15 Brave Facts About Roman Army: Why They Were So Powerful

The Roman army was an empire-building machine.

Roman soldiers marched throughout Europe and beyond to help the generals and emperors based in Rome rule over vast territories in the ancient world. It would not be really incorrect to say that the heights that the Roman empire reached in the early half of the first millennium AD were chiefly due to the efficacy of the Roman soldier.

Roman soldiers were the main reason Rome could oversee an empire stretching from the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea on the other.

The fact that Rome grew to become the greatest empire of its time and remained so for a long time could be credited to the Roman legionary forces that traveled great distances to extend Rome's boundaries.

In doing so, the Roman soldiers gathered wealth and riches from the far-flung areas of the Roman world and sent them back to Rome.

Most of the luxuries that average Roman citizens enjoyed during the heydeys of the Roman Empire were the results of the conquests and sacrifices of regular Roman soldiers.

History Of The Roman Army

The Roman army went through several transformations throughout its thousand-year existence. At first, it was created to serve the Roman kingdom, which lasted from the eighth century to the sixth century BC. Later, the Kingdom of Rome was brought down by revolting parties in 509 BC, and the Roman Republic restructured the Roman military machine.

In the earliest times of Rome's existence, there was no standing army in the kingdom, and the practice of conscription, or forced military service, was standard practice. 

Roman soldiers were assembled hurriedly and asked to defend the realm in times of emergencies or external attacks from foreign powers. 

The fundamental nature of the military was copied from the Greek and Etruscan civilizations. Sources suggest that the people of ancient Rome were greatly influenced by the martial glories of the soldiers of the Greek city-state of Sparta.

When Rome was ruled by a lineage of kings, the army was always placed under their direct command. Only after the republic was proclaimed did the military forces go to the office of the 'consul.' 

The army allowed only men to join their ranks. No historical record shows the name of a single female Roman soldier.

To become a Roman soldier, a man needed to reach the age of 20. Only Roman citizens were eligible to become Roman soldiers. 

However, there were instances when the Roman auxiliary soldiers were recruited from communities that lay outside the realm of the Roman world and hence were not Roman citizens.

Roman Army During Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was proclaimed in 509 BC and succeeded the kingdom of Rome. With the coming of the republic, the army's organization was drastically affected, and the command of the armed forces passed from the king to the elected consuls.

The army was organized under a system called the 'manipular organization.' This system saw the recruitment of Roman soldiers from the poorest classes on a large scale. 

In the theater of war, these soldiers were stationed in three separate lines, consisting of 120 soldiers each. 

Each section of the file was called a 'manipule.' The task of these manipules was to stand at the forefront of the army and hurl themselves towards the enemy lines. 

In the third century BC, the manipular system won the Roman Republic many wars, most notably the Second Punic War against the great Carthaginian general, Hannibal.

One of the advantages of the manipular system was that it guaranteed the filling up of ranks within the army. 

The new entrants into the military were also given assurances of a fraction of the spoils of war and regular pay. 

The Republican period essentially witnessed the acquisition of troops from the Roman satellite states, which were bound by treaties to supply fresh soldiers from within their polities.

As the republic gave way to the empire, the army's structure changed again. With the addition of more and more territories in all directions of the sprawling empire, for example, Britain and vast portions of the Middle East, the possibility of recruiting new soldiers increased manifold. 

In the final years of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar forged a plan to build massive armies with the inclusion of locals from the newly acquired territories. 

These fresh recruits were slowly Romanized, and by the end of their military careers, most of them began using Roman names.

Weapons And Equipment

Roman soldiers had to continuously train themselves to remain in peak physical condition during their military careers. Even though this was not always the case, there existed strict regimens that the Roman soldiers had to follow on a daily basis.

The Roman Centurion, a high-ranking military officer, having direct command over eighty soldiers, oversaw preparations for the day-to-day operations of individual army units.

To protect themselves from the flurry of strikes coming from the opposite end, a Roman soldier wore protective helmets and body armor.

In most cases, the task of arranging bodysuits and armor rested with the individual Roman soldiers, and the state provided very little equipment for the same. 

According to written historical sources, there were many instances where a soldier had to pay for the entirety of his body armor.

Training

Roman soldiers were renowned for their fighting skills and discipline on the field of battle. At the peak of its power, Roman soldiers numbered more than 1.5 million soldiers. This mighty army was divided into individual parts called the 'Roman legion'.

Roman soldiers used wooden swords to hone their fighting skills regularly.

The morning routine on a regular day consisted of a series of exercise schedules, followed by each soldier practicing wrestling and swordsmanship with one another.

There were instances when real fights were held inside Roman barracks for entertainment. 

During such fights, the soldiers would be fitted from head to toe with all the necessary equipment, including the lorica hamata, which was the basic metal armor worn to protect the torso.

More Fun Facts

A standard Roman legionary's wage was paid in both cash and kind. It is really interesting to note here that the word 'salt' that we so commonly use today comes from the Latin word 'salarium.'

Salarium means salt in Latin, and part of the wage of a Roman soldier was paid in salt. That is how the usage got stuck in common parlance.

The soldiers who came from the distant parts of the Roman world to join the army were not given the same honors that soldiers from Rome or the surrounding environs received.

However, this was frequently overlooked because the non-Roman soldier aspired to become a Roman citizen.

We have records that show how people from the remotest parts of the empire were granted Roman citizenship after the successful and honorable completion of years of military service.

The auxiliary units of the Roman army were mainly deployed at the front lines to bear the brunt of the opponents' fury. This strategy helped Rome win many of its most famous wars in the ancient world.

FAQs

Q: What was the Roman army known for?

A: The Roman Army was the pride of ancient Rome, and it helped build one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. Highly disciplined and engaged in constant modernization, this army allowed Rome to dominate the Mediterranean world for a very long time.

Q: What did the Roman army do?

A: Apart from conquering vast swathes of land for the empire, the army was also deployed to engage in large-scale building activities. Most of what remains of the ancient Roman world, such as the Roman roads, bridges, aqueducts, and amphitheaters, were, on most occasions, built by the Roman soldiers.

Q: Why was the Roman army so successful?

A: It was so successful because it was a well-structured and highly disciplined fighting force. For a long time, Roman troops were considered the most efficient and lethal of all the armies in the ancient world.

Q: What weapons did the Roman army use?

A: Roman soldiers used a set of weapons to fight their opponents. Among these were the Roman sword known as the "gladius" and the dagger known as the 'pugio'.

Every Roman soldier carried these two essential weapons at all times. During battles, the army used giant catapults and large crossbows to engage the enemy, which were used primarily during long-term siege operations.

Q: Who beat the Roman army?

A: There were several instances when Roman soldiers were outsmarted and outmaneuvered on the battlefield. One of the most significant defeats that they faced was at the hands of the Visigoths at the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD.

Another example would be the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD when three Roman legions were ambushed and slaughtered by a consortium of Germanic forces.

Q: What did the Roman army eat?

A: The dietary habits of Roman soldiers changed according to the region where they were serving. But on most occasions, the principal ration comprised wheat, different varieties of meat, and vegetables.

Q: What did the Romans wear?

A: A Roman male citizen usually wore a long robe known as the 'toga'. It was generally made from linen or wool. Women wore a longer tunic-like dress called the 'stola.'

Q: Did any Roman soldiers survive?

A: Many Roman soldiers survived years of warfare and other misadventures and retired with a full pension and other benefits.

Q: What was the Roman army called?

A: It was called the Roman legion.