Castra

The Camp Was One of the Most Important Things to the Roman

Army

You Mean Army...

Oh...Right...

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The Roman Camp

"Your forefathers, before thinking of anything else, used to see that their camp was completed. Only then would they leave it to go into battle; if defeated, they had a haven to retire to. They left a strong garrison behind when they went out to fight, for a general whose camp was destroyed was defeated in the eyes of his men even if he was victor on the field.

"Camps are the strength of the victorious, the refuge of the defeated. How many of our armies, facing defeat in the open, have retreated to their camp, and from there, at just the right moment, made an irresistible sally to overthrow the enemy. The camp is your second home. A tent is a soldier's home, a soldier's breath."

as:Military Technique

Paulus Emilius

When pitching Camp every person knew exactly what to do.

As part of their military training, they practiced putting up the camps on the Field of Mars on the left bank of the Tiber River.

A Roman Camp was always pitched to an exact set model.

A single Camp would hold 16,800 Men, and 1,800 Horses.

A Stone Wall was only errected if the fort was to be made permanent)

A Ditch (Fossa) would be dug all around the camp and the dirt would be thrown up to

form an Embankment (Agger) on which Wooden Stakes

(Valli) would be placed to form a Vallum.

A Stone Wall was only

erected if the fort was to be

made permanent)

I'm Not To Scale...

Just Thought You Should Know...

The Camp was divided unevenly by a road called

the Via Principalis

In the center was the Generals Tent (Praetorium)

To the left of the Praetorium was the

Quaestorium, the Tent of the Quaestor

( Financial Supervisor)

And to the right of the Praetorium was the

Forum

Just above the Praetorium were the tents of the twelve

Tribuni and the Praefecti Sciorum

(The commanders of the allies)

On either sides of the Praetorium are the General's Staff, including the Legati (Deputy General), and the Praetoria Cohors (Body

Guards)

There was also the:

Extraordinarii Equites

Extraordinarii Pedites

And Occasional Auxiliaries(Non-Roman Soldiers)

The upper portion of the camp was divided equally

by the Via Quintana, Which was 50 ft wide

Each of these compartments was 500 ft long, and divided into 10

spaces.

There were 6 compartments above the

via, and 6 below

The whole Camp was surrounded by 200 ft. of free

space giving the soldiers plenty of space.

10,000 square feet for the Equites of the legion, each

containing a turma of 30 men and horses

5,000 square feet for the Triarii of the legion, each containing

a manipulus of 60 men

10,000 square feet for the Principes of the legion, each

containing two manipuli

10,000 square feet for the Hastati of the legion, each containing two manipuli

13,300 square feet for Quites Sociorum, each containing 40

men and horses

20,000 square feet for the Pedites Sociorum, each

containing 240 men.

(Each tent faced the via that made its boundaries)

At each gate were a group of velites (light infantry), called

custodes, to prevent a surprise attack.

Stationes where stationed in all four

directions to alert of any attack.

Sentinels (excubiae) kept guard along the ramparts

Work Sited :D

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