The Roman Military Essay, Research Paper

& # 65279 ; THE ROMAN MILITARY

The Roman Republic and the Roman Empire together lasted for over one-thousand old ages,

and at its tallness, their extended districts stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the West, to the

rivers of Mesopotamia in the East, and from the Sahara desert in the South, to the River Rhine in

Northern Europe. The one factor that made this dramatic effort possible was the feats of the

Roman Military. The military had succeeded in their enlargement runs and had successfully

defended the boundary lines against foreign encroachers for centuries. The fact of the affair was that the

Roman Military was the make up one’s minding factor in any successes or failures the Roman province incurred,

and at its most basic component, it was finally the successful schemes and philosophies of the

Roman Army that made their triumphs so permeant. This paper will follow the development of

the armed forces from the early Roman period through the Marius? reforms, with an accent placed

on the primary conflict formations and tactics employed by the Roman Legions.

The early Roman Army was formed under the Etruscan swayer, Tarquin the Proud in the

7th century B.C.. During this period, the Etruscans fought in the Phalanx formation, with

the primary combat force made up of native Etruscans. The Romans were relegated to contend as

merely skirmishers supporting the wings of the hosts, but this would all alter under the 2nd

King of the Etruscans Servius Tullius in the mid 6th century.

Tullius? first act was to reorganise the ground forces based on wealth alternatively of race. Merely the

work forces who owned a certain sum of land were now eligible for military service. Furthermore,

he divided the Army into five categories with each group formed harmonizing to their single

wealth. The richest soldiers formed into 80 centuries, 40 of immature ( ages 17-46 ) and 40

of old ( 47-60 ) called lochoi. This highest category of soldiers were to the full outfitted in Grecian manner

armour. The remainder of the work forces were organized into 20 centuries each and armed and suited

harmonizing to their wealth.

The primary formation this early ground forces fought under was the phalanx. The formation was

divided into three different groups of soldiers: the Principes, hastati, and the triarii which com-

bined to organize the heavy foot subdivision of the phalanx. Each of these soldiers were equipped

with the hasta long lance, a blade, and to the full dressed in armour. Those who could non afford the

necessary equipment were used as skirmishers and armed with a light lances and shield merely.

The phalanx host was by and large made up 3000 work forces and supported by 300 horse sol-

diers on the wings. The work forces were drawn up into six ranks of 500 work forces each, which was further

interrupt down into centuries of 60 to 100 work forces. The dominating officers of the centuries were

the Centurions, these peculiar work forces were, basically, the anchor of the hosts. The phalanx

proved to be a formidable formation under ideal lowland conditions, but its Achilles heel was

that it was extremely inflexible in the characteristic broken terrain of cardinal Italy. It proved excessively

hard to organize motion of the 3000 soldier tactical unit when contending against the

nomadic barbaric oppositions, but Rome would go on to utilize this conflict formation up to the

4th century.

It must be noted that at this peculiar clip, the Roman armed forces was non a professional

ground forces, but instead it consisted of citizen soldiers who were recruited merely after a military state of affairs

presented itself. There was no standing ground forces, no wage, and the work forces chiefly volunteered due to

the perceptual experience that it was a citizen? s responsibility and a privilege to function for his province.

In 390 B.C. , Celtic warriors advanced into Rome and, later, defeated all Roman

efforts at incorporating them. They sacked metropolis after metropolis throughout the province, and eventually

retreated after a seven month long besieging on the capital. It was at this clip that the Romans

recognized that a reorganisation was necessary if they were to go on to be the Continental

power and, accordingly, they abandoned the phalanx formation and replaced it with the

Manipular Legion. This new reform has been historically credited to Furius Camillus, but it is

now by and large believed that the reform was the merchandise of many old ages of gradual alteration

throughout the 4th century.

The manipular host now consisted of 4,200 foot and 300 horse soldiers, which

was divided into 30 maniples. Whereas before the tactical unit had been the full 3000 adult male

phalanx host, now the tactical unit was the 120 adult male maniple. Each maniple contained two

centuries of 60 work forces each. As good, the new formation had the ground forces combat in moving ridges of three.

The first line were the hastati, the 2nd were the Principes, and the 3rd the trairii, with each

of these groups dwelling of 10 maniples a piece.

Those soldiers who were excessively immature and who could non afford the appropriate equipment

were established as velites. This peculiar group was the lightly armed skirmishers of the host

and equipped with merely a javelin and blade. The first line of heavy foot were called the

hastati and was made up of 1,200 work forces between the ages of 25 and 30. The hastati were armed

with the short cut and thrust gladius blade and two long pila ( javelins ) . Those between the ages

of 30 and 40 formed the 1,200 adult male Principes. This group was armed indistinguishable to the hastati.

Any soldiers over the age of 40 were grouped together as the 600 adult male triarii. These were the

extremely august veterans of the hosts and would merely be used if necessary. The triarii were

armed similar to the former groups, but alternatively of transporting a pila they carried long lances.

All heavy foot were equipped with a little aegis called a pectorale, bronze

helmets, normally one jambeau, and a scutum shield. The scutum shield was a really heavy, curved

shield two and half pess broad and four pess long. The shield was non meant to be wielded around

to support the legionnaires, but instead it was by and large used during the opening charge to seek and

throw the enemy off balance, and, later, the soldier would take a combat place

behind his shield during combat.

To ease interchange amongst the units, spreads were left in between each maniple, and

it was these spreads that made the consecutive moving ridge onslaughts of the host so successful. When the

signal was given, the velites initiated the onslaught by progressing through the spreads of the heavy

foot units and when in scope of the enemy they would establish a fusillade of javelins with the

purpose to interrupt the enemy formations. After their onslaughts, the velites retreated back through the

spreads to the rear of the host. From this Po

int on, the velites were relegated to a modesty position.

