roman tactics, armor and weapons !
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ROMAN TACTICS, ARMOR AND WEAPONS !
By: Nicholas Seaver and Garland Graves
Size of a Roman Legion Contubernium: (tent group) consisted of 8 men. Centuria: (century) was made up of 10 contubernium with a total of 80
men commanded by a centurion Cohorts: (cohort) included 6 centuriae or a total of 480 fighting men, not
including officers. Legio: (Legion) consisted of 10 cohorts.
Additionally each Legion had a 120 man Alae (cavalry unit) permanently attached to it possibly to be used as scouts and messengers.
Therefore the total fighting strength of a Legion:The First Cohort totaling 800 men (5 double-strength centuries with 160 men each) 9 Cohors (with 6 centuries at 80 men each) for a total 4,320, and an additional 120 man cavalry for a grand total of 4440 men not including all the officers. So during Augustus reign he had around 150,000 men at his disposal.
Augustus and the Legionaries As Augustus emerged the victor in the final civil war to end the
Republic, the situation for him was no different, and the settlement of the military issue was of paramount importance.
Soon after his return from Egypt, Augustus quickly dismissed as many as 300,000 troops from active service. In this however, he seemingly didn't show preferential treatment to his own armies, but allowed any who wished to retire the right to do so, while keeping the willing men from both his and Antony's troops as part of a new standing army. The remaining legions, some 150,000 men strong, were organized into 28 total legions and spread throughout the empire. This new professional army would be paid a salary directly by the emperor, ensuring loyalty to Augustus
Roman Tactics: The Tortoise
The tortoise was a defensive formation by which the legionaries would hold their shields overhead, except for the front rows, thereby creating a kind of shell-like armor shielding them against missiles from the front or above.
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The WedgeThe wedge was commonly used by attacking legionaries, - legionaries formed up in a
triangle, the front 'tip' being one man and pointing toward the enemy, - this enabled small groups to be thrust well into the enemy and, when these formations expanded, the enemy troops were pushed into restricted positions, making hand-to-hand fighting difficult. This is where the short legionary gladius was useful, held low and used as a thrusting weapon.
The SawThe saw was opposite tactic to the wedge. This was a detached unit, immediately behind the front line, capable of fast sideways movement down the length of the line to block any holes which might appear to develop a thrust where there might be a sign of weakness.
Repel CavalryThe order to repel cavalry brought about the following formation. The first rank would form a firm wall with their shields, only their pila protruding, forming a vicious line of spearheads ahead of the wall of shields. A horse, however well trained, could hardly be brought to break through such a barrier. The second rank of the infantry would then use its spears to drive off any attackers whose horses came to a halt. This formation would no doubt prove very effective, particularly against ill-disciplined enemy cavalry.
The OrbThe orb is a defensive position in the
shape of a circle taken by a unit in desperate straits. It allows for a reasonably effective defense even if parts of an army have been divided in battle and would have required a very high level discipline by the individual soldiers.
Armor of The Pax Romana Era
Lorica segmentata- The armor itself consist of broad strips fastened to internal leather straps. The strips were arranged horizontally on the body, overlapping downwards, and they surrounded the torso in two halves, being fastened at the front and back by means of brass hooks, which were joined by leather laces. The upper body and shoulders were protected by additional strips ('shoulder guards') and breast- and back plates.
Armor of The Pax Romana Era
Lorica hamata- The Lorica hamata is a type of chain mail armor used during the Roman Empire as standard-issue armor for the primary heavy infantry legionaries and secondary troops (Auxilia). They were mostly manufactured out of iron, sometimes bronze. The rings were linked together, alternating closed washer-like rings with riveted rings. This produced a very flexible, reliable and strong armor.
Shields of the Pax Romana Era Scutum- is the Latin word for "shield", although
it has in modern times come to be specifically associated with the rectangular, semi-cylindrical body shield carried by Roman legion. It formed the base of most Roman Tactics.
Shields of the Pax Romana Era Parma or parmula-was a type of round shield used
by Roman army, especially during the later period of Imperial history. It was a yard across and had iron in its frame, making it a very effective piece of armor. Parma had a handle and a shield boss.
Galea A roman helmet made of iron. They horse hair on top symbolizes ones rankIn the roman army. To this date
archeologists have never found a whole galea only bits and pieces of it. The helmet is actually taken from Goth designs and fitted for roman use.
Weapons of the Pax Romana
The Pilum
The Pilum was a javelin made especially for the legionnaire. The legionnaire carried two Pila each one was relatively light and when the legion was marching they were carried in the free hand in battle the Pila was attached to the Scutum or shield. Pila were made from wood and iron, the tip was designed to break upon impact and if it didn't the ball at the base of the point would make it impossible to pull the Pilum out.
Weapons of the Pax Romana
Gladius was the roman word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Rome soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early part of the conquest of Hispania. This sword was known as the Gladius Hispaniensis, or "Hispanic Sword".
Roman Navy During the Pax Romana the Romans had the best
navy in the world. Even though there navy was superior the Romans were always land people and the navy was always under army control. Since the Romans had little knowledge of ship building most of their ships were based off of captured Carthaginians vessels.
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