Download How well-trained were Roman soldiers?

Roman Army
4/09/2016
Lesson Objective.
To understand what made the Roman
army successful.
Starter: Write down 3 - 5 things you
notice about this picture.
Literacy point – you must use
full sentences:
In the picture I can see...and …
I can also see…
Furthermore, there is ...
Learning Outcomes
CORE :To be able to use sources of information to
answer questions about the past.
EXTENSION: To be able to select information
from sources using quotations.
KILLER: To be able to evaluate sources of
information identifying which ones are useful.
1
2
Not at all
3
4
5
6
Feel ok about it
7
8
9
10
Feel very confident
Roman Legionnaire
Aged over twenty.
All regular Roman soldiers
(legionnaries) were Roman
citizens from all around the
Roman Empire.
Non-Roman citizens fought
for Rome as auxiliaries.
They did not earn as much
as the legionnaries and
they didn’t have such highquality armour, weapons
and equipment.
Roman soldiers served for
twenty-five years before
they were permitted to
retire. They received a
pension or a gift of land
when they left the army.
Roman legionaries were
not allowed to get married.
How was the Roman army organised?
Legion made up of 6000 men
Divided into 10 cohorts
Divided into 6 centuries
100
100
100
100
(Each century had 100 men)
100
100
What was it like to be a Roman soldier?
• Roman soldiers had to be tough. They were expected to march 20
miles a day wearing armour. They were also expected to carry
their own shield, some food and camping equipment.
• Soldiers were also trained to fight together. They marched into
battle in a flexible line with their shields next to each other. Most
of the time the army was not involved in fighting, at this time they
built roads, aqueducts, forts, baths and just about anything that
you can think of.
• Some of the army would be trained administrators, who would
help gather the taxes.
How did the Roman army work?
• Watch this video which will explain why the
Roman army was so successful.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iz1_UwD2Fw
• Now make a list with your partner of at least
five reasons why the Roman army was so
successful.
Why become a Roman Soldier?
You could earn
a good reliable
wage
Uniform,
weapons and
equipment all
provided
If you were brave, you
were rewarded with a
laurel crown!
Travel the
world
You would be fit, strong
and brave – impress all
the women!
While you are in the
Army part of your
wages were saved so
you could retire in
comfort
You could earn extra
money from robbing
those you defeated
Sources can be divided into two types:
Primary sources – These were
made or created around the
time they are about.
E.g. A Roman Coin
Secondary sources – These
were made at a later date.
E.g. A textbook about the
Romans.
Can you sort these out into two
columns?
• A newspaper from the day
of the Queen’s coronation.
• A textbook about World
War Two.
• An ancient Egyptian vase
• A documentary on Roman
Britain
• The diary of a servant in a
Roman villa
• A website on British history
How well-trained were Roman
soldiers?
Roman soldiers could march 20
miles (30 km) a day wearing
armour. Each man carried his
weapons and shield, some
food and camping equipment.
Roman soldiers always obeyed
orders. They usually fought
in lines, marching forward
with their shields facing the
enemy. If they were being
fired at from above, the men
would lift their shields over
their heads for protection.
They looked like a tortoise,
so they called this formation
the testudo (Latin for
tortoise).
From BBC Schools website on The
Romans
1. Who wrote this source?
2. When did they write it?
Is it a primary or
secondary source?
3. What does it say about
Roman soldiers?
4. Why has this been
written?
5. Why was the Roman
army successful
according to this
source?
How well-trained were Roman
soldiers?
‘A young man should have
alert eyes and should hold
his head upright. He
should be broad-chested
with powerful shoulders
and arms. He should not
be pot bellied or have a
fat bottom! His calves
should not be flabby’.
From a 5th Century Roman
Army handbook written by a
centurion called Vegetius.
1. Who wrote this source?
2. When did they write it?
Is it a primary or
secondary source?
3. What does it say about
Roman soldiers?
4. Why has this been
written?
5. Why was the Roman
army successful
according to this source?
RALLY ROBIN
How did this structure help make
the Roman Army successful?
USING SOURCES
WHY WAS THE ROMAN ARMY SO SUCCESSFUL?
Source
C
D
E
F
G
H
When was it made?
(Primary or
Secondary)
What does it show?
As the music plays walk
slowly round the room.
When it stops look at the
source closest to you and fill
in your sheet with details
about the source.
Why was the Roman army
successful?
What made the Roman army so
successful?
POINT: The Roman army were so successful because
they were very well trained.
EVIDENCE: The picture of the ‘tortoise’ formation
shows them ...
EVALUATION: This meant that ...
What made the Roman army so
successful?
POINT: The Roman army were so successful because
they were very fit.
EVIDENCE:
EVALUATION:
PLENARY
Look at the questions
you wrote at the start
of the lesson about the
painting.
How many of them can
you now answer?
Homework
• Imagine you’re a Roman solider stationed on
the frontier between England and Scotland
(it’s very cold in the winter).
• Write a short letter to your parents telling
them about your life as a solider, your friends
in the army, the weather, the food and
requesting your mother send you some
underwear (yes this really happened).