Potestas was legal power belonging to the various roles of political offices. They were recruited from among the eligible citizenry of one or more nearby counties and usually consisted of 1,000 men when first organized. But while the old primipilate offered veteran centurions the chance to move up to higher command positions, the new army of the tetrarchy developed an alternative means of advancement. In the ancient times, the roman military consisted of 5000 soldiers and divided into different ranks and departments, thus creating a hierarchical structure.
Comparisons to modern ranks, however, can only be loose because the roman armys command structure was very different from the organizational structure of its modern counterparts, which arose from the medieval mercenary companies, rather than from the writings of fourth century roman writer vegetius and caesars commentaries on his conquest of. From britain to syria, and from the rhine and danube to north africa, there is abundant evidence of the activities of its legionaries and auxiliary soldiers. This book goes beyond the stereotypes found in popular culture to examine the roman army from the first armed citizens of the early republic through the glorious heights of the imperial legions to the shameful defeats inflicted upon the late roman. Apr 23, 2016 the organization and structure of the imperial roman army, the legion, the praetorians, the vigiles, the navy, the urban cohort and the auxiliaries. Just as in the roman army, class was an important factor. Webster, the roman imperial army of the first and second century a. May 03, 2011 just as in the roman army, class was an important factor. Offers broad coverage of the roman army, from the lives of individual soldiers to military. Paul erdkamp is research fellow in ancient history at leiden university. The roman army consisted of four legions, each with the strength of roughly 4200 infantrymen. An extensive account of the roman army, from its beginnings to its transformation in the later roman empire examines the army as a military machine its recruitment, training, organization, tactics and weaponry. Following the marian reforms of 107 bce, the roman army was transformed into the force that would build one of the most impressive empires in history. While there was a growing disconnect between the army and most of the inhabitants of the empire, it remained distinctly roman through its discipline, its organization, its command structure and the troops training.
Jan 01, 2007 this companion provides an extensive account of the roman army, exploring its role in roman politics and society as well as the reasons for its effectiveness as a fighting force. Ancient roman military hierarchy roman army rank structure. Infographic illustrating the structure of the roman army. Buy the encyclopedia of the roman army set of 3 volumes by le bohec, yann isbn. The complete roman army by adrian goldsworthy, paperback. In part two of this article, i will go on to discuss the changes to the command structure in the legions of constantines era. The chart above represents a typical latewar union army structure. Pat southern has published nine books on the roman army and on roman history, including the roman cavalry with karen r.
The basic roman military hierarchy followed by the roman armed forces is as follows. The imperial roman army has been and is still admired by many people as an excellent fighting force. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. The encyclopedia of the roman army set of 3 volumes. Deblois, lukas, the roman army and politics in the first century b. Catilines war, the jugurthine war, histories by sallust, the history of rome, books 15. In the roman military, a dux would be a general in charge of two or more legions. A comprehensive threevolume reference work on one of the greatest military institutions in world history.
This companion provides an extensive account of the roman army, exploring its role in roman politics and society as well as the reasons for its effectiveness as a fighting force. Chart 51 shows the organization of both classes of troops, their provenance, function, and command structure around the time when jesus was born. Organization of the roman army the success of the roman. The early roman manipular legion, used from the fourth century b. Roman emperor constantine is one of the most momentous figures in the history of christianity, a ruler whose conversion turned the cult of jesus into a world religion. Roman culturemilitary organization and leadership wikibooks. Of course, the prime purpose of the roman army was to defeat the enemy in battle. Originally created as a video installation for the vindolanda museum at hadrians wall on the english scottish border. This was the must successful form of the force and hence it is the one that is remembered and indeed the one taught on the curriculum this year.
A companion to the roman army, 2011 online research library. In this page, we look at the overall fighting strength of a roman imperial legion, how it was organized, and the many different ranks of those within it. But beyond the battlefield, the roman army was a fundamental social force as well. Authority in ancient rome was complex, and as one can expect from rome, full of tradition, myth, and awareness of their own storied history. It was in the structures of military command, however, that the greatest changes took place. The roman army reigned supreme for over 1,000 years. In the early roman kingdom legion may have meant the entire roman army, but sources on this period are few and unreliable. The command structure of the roman army we already talked about the fascinating organization of the roman army.
