THE ROMAN ARMY

Army organization

• Very well organized, every soldier had a clear role

• Largest group of the army was the LEGION• This was made up of 6000 men under the

command of the LEGATE

The Legion

• The legion was divided into ten cohorts, each with 600 people

• Each cohort was made up of six centuries, each with 100 soldiers

• The centuries were commanded by a centurion

The Centurion

• They were responsible for training the soldiers under their command and making sure everyone obeyed orders.

• Some were very cruel

How to become a Soldier

• Basically either you signed up or you were conscripted during a time of war

• You had to be physically fit and 5’4” tall

• You were expected to stay in the army around 16 years

Training

• Most soldiers joined between 16-20 years old

• There were three 18-mile marches each month

• On each march each soldier would carry 55 lbs. of equipment

More Training

• Soldiers would also learn how to march

• This was important for learning manoeuvres in battle

• New recruits were given shields and swords twice as heavy as the real thing!

Auxiliaries• These were soldiers from

lands conquered by the Romans who volunteered to fight for the Romans

• many of these had special skills- like cavalry soldiers and archers

• Most fought with a sword and short spear

• Thought of by Romans as second class soldiers , paid less and not trained as rigorously

• After 25 years- they became Citizens (and their children too!)

The Layout of a Typical Battle

How the Training Paid Off

• The Roman army was always well prepared for battle

• The centuries and legions looked impressive

• The army’s organization made the enemy look weak and unprepared to the average Roman soldier

Major Battles During the Republic• The conquest of Italy: Rome gained control of Italian peninsula and

Sicily• Punic wars: between Rome and Carthage, strengthened Roman

power in the west• The conquest of Greece: Rome conquered the Hellenistic kingdoms

one by one and turned them into Roman provinces