The existent pitched conflict began with the first line hastati progressing toward the enemy

while they at the same time clashed their pila against their shields. When the commanding officers issued

the order, the hastati moved in while establishing a fusillade of pila on the enemy ranks and so

pulling their blades to prosecute in close order combat. It was this manus to manus contending that

determined the result of the conflict, and the Romans were highly skilled at this art.

If the hastati were unsuccessful, they would withdraw and reopen their ranks so that the

Principes could now progress. If the veteran Principes were besides repelled, so the triarii would

engage. If a conflict of all time came down to the triarii, this would be declarative that the state of affairs had,

so, go despairing.

The new manipular host proved to be rather successful for the Roman Army, for it

allowed them greater mobility, with the capableness of enfolding or perforating the enemy

formations. But it besides had its lacks as good, for there were now 30 tactical units and with

such a big figure it became progressively more hard to organize them during conflict.

The new conflict tactics besides represented a alteration in the political kingdom in the Roman

province. During this period, soldiers began to be paid for the first clip, with a Roman soldier re-

ceiving about two obols a twenty-four hours, a centurion about 4, and a trooper having 6 obols a twenty-four hours.

Despite the new face of the military, there was, as of yet, no professional ground forces, but instead it was

still made up of regular Roman citizens. However, work forces were now apt for service in at least

20 runs for the province, but were eligible to return place in between. This non-standing

ground forces would show a job at the terminal of the 2nd century B.C. , for as runs became

greater in figure and longer, work forces became unwilling to pretermit their farms and concerns.

With the Roman hosts engaged in more unpopular runs, it became progressively

more hard for the province to provide the necessary Numberss the ground forces required. At this point, it

was obvious to most that drastic steps would hold to be undertaken to rectify the armed forces

system. The option of muster was revoked due to the monolithic discontent it would hold

created among the people, and with no better option to see, the Roman Army was

truly forced to open up the ranks to all free citizens.

The Roman Consul, Gaius Marius has been by and large credited with this peculiar

reform, but it must be noted that existent alterations began to be made under Gaius Gracchus. It was

he who was the first Consul to do it well easier for non-wealthy Romans to fall in the

hosts, therefore, paving the manner for the later and more sweeping reforms of Marius.

With the ground forces now unfastened to all citizens who could claim free birth, it was chiefly the

hapless who rushed en masse to fall in the Roman military. They saw an chance to go

respected war heros, and if for nil else, they could gain a significantly larger pay. The

reforms strayed even further from tradition with the demand of a 20 twelvemonth hitch

from the work forces alternatively of merely functioning in 20 runs. These peculiar alterations in the

military created the first professional ground forces of Rome.

Marius besides recognized that the manipular hosts were excessively legion and proved excessively

hard to organize during conflict, so hence, a reorganisation of the hosts themselves

were necessary. His first act was to increase the trairii from 600 work forces to 1,200 so that they would

equal the hastati and Principes. In the new formation, the hastati, Principes, and the triarii would

all battle together as one cohesive tactical unit, and any clip these categories fought in unison it was

considered to be a cohort. The hosts would now dwell of 10 cohorts of 600 work forces each, therefore,

six centuries to each host. As good, alterations were made sing the velites and the Roman

horse, for now these peculiar groups would merely be recruited from outside the Roman province.

These work forces would be named auxilla military personnels, which were, in kernel, non-citizen and non-allied

soldiers.

The Roman tactics of existent combat remained consistent with manipular philosophies. The

hosts still fought in moving ridges of three and spreads were still maintained for interchange amongst the

military personnels. And as stated earlier, the categories of hastati, Principes, and triarii remained, but remained

so in name merely, for now there was no existent differentiation between these groups. They were all now

armed with the gladius blade and pila, and fought together as a tactical unit.

The cohortal host lasted from 100 B.C. up through the Roman Imperial epoch, and it

proved to be a really successful formation for the Roman hosts. It was large plenty to contend as

separate units if necessary, but was non excessively big as to go inflexible in hard terrain. It

was the perfect via media between the phalanx and the manipular host.

Due to Marius? reforms, the Roman host had transformed itself into a well disciplined,

extremely efficient, tactically sound professional war machine. But of class, lacks were

still attesting themselves from the reorganisation, for because of the new lower categories re-

cruited into the ground forcess, the work forces became allied to their specific general and non to the Roman

province. The generals were paying their soldiers handsomely in the enemy loot, and this would

finally take into the bloody Roman civil wars in the coming old ages.

It could be argued that one of the greatest imperiums in the history of adult male was the Roman

Empire, and contrary to popular belief, it was non the Roman? s political constructions, or the

glorious Roman civilization, or even their mind that permitted their length of service, but instead it was

chiefly the Roman Army that made this possible. For centuries, the hosts expanded their

districts at will, while subjecting the conquered states to Roman civilization, and they success-

to the full defended their extended boundary lines against barbaric encroachers for 100s of old ages. The

Roman Military has, no uncertainty, left an unerasable grade on the history of warfare, one so prevailing

that in our ain state? s military we can see considerable influence.

From their early phalanx hosts, to the manipular hosts of Camillus, right up to the

cohortal hosts, the Roman Military has shown an eldritch ability to accommodate as the state of affairs

dictated. When each of their old formations became disused, contrary to what many

states would hold done, the Romans reevaluated and reorganized. If nil else, the Roman

Army proved to be a matter-of-fact, frontward looking, and strategically efficient contending unit for

most of their one-thousand twelvemonth history.