Transcript The Roman Army

The Roman Army
The Legion
• The Roman army was the
most efficient fighting
machine the ancient
world had ever seen. The
basic unit of the army
was the legion. Each
legion was composed of
approximately 5200
soldiers. At the time when
Flavius was in Britain, the
Roman army had 26
legions, stationed all over
the vast Empire.
The Cohort
• In order to maneuver the
army easily during battle,
the legion was broken
down into smaller units
called cohorts. Each
cohort was composed of
480 soldiers, except for
the First Cohort, which
had 800 men and was
considered the most
experienced fighting unit.
The Maniple
• When the army lined up
for battle, the cohort was
broken down into three
segments called
Maniples. Each Maniple
had 160 man. The
Maniples were arranged
one behind the other.
When the First Maniple
grew tired of fighting, it
could drop to the rear,
and the Second Maniple
would move up to take
over the fighting.
The Century
• The most important unit
of the army was the
Century, composed of 80
men. This was the group
that trained together and
which was led by a
seasoned warrior called
the Centurion. A Century
would be well disciplined
by its Centurion, because
each century wanted to
be the best in the legion.
Contubernium
• When the soldiers were in
camp, each century was
divided into groups of 8
men who formed a
Contubernium. This was
a tent group, who bunked
together and ate together.
They were responsible for
cooking their own meals
and keeping their own
tent in order. The soldiers
in the Contubernium
usually became very
close friends.
The Auxiliaries
• Only Roman citizens could be
regular soldiers in the legion.
However, non-Romans were
allowed to serve in the army as
part of the Auxiliary Forces.
The most important unit of
Auxiliaries was the Cavalry.
Normally, a cavalry unit of 120
men was attached to each
legion. They served as scouts,
messengers, and guarded the
flanks of the legion’s formation
as it marched into battle.
The Legionary Soldier
• The regular Roman
legionary soldier was
a well-trained and
well-equipped
professional fighter.
He was required to
pay for his weapons
and armor, and made
sure that these items
were kept in tiptop
condition.
Armor
• On his head the
Roman soldier wore a
helmet called a galea.
His chest and vital
organs were
protected by a
segmented
breastplate known as
a lorica. And, on his
feet he wore hobnail
boots called caligae.
Weapons
• His basic weapon was
the two-foot long stabbing
sword called a gladius,
which was worn on his
right side. On his left side
he carried a small dagger
known as a pugio. And, in
his right hand he carried
his throwing javelin,
called a pilum.
Shield
• The Roman soldier
carried on his left arm
a large shield called a
scutum. This
rectangular wooden
shield could protect
most of his body, and
thus allowed him to
close in on the enemy
in order to use his
sword effectively.
The Camp
• Most of the soldier’s life
was spent within his
military camp called the
Castra. In the camp was
a hospital, the
commander’s
headquarters, stables for
the horses, soldiers’
barracks, latrines, and
supply buildings.
Normally there was also a
bath complex for the
soldiers’ enjoyment and
for sanitary reasons.
The March
• Periodically, the
legion would go on
the march, to put
down rebellions and
to pacify the
countryside. Like
soldiers everywhere,
they probably sang as
they marched.
Marching Song
I’m with you and you’re with me,
and so we are all together, so we are all
together, so we are all together.
Sing with me. I’ll sing with you, and so we
will sing together, as we march along.
We are marching through Britannia,
Britannia, Britannia. We are marching
through Britannia, Britannia capta.