Short history of rome, how the army developed through the years, daytoday life of the soldiers, command structure and charts of a few of the most important battles. From citystate to republic to empire, romes army embodied the nation it protected and expanded. Contains an appendix detailing the rank structure of the roman army includes illustrations of military equipment, sculptured tombstones, and portraits of. Hierarchy and commandstructure in the roman army published on 01 jan 1998 by brill. The guiding principle behind this companion to the roman army is the belief that the roman army cannot adequately be described only as an instrument of combat, but must be viewed also as an essential component of roman society, economy, and politics. Only men were allowed to be roman soldiers and they had to be roman citizens and at least twenty years old. The encyclopedia of the roman army is a comprehensive threevolume reference to the armed forces deployed by ancient rome during its early period, republic, principate, and late antique times. Before marius, recruitment was limited to citizens enrolled in the top 5 roman classes. It was also the source of the empires economic and political strength, ensuring domestic peace so. The encyclopedia of the roman army is a comprehensive threevolume reference to the armed forces deployed by ancient rome during its early period, republic, principate, and late antique times a comprehensive threevolume reference work on one of the greatest military institutions in world history. It was also the source of the empires economic and political strength, ensuring domestic peace so that trade could flourish.
Classical scholar baker tells of the changing roman world in which constantine. And as always, for more information consult the books on the bibliography page. The history of the support area command post sacp as a concept dates back as far as the roman legions, when there was an organizing function and set of principles that governed support area operations. She has also written biographies of mark antony, pompey the great, julius caesar, augustus, and cleopatra. The imperial roman army was the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the roman empire from. Meticulous financial records were kept by units cornicularii bookkeepers. For the organization of our modern legio xx, see the bylaws page. Jul 19, 2015 while the later 3rd and early 4th centuries saw the development of a newly organised roman army, the essential building blocks of the roman legion remained much the same. It was the military of ancient rome which allowed it to rise above all others and dominate the mediterranean basin for more than a millennium. Marius also changed the basic command structure of the legion, altering the maniple to one based around the cohort. Perhaps the ultimate authority was imperium, the power to command the roman army. The roman army was the machine that allowed rome to conquer its empire.
Though its officers didnt have the same titles as their modern counterparts, many of the same duties still needed to be fulfilled. The west roman army disintegrated ad 425470, whilst the east roman army continued until the muslim conquests, after which the theme system was created. An extensive account of the roman army, from its beginnings to its transformation in the later roman empire. Warfare and food supply in roman republican wars 26430 bc 1998 and the grain market in the roman empire 2005, and editor of the roman army and the economy 2002.
These men marched together and shared a tent or a room at a fort. The tactics and strategies of the roman army helped them fend more than half of the world, and thus they came to be known as one of the best armies, which remains unchanged even today. There was a reduction in the number of officers, one per cohort, so that there were fewer officers to relay information, keeping the command structure much simpler. Augustus modified the command structure of the legion to reflect its new permanent, professional nature. This book is the first to examine in detail not just the early imperial army but also the citizens militia of the republic and the army of the later empire. Apr 30, 20 it was a force to be reckoned with, and it still is because to understand how the roman army operated is no easy task, and this definition has only brushed the topsoil off the vast wealth of details on the roman army that has been buried in time.
It is an excellent academic reference book and should prove a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of the roman army as well as its interactions over a thousand years with the empire it both served and influenced. At the height of its power and glory, the roman army was divided into 3 primary corps, namely, the roman legions, praetorian guard and the roman auxiliaries. The consuls had the power to recruit troops, but in the last years of the republic, provincial governors were replacing troops without the approval of the consuls. An outstanding general study of the roman military system.
However, the strength of the roman legion was also complemented by its incredibly deep yet sufficiently straightforward command structure. Hierarchy and command structure in the roman army published on 01 jan 1998 by brill. The roman army was one of the most successful fighting forc. Many of the successes of the ancient roman army and military system can be attributed to their inherent capacity to simply react.
A cohort was the equal of three old style maniples. The roman army exercitus did not start out as the superlative fighting machine that came to dominate europe to the rhine, parts of asia, and africa. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Legati augusti propraetore governed imperial provinces. Just as the roman empire, and the world surrounding it, changed almost beyond recognition over the centuries, so did its army. Stucture of the roman army the roman army was broken down into different groups to have a clear chain of command during battle. The complete history of every imperial roman legion and what it achieved as a.
The roman army created specialized agencies to issue and transport weapons, equipment, and rations to frontline troops. At the time of augustus caesar, the roman military was comprised of regular soldiers of roman or italian origin organized into legions and stationed through the provinces of the empire as single legions or combined with other legions into an army exercitus. The complete roman army by adrian goldsworthy goodreads. The roman army was the backbone of the empires power, and the romans managed to conquer so many tribes, clans, confederations, and empires because of their military superiority. Civil war army organization american battlefield trust. It began like the parttime greek army, with farmers returning to their fields after a quick summer campaign. Originally created as a video installation for the vindolanda museum at hadrians wall on the english.
