Roman Military Osvaldo Jaimes
Table of contents Weapons Armor Roman Ranks SO Roman Ranks Other Groups Roman Generals Discipline Decimation Bibliography
Pugio (dagger) Dagger like weapon used by legionnaires Secondary Weapon Leaf Shaped Blade 3 millimeters thin cm long
Gladius (sword) Short sword of the SPQR Used mostly to stab rather than slash due to space Known as “Spanish Sword” due to inheritance from Spain Design of hilt identified the rank of the soldier
Hasta (spear) Used to stab and smack the enemy rather than being thrown Wooden shaft made of ash Iron Triangular shaped tip Usually found at the last line of army carried by legionnaires
Pilum (javelin) Heavier javelin than normal When thrown with speed, the impact, would pierce through a shield or armor When pierced in a shield, the pilum is not easy to take out and is useless
Spatha Longer than Gladius Worn on Left hip inches in length Romans adopted it from Germanic foes
Verutum (light javelin) Javelin lighter and shorter than the pilum Used by the Velites or light infantry] 1.1 meter long shaft with a 13 centimeter tip Used mostly to keep war elephants away Was replaced by the pilum
Lorica Segmentata More improved version of gladiator torso armor Laminated iron straps joined together by hooks or leather straps iron straps gave you maximum protection Design of the armor allowed for easy torso movements
Lorica Hamata “hook armor” Made completely of iron Known to be worn by the heavy infantry legionnaires Made of small heavy metal rings making it the strongest yet most flexible piece of armor
Parma 36 inch shield in diameter Frame was made of iron making it very effective Worn by the lowest division- The Velites effective in blocking arrows
Manica (Arm Guard) Proved to be effective by gladiators Made of overlapping iron or bronze circular bands latched on leather Flexible and comfortable to be worn by a swordsman
Caligae (boots) Sandals with heavy thick soles Boots were laced from the center to the ankle of the foot by leather straps Open air design to avoid blisters Same design for every soldier
Tribuni Angusticlavii Young soldiers Part of high raked families There were 5 tribuni angusticlavii in each legion
Praefectus Castorum Usuallly war veterans Hard on their legions Third in command Had some of the least power
Tribunis Laticlavius Co leader of the legions In charge after the Dux Mostly needed when anything happened to the other leaders Less power than the Dux
Dux General for more than 2 legions Every Dux was a professional Leaders of more than 1 unit Commanded the troops
Legatus Commanded up to 6,000 soldiers Served for ONLY 2 years Political authority
Decanus Commanded 8 soldiers Contubernium= 8 soldiers
Decurio Commander of a small calvary men Originally commanded a decuria (10) Later commanded a turma (32)
Tesserarius 2 nd in command One in every centuria Administrative assistant Similar to non commissioned officers
Optio 60 per legion Chosen by a centurion Similar to an executive officer Enforced orders of a centurion
Legion Made up of 5,400 men Each legion had smaller groups inside of it Made up of citizens
Centuria 100 soldiers After the roman legions Commanded by a centurion which was a professional leader
Cohort Centuria had 10 cohorts Had from men Basic unit Junior officers helped in commanding
Calvary Soldiers on horses Started in 338 B.C, Had an end to the calvary
Julius Caesar Julius Caesar considered one of the best Roman Generals. During the Civil war he helped the Empire grow and get more powerful. He was very popular in Rome and later became leader of Rome.
Scipio Africanus Scipio Africanus was a general in the second Punic War against Hannibal, which he managed to defeat. He was best known for his tactics and his studying of Hannibal’s tactics which led him to victory.
Augustus Caesar Augustus mostly like Julius was very popular and really smart. He was best when hard situations were brought to him. He was the emperor from September 63 B.C. until August 14 A.D. He was known for creating the era of peace and being victorious against big leaders
Pecunaria Multa Deductions were placed on the soldier’s pay check You were given several chances for this discipline You eventually got hit
Fustuarium Get beaten to death Go to court If you were able to escape you would have no peace
Unmanly Acts Punished if you were a coward Punished in groups of ten Less food was given to you Beaten to death
Decimation In English the word decimation means to destroy or obliterate completely. In Latin decimatio meant to destroy 1/10 of something. The difference between these two is in English you get rid of that particular something completely.
Bibliography
Bibliography order.html order.html cohorts.htm cohorts.htm centurion.html centurion.html d_punishments d_punishments