Download The Roman army was the most powerful and feared army in the

By Jeremy
The Roman army was the most powerful and feared army in the
ancient world. The Roman army was best at battle tactics, and they were
best at building projects.
The Roman army’s uniform was made with three main kinds of body
protection over their tunics. The kinds of body armor were the segmented
breastplates, chain mail, scale mail, and leather laces. The segmented
breastplates were the most effective of body protection. The chain mail was
made from thousands of metal rings linked together. Sewing tiny metal
scales into a fabric or leather vest made the scale mail. The leather laces
were tied through the brass fittings down the front of the breastplate to fasten
it.
The Roman soldier’s helmet were made from iron or bronze and lined
with felt to make them more comfortable. A small peak on the helmet
shielded the eyes. Cheek guards covered the face without obscuring the
soldier’s vision or hearing. Centurions and their deputies wore a crest on top
of their helmets as a sign of authority.
The Roman Army’s shield was usually red, but varied from one legion
to another. The metal boss protected the legionary’s hand behind the shield.
The Roman Army’s weapons were the javelins, swords, and the
daggers. The javelins are known as a pilum. It was 6.5 feet long with a
pointed iron head on a narrow iron neck. The narrow neck was almost 3.3ft
long. The Roman soldier had a short sword called a gladius. It was two ft
long and was kept in a scabbard. The dagger was at the left hand side of the
soldiers.
The organization of the Roman Army had several different types of
soldiers in different ranks. The general commanded several legions. There is
a camp prefect who was in charge of building and training. The legion was a
citizen foot soldier. An archer fought with bows and arrows. Archers came
from the Middle East and dressed differently from the Romans. Six tribunes
helped each legate to run the legion. The centurion led a century in battle. A
non-citizen fighter was called auxiliary. A legate was in charge of a legion.
The primus pilus was the most senior centurion in a legion. A cavalry soldier
fought on horseback.
A legion was made up of over 5,000 men, organized into small
groups. A cohort is made up of 800 men each. Six centuries is made up of
80 men each. Ten contubernia is made up of eight soldiers in each.
The Roman army’s building projects were roads, aqueducts, and the
Hadrian’s Wall. The roads played an important part in the running of the
Empire. Roads can deliver messengers, and the soldiers can get to battle
quicker. They used series of pipes and aqueducts that allowed water to flow
down hill into toilets, public baths and into fountains. Hadrian’s Wall was
15ft high and up to 10ft thick. It was very difficult for anyone to climb over
it. It marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.
The Romans army’s Battle Tactics has the wedge, the orb, the
tortoise, and the spiked wall. The wedge was a v-shaped formation with only
one man at the front tip. It was used to break up and push back the
opponent’s front line. The orb is when the soldiers were surrounded by their
enemy. The legionaries formed the outer circle, while archers and officers
stood inside. The tortoise is overlapped shields of the Testudo. It is made a
missile proof shell as legionaries advanced on enemy ground. The spiked
wall is when enemy cavalry ambushed the legionaries. They would make
their shields and pila into a “spiked wall” to stop the horses in their tracks.
The men at the back threw their pila at the enemy.
Bibliography
Brocklehurst, Ruth. Roman Army. London: Usborne, 2005
Romans. 2005. BBC. 30 Mar. 2005 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/
ancient/romans/>.