"Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"- The Roman Army

“Rome wasn’t built in a Day” 
(Great Things take time)

 - The Roman Army -

  By Suryatej Vakkalanka

The Roman Army was undoubtedly one of the best armies in the world. With its professional training and precise organization, the Roman Army swept through the Mediterranean like a tornado. The key reason the Roman Army succeeded was because of their organization. Soldiers were divided into huge groups called legions. The leader of a legion was called  ‘legatus legionis’. One legion equaled 10 cohorts, one cohort equaled six centuries, one century equaled ten contuberniums, and one contubernium equaled 8 legionaries (soldiers). The non-citizens, who were known as Auxiliaries, were commanded by ‘prefectus cohortis’. The types of soldiers that were part of the Roman Army were legionaries, cavalry, auxiliaries, archers, artillery soldiers, slingers (skirmishers,) and horsemen (non-citizen). The requirement to be a Roman soldier was to be around the age of 18 to 20 years old, and you had to be freeborn; not a slave. The average legionary (Roman citizen) got paid 750 denarii, while the average auxiliary (non-citizen) got pain 250 denarii. Centurions (officers) got paid 13,500 denarii, and finally, Primi Ordines (generals) got payed 54,000 denarii.

Furthermore, the main weapons and tools that the Roman army used were the helmet (galea,) armor (lorica segmentata,) shield (scutum,) sword (gladius,) and javelin (pilum). There was a mark under each soldier’s leather strap of their galea, or helmet. That mark showed they were part of the Roman Army, and not a spy. The armor were basically thin stripes of metal that were held together by leather straps. It could easily block the soldier from arrows. The scutum of each soldier was rectangle-shaped and was designed so that the soldiers could make a turtle formation, which was similar to the Greek Phalanx, according to Livy. The gladius acted as a dagger and a sword, which was useful during battle. It was really powerful when in the right hands. Lastly, the Pilum was sharp and thrown from a long distance, and if it got stuck it the opponent’s shield, he would have to throw the shield away. Other things common soldiers wore were a tunic and a belt underneath the armor, a scarf, and military sandals made of leather.

When Auxiliaries fought for 25 years, they had the chance to retire, along with a piece of land, pension, and citizenship for the soldier and his family. Legionaries, on the other hand, got only a piece of land and pension after retiring, and usually lived in retirement houses. They didn’t get citizenship because they were already citizens.To emphasize the Romans were excellent soldiers, some of the battles they have won were ‘the Battle of Zama’, where Scipio led his troops against the well-prepared Carthaginians, and ultimately won. Another battle was ‘Lake Regillus’, where Dictator Postumius and the Romans fought against Tarquinius Superbus and the Latins. Surprisingly, the Latins and Tarquinius fled from the battlefield, which gave the Romans a victory, once again.   

    All in all, the Roman Army was really organized, disciplined, and skillful for that time. They were one of the best armies, as military academies even today use their strategies.