Citizendia
Your Ad Here

"Legion" redirects here. For other uses of this word, see Legion (disambiguation).

This article is part of the series on:

Military of ancient Rome (portal)
800 BC – AD 476
Structural history
Roman army (unit types and ranks,
legions, auxiliaries, generals)
Roman navy (fleets, admirals)
Campaign history
Lists of wars and battles
Decorations and punishments
Technological history
Military engineering (castra,
siege engines, arches, roads)
Personal equipment
Political history
Strategy and tactics
Infantry tactics
Frontiers and fortifications (limes,
Hadrian's Wall)

The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy, conscription", from legere — "to choose") is a term that can apply both as a transliteration of legio ("conscription" or "army") to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly (and more commonly), to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Commonwealth English! -->The military of ancient Rome relates to the combined military forces of Ancient Rome from the founding of the city The structural history of the Roman military describes the major chronological transformations in the organization and constitution of Ancient Rome 's armed forces, The Roman army was a set of military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire as part of the Roman military This is a list of both unit types and ranks of the Roman army from the Roman Republic to the fall of This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire 30BC - 284AD legions for which there exists Auxiliaries (from Latin: auxilia = "supports" formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate (30 BC&ndash284 AD A Manius Acilius Glabrio -- Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 191 BC -- Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 91 -- Titus The Roman Navy ( Latin: Classis, lit "fleet" comprised the naval forces of the Roman state The Roman Navy ( Latin: Classis, lit "fleet" comprised the naval forces of the Roman state From its origin as a city-state in Italy in 9th century BC the rise as an empire covering much of Eurasia and North The following is a List of Roman wars fought by the ancient Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and Roman Empire, organized by date The following is a list of Roman Battles fought by the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, and sometimes the Byzantine Empire As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted a "carrot and stick" approach to military with an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry The technology history of the Roman military covers the development of and application of technologies for use in the armies and navies of Rome from the Roman Republic to the fall The military engineering of Ancient Rome 's armed forces was of a scale and frequency far beyond that of any of its contemporaries The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military Roman Siege engines were for the most part adapted from Hellenistic Siege Technology. List of ancient Roman Triumphal arches (By modern country France Carpentras Triumphal Arch The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Roman military personal equipment was produced in large numbers to established patterns and used in an established way Rome's military was always tightly keyed to its political system The strategy of the Roman Military encompasses its Grand strategy (the arrangements made by the state to implement its political goals through a selection of military goals Roman infantry tactics refers to the theoretical and historical deployment formation and maneuvers of the Roman infantry from the start of the Roman Republic to the fall Roman military borders and fortifications were part of a Grand strategy of territorial defense in the Roman Empire. A limes (or the Limes Romanus) was a Border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces Heavy infantry refers to heavily armed and armoured ground troops as opposed to medium or Light infantry, in which the warriors are relatively lightly-armoured The Roman army was a set of military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire as part of the Roman military The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In this latter meaning, it consisted of several cohorts of heavy infantry known as legionaries. A cohort (from the Latin cohors, plural cohortes) is a fairly large military unit generally consisting of one type of soldier The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. It was almost always accompanied by one or more attached units of auxiliaries, who were not Roman citizens and provided cavalry, ranged troops and skirmishers to complement the legion's heavy infantry. Auxiliaries (from Latin: auxilia = "supports" formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate (30 BC&ndash284 AD The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Skirmishers are Infantry or Cavalry Soldiers stationed ahead or alongside of a larger body of friendly troops

The size of a typical legion varied widely throughout the history of ancient Rome, with complements of 4,200 legionaries and 300 equites in the republican period of Rome, (the infantry were split into 35 maniples of 120 legionaries each), to 5,200 men plus auxiliaries in the imperial period (split into 10 cohorts, 9 of 480 men each, plus the first cohort holding 800 men). Maniple (Latin manipulus) was a tactical unit of the Roman legion adopted from the Samnites during the Samnite Wars A cohort (from the Latin cohors, plural cohortes) is a fairly large military unit generally consisting of one type of soldier

