2. Roman Army
• The Roman Army was made
up of men from all over the
Empire, no women were
allowed to join. These men
were professional soldiers
whose only job was to fight
and defend Rome. Initally
only property owners such
as farmers could serve in the
army, but from the 1st
century B.C. onwards
anybody could join. These
soldiers would have to stay
in the army for at least 25
years!
• If a soldier was brave, clever
and fought well he could
become a centurion in
charge of 80 ordinary
soldiers called legionaries.
Each troop of about 80
legionaries was called a
century. There were 59
centuries in a legion and
about 30 legions in the
Roman army. There were
also other soldiers called
auxiliaries who included the
cavalry.
3.
4. Roman Legions= 5,000
General-
commanded
several legions
Legate- in
charge of legion
6 Tribunes-
helped Legate
Prefect-
building and
training
Primus Pilus-
senior centurion
in legion
Centurion- led
a Century (80
men)
Legionary-
citizen foot
soldier
Cavalry- fought
on horseback
Auxiliary- non-
citizen fighter
Archers- many
came from
Middle East
5. Roman Army
• To show the differences
in ranks centurions
carried a special stick to
show who they were.
They used the stick to
beat any soldier who
disobeyed an order.
The important
centurions also wore
special armor, which
emphasized their rank.
•
6. Roman Army
• Roman soldiers had to be
tough. They were expected
to march 20 miles a day
wearing armour. They were
also expected to carry their
own shield, some food and
camping equipment.
• Soldiers were also trained to
fight together. They marched
into battle in a flexible line
with their shields next to
each other. If the enemy
shot arrows at them the
soldiers in the rows behind
the front line would lift their
shields over their heads like
a roof to protect them. This
was called a testudo, which
means tortoise.
7. Roman Fort
• The walls and gates
• The walls of the Fort
were narrow, but
backed by a rampart of
earth or clay, which
sloped up from the
structure's interior. The
walls were built with
sandstone blocks. The
turrets on the walls rose
to a height of around
9m (30ft). The main
gate at Housesteads
was the East Gate, or
8. Roman Fort
• The headquarters
• Inside the entrance was
the open court, with a
colonnade around the
south, east and north
sides. It had an
assembly hall, or
basilica, where the
orders were issued, and
there was a shrine to
the imperial cult, where
statues of the Emperor
were kept.
9. Roman Fort
• The Commandant's
house
• The house of the
Praefectus had rooms
for the use of the family
on the north and west
side, with the kitchen in
the north-east corner.
10. Roman Fort
• The hospital
• The hospital was known
to the Romans as the
Valetudinarium. There
was a long room on the
north side of the
courtyard, and this is
believed to have been
the surgery.
11. Roman Fort
• The granaries
• The granaries were
built on the highest
part of the Fort, to
keep the food inside
dry. There was an
open area to the
west of the granary,
to allow carts to
unload and turn.
12. Roman Fort
• The barracks
• The barracks had a
veranda, facing onto the
street. The barracks
were each divided into
ten units for the troops,
plus larger apartments
for the Centurion. They
had low walls of
sandstone, which
supported timber
frames with wattle and
daub walls.
13. Roman Armor
• Muscle Cuirass: Early in
Rome's history men wore
bronze plate armor in the
Greek hoplite style. In
later years, it appears
chest plates were reserved
for those of higher rank.
These were well decorated
with animal, mythological
and chest muscle designs.
14. Roman Armor
• Chain Mail: In latin,
Lorica Hamata, (Loricae
Hamatae plural form).
There is some dispute
over the origins, but mail
was probably first
developed by the talented
smiths of Gaul. Mail
showed up in the Roman
armies in the first half of
the 2nd century BC. A
typical mail coat might
weigh 15 lbs. It provided
excellent protection, along
with great flexability. A
belt was worn to bring
some of this weight off the
shoulders.
15. Roman Armor
• Scale Armor: Called
Lorica Squamata,
(Loricae Squamatae plural
form) Literally translates
as "feather armor." Scale
armor consisted of row
upon row of overlaping
bronze or iron scales,
which resembeled a coat
of feathers when
completed.
16. Roman Armor
• Segmented Armor: The
latin words, Lorica
Segmentata, are used
today, though it is not
known by what name the
Romans themselves used.
The Romans appear to
have completely
developed this style
themselves. This armor
was made up of many
pieces of laminated iron
all bound together to form
a very flexible and strong
protection.
17. Roman Armor
• The Belt: Called balteus
early in the empire and
then cingulum militare in
later times. The mark of a
soldier, belts were not
meant for civilian use!
When worn over
chainmail, the belt helped
to take some of the weight
off the soldier's shoulders.
18. Roman Armor
• Sandals: Called caligae in
latin. Roman military
sandals used iron hob-
nails as treads, rather like
the cleats of a modern-day
football player. These
were used for the 1st and
2nd centuries AD. After
that time boots became
more popular.
19. Roman Weapons
• Hasta: The hasta was the
Roman trusting spear. It
was carried by the units
called triarii in Republic
times. Marius military
reforms made the pilum
the standard spear carried
by all legionaries.
• Pilum: The pila (plural
form) were quite unique in
design. These javelins
were designed to warp
after impact, so they
would drag down an
enemy's shield, sometimes
pinning two of them
together. The average
pilun was 1.8 meters long.
It had a barbed iron shaft
connected to the wooden
pole in a weighted socket.
22. Roman Weapons
• Gladius: The Romans
patterened their short
swords after those of the
Spanish Celts. The
historian, Polybius, says
they were introduced into
the army during the
second Punic War. This
sword was intended as a
thrusting weapon. This
was the best way to use a
sword in tight formation.
Using the sword in a
slashing motion would
cause the soldier to open
his side to attack.
23. Roman Weapons
• Spatha: The was the sword used by the
cavalry. The blade was much longer than
the galdius and was used for slashing. The
large numbers of barbarians serving in the
legions used the spatha in the late empire. It
was ideal because the spatha did not require
the same skill and training needed to
properly wield a gladius.
24. Roman Weapons
• Pugio: The legionaries
carried a dagger starting in
the 2nd or 1st centuries
BC. During the rein of
Augustus the gladius was
carried on one belt and the
pugio hung on another. By
the 2nd century AD
daggers were no longer
issued.