Behind the legionaries is, from left to right, an aquilifer, cornicen and signifer. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Mar 31, 2011 an extensive account of the roman army, from its beginnings to its transformation in the later roman empire examines the army as a military machine its recruitment, training, organization, tactics and weaponry explores the relationship of the army to roman politics, economics and society more broadly considers the geography and climate of. Jones later roman empire 1964, which contains the fundamental study of the late roman army, calculated a similar total of 600,000 exc. The second type, the principes, typically formed the second rank of soldiers back from the front of a battle line. Structural history of the roman military wikipedia. The roman army is one of the most fascinating elements of ancient history. This page explores and uncovers all wonder of different peculiarities surrounding the roman military machine from recruitment and training to retirement. The structural history of the roman military concerns the major transformations in the. Large portions of modern military rank and structure can trace its roots to the roman army. Click the link to find out some more information about roman soldiers. Other troops were raised in the provinces and organized utilizing a different structure. If a province had several legions stationed in it, the governor was also the army legate that had command over the legates for each legion.
Roman army has always stayed popular due to its acts of braveries, the excellence of its soldiers and the structure in which it is arranged that is known as roman military hierarchy. The subsequent organization of legions varied greatly over time but legions were typically composed of around five thousand soldiers. The roman army and politics in the first century before christ amsterdam 1987. The soldier in the front of the formation is a centurion.
The barbarisation of the lower ranks was paralleled by a concurrent barbarisation of its command structure, with the roman senators who had traditionally provided its commanders becoming entirely excluded from the army. There are many reasons why the roman army was so effective, one was its recruitment process probatio which consisted in determining if a potential recruit fulfilled the necessary criteria to serve in the imperial roman army. Only those men of the highest social rank could hold the highest ranks in the roman navy. A companion to the roman army, 2011 online research.
Rather unusually for this book but doubtlessly reflecting the sources, almost all of. This also allows the author to deal with the somewhat traditional myth about the barbarization of the army. By 235 ad the emperor himself, the figurehead of the entire military, was a man born outside of italy to nonitalian parents. Modern armies are very different from roman armies in the same way that even 18th19th century armies were different. There wasnt really a centralized military bureaucracy responsible for military planning and hence made having coherent and consi. This book is the first to examine in detail not just the early imperial army but also the. The organization and structure of the imperial roman army, the legion, the praetorians, the vigiles, the navy, the urban cohort and the auxiliaries. There are also brief sections on the physical appearance of the centurion and senior officers. After the defeat of antony and cleopatra in 30 bc augustus turned the troops of the republic into the worlds first major standing army, recruiting soldiers from all over the roman world. The roman military was a precisely organized and expertly led fighting force.
The regiment was the basic maneuver unit of the civil war. Ancient roman army or military was also termed as a roman region which was specially created and recruited by roman citizens. The complete roman army goldsworthy, adrian livres. The roman empire saw one of the first truly professional armies in history, and became the inspiration for european armies that followed it. The roman army was incredibly wellorganised, welltrained and highly disciplined. Hierarchy and commandstructure in the roman army in. Dixon and the roman empire from severus to constantine. To what extent did the roman legions influence military.
Elton, hugh, frontiers of the roman empire bloomington. Jul 19, 2015 just as the roman empire, and the world surrounding it, changed almost beyond recognition over the centuries, so did its army. There was also auctoritas, a kind of intangible social authority tied to reputation and status. The smallest unit was the conturbenium, which was a group of eight soldiers. The following historyplex article sheds light on their war strategies in detail. Legatus legionis the legati augusti legionis legionary commanders were senators, expraetors around thirty years of age who typically served a 3 sometimes up to 7 year tour of duty. This page summarizes the basic arrangement of a roman legion, and the officers and command structure. All classes of freeborn citizens could rise to hold the other ranks, but as in the army, social barriers prevented promotion beyond the. The image of the roman legionary is as familiar today as it was to the citizens and enemies of the vast roman empire two thousand years ago. Short history of rome, how the army developed through the years, daytoday life of the soldiers, command structure and charts of a.
1490 234 1008 1285 835 708 1145 595 1230 1071 120 1539 1204 25 183 1121 627 1516 263 114 1374 98 292 1015 279 1564 1468 1254 1388 1268 711 1335 398 1057 103 1187 717 273 1473