These were the main and well-known lower-ranked soldiers. The higher ranks were as follows:
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Tribunus. There were six of these officers to a legion and usually there were five equestrian tribuni angusticlavii and one senatorial tribunus laticlavius, named thin - or broad striped after the purple lines on their tunics that indicated their social status. Some tribuni served only six month tours rather than the more usual 1-3 years. A few served two or even rarer three stints of duty.
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Legatus legionis. A senatorial officer who generally served as a tribunus and was placed in charge of the legion. Some special cases included equestrians promoted to senatorial status with previous commands in the auxilia.
Training
Training was the key to the Roman army’s success. All recruits who were enrolled were pushed to the limit, enabling them to be prepared for anything. The training of the Roman army was such that by the end of a soldier’s time training, he would be prepared for any situation he was commanded to fight in. The training was fierce, with the soldiers being made to run 20 miles with all of their heavy equipment: weapons, rations and other items which would be taken into battle. This was the basic fitness component of the army, and it was here that the weakest would be taken out and disciplined. There was no room for weakness in the Roman army, and it was this exclusivity to the best of the best that made the Roman army the most feared and best army in the world at that time, as only the best made it through to actually contend on the battlefields.
Other techniques were used by the commanders to get the ‘tirones’ ready for the real fighting. One of these examples is the utilization of heavier weapons, like ‘pilums’, to make the soldiers stronger and make it easier to use the lighter, standard weapons. There were further rigorous fitness tests and the main assessment, watched closely by the commanders, and after all training had been completed, the recruit was given a position depending on what the commander thought of his skills and good attributes; if he was good at fighting and also had good stamina and fitness, he would be made a foot soldier, who did the majority of the fighting and exercise, although there were other positions, specialising in stealth and observation which could be taken, depending on the skills of the recruit.
Equipment
The Roman army was well-known as a well-oiled, technical organisation, which was very powerful and effective, but how did they do that? One of the factors that made them so successful in most of the battles they fought was their weapons. They used superior and state of the art weapons, which very few of their enemies had.
For the standard soldier, there was obviously only basic equipment. Each soldier had:
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Cassis- helmet- The cassis was a bronze general issue helmet. This was not very strong, although the strength was very rarely tested as weapons were not as accurate as they are now.
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Lorica Segmentata-armour- the Lorica Segmentata. It consisted of many plates of armour layered upon the one before it.
Pieces of a Lorica Segmentata found at the site of Verulamium
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Scutum- shield- The Roman soldier's frontal protection was the scutum. It was a shield that stood 40 inches tall, and 30 wide. It was curved to give protection from the sides as well. These shields were normally good, although as above, it was highly unlikely they would withstand a barrage of pilum attacks.
A scutum found at Colchester
Weapons
The Romans had a massive array of weapons, which was one of the many reasons of their overwhelming success. The two most common weapons, which were standard issue to the milites, were the gladius and the pilum. These were the key to a successful battle, as the gladius was used for short-range fighting, whereas the pilum was used to damage enemies further away.
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Gladius- sword, 18-24 inches long-The gladius was a very effective sword. It was a smaller sword used for thrusting instead of a long, heavy one, because a long one took too much energy to fight with and also was heavy, therefore taking more time to draw and attack successfully.
A Roman gladius recovered from Colchester
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Pilum- medium-length throwing spear- The pilum played a vital role in battle. It was a metal point attached to a wooden rod. The pilum, when jabbed into the shield of an enemy, would split the enemy’s scutum, meaning that the enemy would no longer be able to use his scutum, making him more vulnerable to impact from further attacks. After piercing the shield, the flexible ‘javelin’ would snap to prevent the enemy throwing the spear back. These ideas and inventions of the Romans are what meant that they were able to conquer many a land with relative ease, crushing anyone who stood in their path.
A reconstruction of a pilum.
