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THE ROMAN ARMY
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
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
The Centurion
• They were
responsible for
training the
soldiers under
their command
and making sure
everyone obeyed
orders.
• Some were very
cruel
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
5’4” tall
• You were expected
to stay in the army
around 16 years
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
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!
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!)
The Layout of a Typical Battle
How the Training Paid Off
• The Roman army was
always well prepared
for battle
• The centuries and
legions looked
impressive
• The army’s organization
made the enemy look
weak and unprepared to
the average Roman
soldier
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