The Roman Army

The Legion The Roman army was the most efficient fighting machine the ancient world had ever seen. The basic unit of the army was the legion. Each legion was composed of approximately 5200 soldiers. At the time when Flavius was in Britain, the Roman army had 26 legions, stationed all over the vast Empire.

The Cohort In order to maneuver the army easily during battle, the legion was broken down into smaller units called cohorts. Each cohort was composed of 480 soldiers, except for the First Cohort, which had 800 men and was considered the most experienced fighting unit.

The Maniple When the army lined up for battle, the cohort was broken down into three segments called Maniples. Each Maniple had 160 man. The Maniples were arranged one behind the other. When the First Maniple grew tired of fighting, it could drop to the rear, and the Second Maniple would move up to take over the fighting.

The Century The most important unit of the army was the Century, composed of 80 men. This was the group that trained together and which was led by a seasoned warrior called the Centurion. A Century would be well disciplined by its Centurion, because each century wanted to be the best in the legion.

Contubernium When the soldiers were in camp, each century was divided into groups of 8 men who formed a Contubernium. This was a tent group, who bunked together and ate together. They were responsible for cooking their own meals and keeping their own tent in order. The soldiers in the Contubernium usually became very close friends.

The Auxiliaries Only Roman citizens could be regular soldiers in the legion. However, non-Romans were allowed to serve in the army as part of the Auxiliary Forces. The most important unit of Auxiliaries was the Cavalry. Normally, a cavalry unit of 120 men was attached to each legion. They served as scouts, messengers, and guarded the flanks of the legion’s formation as it marched into battle.

The Legionary Soldier The regular Roman legionary soldier was a well-trained and well-equipped professional fighter. He was required to pay for his weapons and armor, and made sure that these items were kept in tiptop condition.

Armor On his head the Roman soldier wore a helmet called a galea. His chest and vital organs were protected by a segmented breastplate known as a lorica. And, on his feet he wore hobnail boots called caligae.

Weapons His basic weapon was the two-foot long stabbing sword called a gladius, which was worn on his right side. On his left side he carried a small dagger known as a pugio. And, in his right hand he carried his throwing javelin, called a pilum.

Shield The Roman soldier carried on his left arm a large shield called a scutum. This rectangular wooden shield could protect most of his body, and thus allowed him to close in on the enemy in order to use his sword effectively.

The Camp Most of the soldier’s life was spent within his military camp called the Castra. In the camp was a hospital, the commander’s headquarters, stables for the horses, soldiers’ barracks, latrines, and supply buildings. Normally there was also a bath complex for the soldiers’ enjoyment and for sanitary reasons.

The March Periodically, the legion would go on the march, to put down rebellions and to pacify the countryside. Like soldiers everywhere, they probably sang as they marched.

Marching Song I’m with you and you’re with me, and so we are all together, so we are all together, so we are all together. Sing with me. I’ll sing with you, and so we will sing together, as we march along. We are marching through Britannia, Britannia, Britannia. We are marching through Britannia, Britannia capta.