Roman Military Strategies and Conquest of the Ancient World

The Roman Army is known by many as one of history's most effective fighting forces; not only did they influence new developments in military tactics for future generations but also maintained a stable multi-ethnic empire. The Roman Empire spread over 2.75 million square miles at its peak, and it was the Roman Army’s responsibility to stabilize the safety of the enormous expanse of land. For how far advanced technologically the Romans were over 2000 years ago it continues to fascinate people, the Roman Army is still admired by historians today (Knowtheromans.co.uk, 2019). The Roman army was the ultimate weapon of war because of the well trained men, their effective weapons and their brilliant battle tactics, however, the great empire came crashing down.

To begin with, the first requirement for a successful army is to have dedicated, brave and well trained men. If you were Roman you were already considered half soldier. The Roman Army was divided into two groups of men- legionaries and auxiliaries. Legionaries were Roman citizens that were younger than the age of 45, and they had to serve in the Army for a total of 20 years (Primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk, 2019). Auxiliaries were not Roman citizens, they were men from tribes that had been conquered by the Romans. Not only were the Auxiliaries paid much less than Legionaries but were also expected to serve 25 years in the Army and then they would be given Roman citizenship (Primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk, 2019). Daily life as a Roman soldier was not as glamorous as hollywood makes it seem, if anything it was intense and not very enjoyable. They were expected to participate in physical training, weapon and armour training, and strategy and formation training. Physical training consisted of activities to build their stamina and physical strength, such as marches,riding, and swimming. Weapon and armour training was to ensure that soldiers were familiar with their equipment. The soldiers would practice against wooden dummies to perfect their form and get used to throwing their weapons. Strategy and formation training was most likely the most important training they went through. It taught the soldiers how to work together and communicate to maximise the effectiveness of the legion, it gave them an advantage over less organized troops (Knowtheromans.co.uk, 2019). Roman soldiers were held to high standards and training was used to condition incoming soldiers to the Roman Military lifestyle.

A wide array of weapons and armour were used by the Roman soldiers during their time of existence. What a soldier wore to combat solely depended on where they were located and their primary function in the war. The Roman soldiers were expected to wear clothing that would keep them protected in combat, some of the attire included a tunic, cloak, padding, scarf, shoes, and a helmet. These were just the basics, quite fashion forward if I do say so myself. Wool was commonly used in all clothing worn by Roman soldiers (Knowtheromans.co.uk, 2019). There were three kinds of ancient Roman shields, legionaries Scutum, Parma, and Clipeus (History Hit, 2019). Roman legionaries used shields to block attacks from handheld weapons such as swords. The most commonly known and used shield was the legionaries Scutum, their concave nature offered good protection, but made the use of weapons somewhat difficult as it restricted arm movement (History Hit, 2019). The word gladius is sword in Latin. The gladius was a short sword with a triangular point that made it a deadly stabbing weapon, its most common purpose. The gladius became longer over time and was eventually replaced by the spatha, a longer bladed sword (History Hit, 2019). The power and influence the armour and weapons had on the making of the great Roman army is unbelievable.

The Roman army relied on smart strategies and quick battlefield tactics to overcome their enemies. They possessed incredibly skilled commanders, and their superior tactics won them countless battles (Romanmilitary.net, 2019). The military was highly organized and there was a clear cut system for each legion and rank. They used the testudo, this is when legionaries bunched together and locked their shields in a formation to create a large protective screen (Knowtheromans.co.uk, 2019). Their tactics can still be seen today, for example on the streets of New York, the NYPD uses shields similar to those 2000 years ago to protect themselves against riots and danger. They use similar formations as well. Even in modern times today you can see the influence the Romans had on our way of war tactics.

However, one of history's most legendary empires finally came crashing down. The Romans ruled the majority of Europe for over 1000 years. The empire started to decline due to how large and powerful it became, it didn’t happen in one day but over a long period of time. The most straightforward reason for the empire's decline was the string of Military losses from outside forces. These losses no longer made the Roman Army a dominant force (Andrews 2014). There were wars happening from inside the Empire as well. Politicians and those who held authority started becoming more and more corrupt. The empire became so large it was becoming difficult to govern. The fall of the great empire changed Europe immensely. Rome had provided a strong government, good education, and a strong culture. However it was all lost when the barbarian tribes took over. It fell into barbarism. The next 500 years would be known as the dark ages.

The Roman Army, served as one of the primary enablers of the Roman Empire. With its psychologically based formations and tactics, adaptable and dedicated soldiers, and composition of auxiliaries the Roman Army was a killing machine. The recruitment and training of soldiers is one of the biggest jobs faced by any military, no matter what generation. Restrictions were placed on who could join the Roman army in order to maximise its effectiveness, this was a task not taken lightly by the Roman Senate or its generals.The training of new recruits was harsh. The psychology of soldiers was critical for Roman military success, a task aimed at giving Rome's soldiers a decisive edge over the enemy. They didn't do too badly considering all that land they conquered and having rule for hundreds of years. The Roman army used a wide variety of specialised weaponry and armour (History Hit, 2019). This helped them build up the name we still know today. However, all good things must come to an end. After the empire became too large to manage it was dismantled. They were being taken over by barbarian tribes. The outcome of this was the dark ages. All their culture lost due to a barbaric lifestyle. The Roman Empire influenced modern day war tactics and strategies and is still remembered as one of history's most legendary empires.