The Roman Army A War Machine

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 powerful and well known Roman army was another key factor in maintaining the empire. The Roman army was large, well equipped, well trained, disciplined and skilled military force that was stationed throughout the empire to prevent uprisings and crush rebellion. Military training was a very important and arduous affair in the Roman Empire. It was essential for each soldier to achieve a high level of skill in fighting and using their weapons. They also had to march 30 kilometers 3 times a month wearing 20kg armor, do drills twice a day, learn to build camps, swim, mount and ride a horse and fight mock battles. The Roman army was quite ruthless when it came to crushing rebellion. They did not hesitate to hurt or even slaughter the people who went against the Roman rule.

Historically, the civilization with the most powerful army dominates the world. It is also common for the most advanced technology to be developed and applied by the military before being put to use to aid the people. One of the main reasons Rome was able to dominate for over a thousand years was because they were on the leading edge of science and technology. The Romans were expert military and civil engineers, among their accomplishments included creating better quality metal, bridge-building, ballistic weapons, elevated and underground aqueducts, the use of arches and domes, and the invention of concrete. Their roman short sword killed more people than any other weapon until the machine gun was developed in WWI(3). This is similar to the Americans who have led the way in the 20th century in military advancement, from the splitting of the atom to advancement in aircraft, military power has allowed its country to both protect themselves and expand economically and socially.

Some examples of these would include The Battering Ram, The Turris, and The Ballista. The Roman army was also very willing to incorporate the war tactics and the weapons of their defeated enemies if they were deemed beneficial. (Alchin) These improvements provided the Roman army advantages in battle. The Roman generals that were picked to lead the army were highly skilled in the art of war. They were masters of attack and counterattacks, the use of mounted and unmounted calvary as well as archery. As a result of the Roman army's successful tactics, Rome therefore was able to achieve massive amounts of territory and assemble a substantial empire. (Cavazzi)

One trait every army must have to be successful is the willingness and drive to dominate. The Roman army took these traits to a whole different level. The Romans were very extreme in battle as well. They often enjoyed humiliating other city-states by burning them to the ground. In 264 B.C.E. a battle between other Greek city-states forced Rome and Carthage, who dominated the western part of the Mediterranean, into conflict. The First Punic War was for the control of Sicily.4 This battle lasted twenty-three years.4 The Romans were losing a lot of men, but they continued to battle on.4 Finally, the persistence paid off.4 The Romans learned how to fight by sea and cut off the Carthaginian supply line into

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.

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

Rome used its military aggressively. The Roman army had started from mainly farmers, and gaining new farming lands from other countries, for the its growing population or later retiring soldiers, was often one of the military’s main objectives. Only in the late Empire did the Roman military's goal become keeping control over its territories.

The Roman Empire was successful because of their strong willed leaders that helped shaped their country until the very end. One of the leaders was Marius, who properly organized the Roman army to be known as the most strongest army the earth has ever known. With Marius's fighting spirit leading and motivating everybody on, they were able to stop an invasion from barbarians that ultimately saved Italy and Rome from destruction. He also knew how to pay back to his soldiers and people. Veteran soldiers of the legion were given land to thank the soldiers for serving him and Rome. To help the people, Marius made it possible for non-Roman citizens to enlist in the army, making them citizens and giving them a chance to fight for their country.

“Violent” and “destructive” are words used to describe the Roman army but was there a more significant purpose to the army? Was the army the reason the Roman Empire conquered so much land? The Roman army was, without question, the guiding force behind the growth of the Roman Empire. The Roman army wasn’t all about fighting; every move they made had a purpose, playing a more prominent part than seen at first glance. The army had great organisation, weapons and training methods. Thesxxxxe are the reasons the Roman Empire conquered so much land.

The Roman Empire was known as one of the greatest civilizations, their society, politics, and military skills were extremely advanced even for their time. From starting off as the Roman Kingdom, then The Roman Republic, and finally ending with the Roman Empire, Rome itself has been through many drastic changes. And throughout all three changes there has always been social and political disorder. Each stage of Rome only came about because of the fall of the one before it, in all three case political corruptions and social chaos was the reason for their failures. Although Rome had many problems, they had multiple achievements. One of their greatest achievements was their large military and military strategy. From the late Roman Republic to the

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.

It is said that Rome was not built in a day. True. It took ambition, lust, murder and the unrivalled power of technology to make the Roman Empire span across three continents and many centuries. While the contributions of ambition, conquest and other political and militaristic factors remain important for the Roman Republic to transform into an Empire, none of this could have been possible without the immense contribution of engineering and technology. In this essay, we shall look into three engineering feats that I believe were crucial in building the Roman Empire. We shall be making use of the video “Rome: Engineering an Empire” as an aid towards the