Download Roman Army and Weapons

Ancient Rome Today
All the News Romans Need to Know
October 7, 37BC
Rome, Italy
Roman Army and Weapons
How and why the Roman Empire’s army was successful.
By Josh Habius
For the past 10 years of my life,
I, Habius, served proudly in the
Roman army fighting to expand our
ground. Because of my service in the
army, I am officially a citizen of this
great land, and because I served for
ten years, my next job will hopefully
be in the government. The way our
army functioned was more impressive
than anything I have ever seen.
We fought in legions with
around 1200 hundred men, each with
smaller shields, throwing spears, and
three hundred cavalry from the richer
citizens. Our large armies were
divided into groups of legionaries in
three lines. The quincunx formation
allowed for each soldier to have six
feet of space. The heavy infantry men,
who fought beside us, fought with an
oblong shield, the scutum (a short
stabbing sword), the gladius, and pila
(throwing spears). One of the major
advantages of the quincunx is the
ability to keep fresh fighters in the kill
zone. For every two legions, there was
one consul who was ready to lead
them to victory. Also, our conquered
enemies who then served with us gave
us helpful techniques and strategies
that could be used to win.
Fighting in the army came with
many benefits. First of all, the only
way to be a Roman citizen is to have
served in the army. Also, if a person
serves at least ten years, they can
qualify for a government job. We were
lucky enough to be well bathed, fed,
and trained for battle. The legion that I
was placed in was so loyal that we all
fought for no pay and some men even
brought their own weapons. However,
there was always that one group of
guys that want their stipendium.
Habrahamius Lincolnius, a person that
I got to know very well said, “The
formations that these Roman
commanders made is one of the most
clever strategies that was ever created.
The ability to always have men who
The Roman formation
were ready to go in the kill zone and
sacrifice for the good of the empire is
astonishing. You can never kill them
because they keep coming back. This
empire with these tactics has the
potential to conquer all of Europe.”
Above all, one thing is known for sure,
“Rome was the army, and the army
was Rome.”
-Source(s):
The Ancient World at War by Philip de
Saza
A Roman Fort by Stephan Johnson