The Army: Augustus And Augustus Reforms Of The Roman Army

Thus it happens that troops in battle, exposed to wounds because they have no armor, think about running and not about fighting.” (Doc. B) This shows that the Roman soldiers didn’t care about not having the protection to help them win the war. This also shows that the Roman soldiers started to give up and quit before the fight had even started. This is significant because without the armor the Romans got more wounds and were more likely to die.This also significant because it made the soldiers weaker and more likely for Rome to be put to an end, because they didn’t have the weight of the armor to made them stronger and protect them, and the more soldiers that were killed the smaller the military got. With the army smaller it let the enemies start to overcome Rome and make it fall. Furthermore, according to The Fall of the Roman Empire: A Reappraisal, Crown Publishing, 1982, “ There can be little doubt that the weaknesses of the late Roman army were largely due to the eventual failure … to enforce regular conscription [draft of soldiers] … the exempted categories were … numerous.” (Doc. B) This demonstrates how the government made people live once they became lazy. With the government forcing people to be in the army it made people not want to do their jobs, so they

Rome was at the peak of their time. They had powerful armies and constantly won wars, so Romans became lazy and neglected their daily drills and armor such as helmets and breastplates because they thought it was unnecessary (Document B). According to Document B it states, “...the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely wore it.” Overconfident, the soldiers were unprotected during times of war leaving Rome with little defense. Also, people such as clergymen, senators, bureaucrats, cooks, chefs, and slaves were exempted from joining the army, leaving a small group of people to defend their empire from foreign invaders (Document

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.

In Document B it is said that in the Roman Empire’s past footsoldiers wore breast plates and helmets for protection. The soldiers began to become lazier and thought that the armor was too heavy for them. Rome fought the Goths without any armor and soldiers were often killed by archers. Rome needed as much protection as possible and with the number of soldiers decreasing drastically such protection was not possible. To have a lasting an empire, the military needs to have soldiers who accustom to harsh labor and who are industrious, Rome did not have this, which led to its decline. Also, an empire needs to have regular conscriptions, which people

Separating a military into unique specialized forces increases efficiency and the Romans knew that. The Roman legions consisted of: “10 cohorts to one legion, six centuries to one cohort, 10 tents to one cohort, eight soldiers to one tent, 120 cavalry” (Lloyd, 2013). The Roman formation was the triplex acies, which was the hastati,

As Rome expanded throughout Europe and acquired a growing number of citizens, the army was able to greatly increase its numbers. This ensured Rome a nearly unlimited supply of new soldiers.

But when because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned,...” This led the military to come to the idea that breastplates and helmets were turning too heavy for them and therefore, it was not needed. Also, Michael Grant, the author of The Fall of the Roman Empire: A Reappraisal, states in Document B, “There can be little that the weaknesses of the late Roman army were largely due to the eventual failure … to enforce regular conscription.” Even though there weren’t enough men to serve in the military, the government officials excluded men from tremendously different categories. Such as, senators, bureaucrats and clergymen escaped the draft. Alongside, cooks, bakers and slaves were prohibited since the leaders needed them for their own convenience. However when invaders, such as the Goths, poured into the empire around 410 CE, the troops were in battle without any protection and were exposed to wounds. This brought the soldiers to the idea that it was better off for them to run away instead of fighting unsheltered. They didn’t have any defense nor could fight back to the aggressors. The vulnerable army was the key for Rome to turn into ruins. Just like that, The Roman empire’s lusty army was turning into a clutter of frail

Before Marius left for Jugurtha, he decided a total reform of the military system was necessary. The military recruitment system in place before Marius involved recruiting the army from the landowning masses of Rome. A.J Koutsoukis, author of History of the ancient world; Ancient Rome describes recruitment as an "unwelcome obligation" as it meant "a long time away from the family farm, and possible economic ruin."6 In an effort to dramatically increase the size of the army and overcome the shortage of soldiers, Marius welcomed landless, unemployed recruits into the army. This transformed the service from a reluctant obligation to a paid profession. The landless soldiers were given weapons and payment by their general, and for this reason were unconcerned with the Republics' motives behind their fighting, and more concerned with pleasing the individuals responsible for their payment and weapons, in this case being the generals. Many soldiers sought guidance and advice from their generals

One of the many noteworthy reasons Rome came to its demise was the unstable nature of their military. The Romans were rarely using their armor to shield themselves and it was getting tiresome to wear the armor. The emperor then did not require the use of body armor anymore, “Therefore, they first asked the emperor to set aside the breastplates… and then the helmets.” (page 15). Because of the decision to cast away the breastplates and helmets, it made it effortless to wound and kill the Romans with skilled archers, such as the Huns (Doc D). Another pivotal fault was the draft, “The exempted categories were...numerous” (Doc B). Draft exemptions meant that not enough men were fighting and too many were lazing around. Even bakers and cooks were not required to serve under martial law(Doc B). Because of these mistakes, the Roman military became weak. Not having enough members on their command,

While Rome was so powerful, their military definitely was not. Once again, Rome became lazy because of all their power. According to Document B, the customary armour began to seem heavy since the soldiers had barely ever worn it. The asked to set aside the breastplates and then soon after, they decided to drop the helmets. The soldiers were fighting without any protect over their chest and heads. The Romans were often beaten and still, no one tried to replace the armor. The Romans may have lasted longer if they would have done the right thing and tried to protect

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.

The Roman state at this point could not supply its army with weaponry so it required its soldiers to do so. This slowly changes during the Struggle of the Orders, with middle and lower class citizens having the right to be a part of the army and other reforms were introduced including payment for servitude (Ward, 69). In the following centuries, the republic did not severely reform the military’s enrollment strategy, other than during the latter part of the 2nd Punic War. Scipio was able to convince Roman citizens to volunteer for an expedition to invade Africa. This was the first time the state did not enforce its law requiring soldiers to be property owners (Ward 110), because of the huge losses incurred during the previous battles of the war.

Also, Augustus recruited soldiers from the Roman provinces. These auxiliary troops were granted Roman citizenship upon completion of military service, and they became important agents of Romanization because the provinces now had a share in the defense of the Empire. In addition, Augustus raised a new military force, the 9,000-strong Praetorian Guard, to act as personal bodyguards of the Emperor and to specifically protect the city of Rome from all enemies, foreign or domestic.

Thankfully, due to the Romans writing a lot down, there are many sources (unlike in the "Dark Ages" for example) available to study how the Roman army worked. In this project, the aim is to find out how the training and organization of the

Chapter 2 entitled “From The Flavians To The Severi” informs the reader of Luttwak’s belief that Rome’s expeditionary units, as was used in the second century, were highly less effective than the legions of the first century because they were not as movable. The author tells us, “… legions were deployed at fixed bases which, in most cases, they were never to leave again; and soldiers soon acquired unofficial families in the settlements that grew spontaneously around the legionary bases. It is sometimes assumed that this domestication diminished the army’s combat capabilities by undermining its fighting spirit”.