarity of the empire, but to the emperor as well. As the emperor’s largest employer, the army had a significant and lasting impact on the Roman economy, and the possibility of the army collectively turning against the sitting emperor gave it a political dimension as well. The aim of this paper will be to analyze the army during the time period between the reigns of Emperors Constantine I and Justinian. What is more, I will argue that the Roman army ultimately deteriorated at its greatest extent during this time period due to certain imperial policy, military logistics,

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