1. The Roman Army

2. Men in the Roman Army Men served 25 years
The end of their term brought retirement
Retirement usually brought a grant of land or cash
Those who were already Roman, were given citizenship

3. The Hard Life Soldiers were sometimes required to walk 20 miles a day
They had to carry their 80 pounds of armour, their shield, some food, and their camping equipment

4. Dining The generals made sure their men were well fed. Soldiers ate:
Cereals
Meats
Pig, such as bacon, ham, lard
Wheat
Fruits and vegetables

5. Nap Time Living quarters were cramped, sometimes holding 8 men
Even so, these men usually bonded and became friends

6. Entertain Yourself Board games such as: Dice Roman Chess
Soldiers found somehow found time to play around and have some fun. Their fun included:
Board games such as:
Dice
Roman Chess
Roman Checkers
Tic-tac-toe
Tabula
Jumping
Wrestling
Boxing
Racing
Riding
Throwing
Swimming
Fishing
Hunting
Handball
Field hockey
Catch
A form of soccer

7. The Outside
Roman soldiers really did not get to communicate outside the army.
Soldiers usually did not see their families for years
Soldiers were not allowed to marry until they left the army

8. Show Me the Money Legionary pay was low, only 112.5 denarii a year
Centurions received anywhere from 3,750 to 15,000 denarii a year
The cost of food and arms was deducted from each soldiers pay

9. The Front Lines: Battle Equipment
Armour
Simple military tunic with metal corselet over it
Boots were laced high, and had extra traction
Military belt had a sheath for a short sword or dagger

10. Helmets Many different types of helmets were used in the Roman Army
Most had round cap
Hinged cheek pieces
Neck protector

11. Shields Held in left hand Curved rectangle shape, or an oval
Symbol on front represented their service, century, and cohort

12. Weaponry
The Pilum
A throwing javelin that bent on impact, thus rendering it useless and difficult to remove
The Gladius
A double edged short sword used for stabbing and thrusting
20-22 inches long used in favorable close combat

13. Form Up! Organization Century: 80-100 men led by a centurion
Cohort: the basic fighting unit; 6 centuries (6 x 80=480 men).
Legion: 10 Cohorts (10x480=4800 men)

14. Commanding Officers General:Imperator
One general led each military campaign
Legates and Military Tribunes
Legate led a legion, which contained 6 military tribunes
Centurions
Led 80 man century

15. Emperor and the Army Imperator was term only given to emperor
Emperor could take control of the army as he pleased, but only in the empire

16. Roman Military Camps
Each Roman military camp was alike, even the temporary ones.
Each one had:
Constructed according to a pattern
Laid out like a city, bisected by 2 streets leading to 4 gates
Always fortified; surrounded by a deep ditch and a wall

17. The Troops Inside Rome
The vigiles, served as fire fighters and night watchmen in the city of Rome
The cohortes urbanae was a sort of police force
The praetorian guard, served as a permanent bodyguard for the emperor
Also, 9 cohorts were stationed in the city

18. Battle Tactics and Formations
Pig’s Head
The infantry was placed into a wedge-shaped formation and would push into the enemy with a wall of shields.
Square Formation
When surrounded, the Romans formed a square formation with interlocking shields

19. Battle tactics (cont.)
Phalanx – rectangluar formation of heavy infantry of spears, spikes, etc.
Impermeable points to the front
Phalangos – greek word for finger

20. Formations Continued The Testudo
Tortoise-like formation with shields in front as well as on top for protection from arrows

21. REPRESENT!!: Battle Standards
Battle standards were tall poles topped with various insignia and symbols
They helped to keep the units together
Were also religious and they sometimes preformed rituals to them

23. Ex. Of Battle Standards

24. Battle Standards
The standards helped to keep the units together, since the soldiers could see them above the action.
Standards also helped to preserve the pride of each unit, they represented a symbol of that unit's achievements.

25. Battle Standards
Each century, cohort, and legion had its own standard.
during battle and other activities, these were held by officers called standard bearers
were marked out from other soldiers by the animal-head skins they wore on their heads.

26. The Eagle The most important symbol was the legionary eagle
It was the symbol of the power of Rome and the honor of the legion
To lose the legionary eagle in battle was a terrible disgrace

27. Sacramentum
The sacramentum was like the oath of office for the Roman soldiers
Says that he would fulfill his conditions of service even to the point of death
In effect, he gave up his citizen's right of appeal for any death sentence

28. Punishment
Minor offences involved food rationing, hitting with the centurion's staff, or public flogging
More serious offences could lead to fines and deductions from pay or reductions in rank
For the most serious offences, such as desertion, a soldier could be summarily executed

29. The Worst of the Worst
The worst punishment of all was decimation, usually applied to a whole cohort
Every tenth man in the unit was randomly selected to be clubbed or beaten to death by the other soldiers

30. YAY!! Rewards Victorious generals could expect a triumph
It was an elaborate procession through the city of Rome to Jupiter's temple on the Capitoline hill
Usually made the generals feel like gods

31. Credits http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/exhibition/army.shtml