Lean, Mean, Conquering Machine

Chapter 14

In this presentation you will learn:the classes of soldierthe length of service for a soldierthe pay of a soldierthe organization of the armythe officers/commanders of the armythe equipment used by a soldierthe tactics of the armyspecial forces

Focus

Originally based on what the could bring so the wealthier you were the higher your ‘rank’

Senators were leaders Equites were the wealthiest who could provide a horse and constituted the cavalry

1st heavy infantry (the best armed) 2nd heavy infantry (no breastplate) 3rd lightly armed (spears and javelins) 4th lightly armed (spears and javelins) 5th armed with stones/slingshots Each of the above classes had

seniores: veterans (aged 47-60)iuniores: rookies (aged 17-46)

Proletarii: the poorest citizens excused from service

Classes

in 390BC we go to Maniples not classeshastii: the youngest troopsprincipes: middle aged; prime fighting agetriarii: oldestrorarii: the old 4th class (spears/javelins)velites: the poorest with weapons but no armor

Marius changed it againhe liked cohorts and armed everyone with a sword and pilum (spear) so that the velites were no more and the differences amongst the hastii, principes and triarii dwindled as well. this also meant a shift from a citizen army to a professional one.

Change of Classes

originally men served the length of a campaign season (the non farming months)

as times changed so did the length of service (16-25 years) after Marius 20+ years was not uncommon Praetorian Guards served less time (12-16 years) Auxiliaries served between 25-30 years

Duration

First earnings were nothing and soldiers paid for their food, clothing and equipment

After 390BC, soldiers received a stipend (daily cash)the stipend ranged from ½ to 1 ½ denarii depending on rank with

food deducted from the pay By the 50’s BC the stipend was seen more as an allowance and was

fixed at 112.5 denarii a year for legionaries with food deducted from it Julius Caesar doubled pay to 225 denarii Augustus increased the pay of centurions to 3750-15,000 denarii Domitian increased the pay for legionaries to 300 denarii Domitian increased the pay for the Praetorian Guard to 1000 denarii Domitian increased the pay for centurions to 5,000 – 20,000 denarii Soldiers could also expect to “earn” money from booty captured in war Soldiers might be given a ‘bonus’ for their loyalty from Caesar onward Soldiers could also expect gifts of land on retirement

Pay

The divisions of the army changed but here is the now thought of standard by the time of Julius Caesar

*the first cohort was ‘doubled’ and consisted of 5 centuries or 800 menIn addition each century had a leader called a centurion (59-60)Plus there was the cavalry of about 120 men Thus a legion had around 5300 men

contubernia 8 men who shared a tent and a mule

century 10 contubernia (80 men)cohort 6 centuries (480 men)legion 9 regular cohorts + the first

cohort (5120 men)

Organization

tesserarius daily password imaginifer carried the image of the emperorsignifer carried the legion’s standards (flags)aquilifer: the eagle standard (very prestigious)optio rear officer (second in command to the centurion)centurion commanded the centuries; trained the menprimus pilus centurion of the first cohortpraefectus castorum

camp prefect/leader of the camp

tribunes selected the centurions; 5 were Equestrianlegatus overall commander of the legion appointed by the

emperormagister equitum

assistant to the dictator

dictator a commander of chief appointed in times of emergency

emperor/king commander in chief during their respective eras

Officers

caligae hobnail bootsgalea helmet with cheek and neck guardslorica hamata shirt of chain maillorica segmenta “plate armor” overlapping pieces of ironlorica squamata “scale armor” overlapping scales of iron or bronze

resemblingpugio daggergladius swordpilum javelin/spearscutum shield

Equipment

A Roman soldier was expected to carry all of his own personal items, like the weapons from the previous slide and additional equipment. He had to carry his luggage, stakes for camp, bronze mess tin, cooking pot, rations for 3-20 (depending on the era) days, a saw, basket, pickax, sickle, leather strap and chain, shovel. The weight of the pack has been estimated at 66-100 lbs! Also soldiers were expected to march 18 miles a day, up to 30 if in a hurry!

A Soldier’s Pack

Phalanx: shields were overlapped and spears extended

Testudo: shields were overlapped on all sides

Circumvallation: surrounding an area with ramparts and trenches, cutting it off

If storming a town did not work, the Romans starved it!For sieges, battering rams, towers and catapults were all used.

Tactics

Praetorian Guard The personal body guard of the general and later the emperor

Recruited only from Italy Served shorter lengths Higher Pay

Auxiliaries The specialist needed in an army

Cavalry and archers Recruited from allies or paid soldiers

Granted citizenship after service

Longer lengths of service

Navy The poorest citizens often became sailors.

Were ranked far below soldiers

Lower pay and longer terms of service

Not particularly great Best maneuver was to use the ship as a platform to land soldiers

Special Forces

AssignmentNow that you know all about the Roman Army, it wants you! That’s right....it is time for you to create a recruitment poster. Your poster must list what you can bring to the army, what you will carry, the size of your legion, how long you will serve and what salary you expect plus a graphic. Your poster should be appealing to the eye. Additionally, it should look like you took your time and put some effort into it. Your poster may be submitted through the assignment page as a word document or any other format...as long as it can be readily opened.