THE ROMAN ARMY

1
THE ROMAN ARMY
2
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

3
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

4
The Centurion

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

5
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 54 tall
• You were expected to stay in the army around 16
  years

6
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

7
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!

8
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!)

9
The Layout of a Typical Battle
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How the Training Paid Off

• The Roman army was always well prepared for
  battle
• The centuries and legions looked impressive
• The armys organization made the enemy look weak
  and unprepared to the average Roman soldier

11
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