Artillery
Artillery was different from weapons, as weapons were used in closer range combat, whereas artillery was used from further away as a way of deterring the enemy from advancing. Flaming rocks and other dangerous items would be flung from
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Scorpio- The Scorpio was similar to a crossbow of the later middle ages. It fired an arrow by pulling a strap back as far as it would go and letting it go. This catapult used a system of springs with torsion, making it possible to obtain very great power and thus a high speed of ejection for the bolts.
A Scorpio being used in this clay cutting found in Colchester
- Ballista- The ballista was similar to a catapult. It flung large rocks over walls of a town. It was also fired by pulling back a strap. It relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a prod, the springs consisting of several loops of twisted skeins.
An artist’s impression of soldiers using a ballista
- Onager- The onager was a smaller version of the ballista. It flung medium-sized rocks in the same way as the ballista.
The Roman writer, Ammianus Marcellinus, wrote this about how the Onager was structured and worked:
The onager's framework is made out of two beams from oak, which curve into humps. In the middle they have quite large holes in them, in which strong sinew ropes are stretched and twisted. A long arm is then inserted between the bundles of rope; at its end it has a pin and a pouch. It strikes on a huge buffer with a sack stuffed with fine chaff and secured by tight binding. When it comes to combat, a round stone (often clay balls with ‘Greek fire’ in them, which explode on impact and burst into flames) is put in the pouch and the arm is winched down. Then, the master artilleryman strikes the pin with a hammer, and with a big blow, the stone is launched towards its target.
This equipment was very modern at that time, and the Roman army was one of the first to have it. It was the utilization of such new weaponry, and well-structured techniques, like the testudo, which made the Roman army so overpowering.
The testudo
The most notable and efficient technique employed by the Romans was the testudo, where the soldiers would create a covering, by lifting up their shields, much like a roof. The men at the front and back would hold their shields vertically, and the men in the middle would hold their shields horizontally above their heads, as depicted by the statue below. This formation meant that any pilums or arrows thrown at the proceeding soldiers would hit the shields, but not harm the soldiers underneath.
Pay in the Roman Army
Another aspect of the Roman army was the pay. The yearly salary was generally good, although the work was difficult in order to earn that money. Although there were many changes made with the Marion reform, the salary of the standard miles remained unchanged at 225 denarii.
This was from an excerpt of a military record, denoting the payment received by Damascus, who was a Syrian soldier stationed in Egypt in 81 A.D
This value of 225 denarii remained the standard wage for a foot soldier throughout the years of Marius, and did not get changed until the rule of Domitian, who raised the wage to 300 denarii per year. It is not clear why Domitian introduced this increase, although I think it was done for this reason: there was more trade occurring between the Roman Empire and other countries, meaning Domitian had more money to spend on his loyal and hard-working army, who helped the Rome expand her territories. The reason for the increase in trade was due to the fact that Domitian’s army was ever-expanding and invading countries which were rich of raw materials and other precious items.
This value of 225 denarii was a good amount, compared to what other Romans would earn, and after leaving the army once 25 years had been served, the well-respected, or faithful and brave soldiers would be cared for by the Consul, something that no other profession would provide; a ‘pension’.
Conclusion
On the whole, life for Roman soldiers was relatively nice. Although the training and physical aspect of the job proved to be a challenge, there were also many benefits; good pay, accommodation when not fighting, and most importantly for some of the soldiers, with the job came a title of nobility, and women were often encouraged to marry these brave men over commoners. As well as this, the efficiency of which war and training was executed was exemplary and the weapons were also something that wouldn’t be complained about. Compared to some of the other soldiers in other, smaller legions in other countries, the Roman soldiers were living in ‘luxury’, with everything they needed when they were serving in the Army, and once they had retired also.
Total Word Count: 1,983 Words
Bibliography
www.wikipedia.com
www.legionxxiv.org
www.vroma.org
www.military-quotes.com/vegetius-renatus.htm
http://history-world.org/roman_army.htm
http://www.roman-empire.net/army/army.html
“As the Romans did” by Jo-Ann Shelton