As legions were not standing armies until the Marian reforms (c. The Marian reforms of 107 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by Gaius Marius, a statesman and general of the Roman republic. 107 BC), and were instead created, used, and disbanded again, several hundred legions were named and numbered throughout Roman history. To date, about 50 have been identified. In the time of the Early Roman Empire, there were usually about 25-35 standing legions plus their Auxiliaries, with more raised as needed. See List of Roman legions for a catalogue of known late republic, early Empire and late Empire legions, with dates in existence, emblem and locations of deployment. This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire 30BC - 284AD legions for which there exists

Due to the enormous military successes of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire the legion has long been regarded as the prime ancient model for military efficiency and ability. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial

Contents

History

Main articles: Military history of ancient Rome and Structure of the Roman military

Roman kings (to c. History See Structural history of the Roman military The branches of the Roman military at the highest level were the The structural history of the Roman military describes the major chronological transformations in the organization and constitution of Ancient Rome 's armed forces, 500 BC)

In the early years of the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Republic, they did not use legions and instead used centuries of one hundred men which were banded together in random formats and only served the one who had hired them. In the Roman Empire the legions became, although the largest, only one part of the army (predominantly heavy infantry). But in the Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic up until the 2nd century BC, the centuries could be made of light troops and cavalry whose roles would later be taken on by allied troops. During this period, the massive Greek phalanx was the mode of battle. The phalanx (Ancient Greek φάλαγξ Modern Greek φάλαγγα phālanga (plural phalanxes or phalanges (Ancient and Modern Greek φάλαγγες Roman soldiers would have thus looked much like Greek hoplites. The word hoplite ( Greek: hoplitēs; pl hoplitai) derives from hoplon ( plural hopla) meaning an item of armour or equipment thus 'hoplite'

Much of Roman history of this era is founded on legends, but it is believed that during the reign of Servius Tullius, the census (the counting of the people) was introduced. Servius Tullius was the sixth legendary king of Ancient Rome, and the second king of the Etruscan dynasty A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population With this, all Roman able-bodied, property-owning male citizens were divided into five classes for military service based on wealth, soldiers having to acquire their own weapons and equipment. These classes were further organized into units of 100 called centuries (who also had a centurion, a second in command and a standard bearer). Centuria ( Latin plural centuriae) is a Latin substantive from the stem centum (a hundred denoting units consisting of (originally only approximately

Joining the army was both a duty and a distinguishing mark of Roman citizenship: during the entire pre-Marian period the wealthiest land owners performed the most years of military service, since these would have had the most to lose should the state have fallen.

The first class was armed in the fashion of the hoplite with spear, sword, helmet, breast plate and round shield (called clipeus in Latin, similar to the Greek aspis, also called hoplon); there were 82 centuries of these of which 2 were trumpeteer. In the military of Classical antiquity, a clipeus ( Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς) was a large Shield worn by the Greeks and Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. For the poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod see The Shield of Heracles An aspis (ˈæspɨs Ancient Greek: ασπίς For the poem traditionally attributed to Hesiod see The Shield of Heracles An aspis (ˈæspɨs Ancient Greek: ασπίς The second and third class also acted as spearmen, but with reduced armour, and the larger oval or rectangular shield. The fourth class could afford no armour, perhaps a small shield, and was armed with spear and javelin. All three of the latter classes made up about 26 centuries. The fifth and final class was composed only of slingers. The Slingers are a group of fictional Superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe There were 32 of these of which 2 were engineers. The army officers as well as the cavalry were drawn from leading citizens who enrolled as equestrians (equites). (The equites were later put in smaller groups of 30 and were commanded by decurions (which strangely means commander of ten)), there were 18 centuries of equites.

Tactics were no different from those of the early Greeks and battles were joined on a plain. Spearmen would then deploy themselves in tightly packed rows. The members of each row closed to form a shield wall, their spears pointed forwards, and charged the enemy supported by their javelin throwers and slingers: the cavalry pursued the enemy, and sometimes dismounted to support the infantry in dire situations. The formation of shield wall, or Skjaldborg in Old Norse is a Military tactic that was common in many cultures in the Pre- Early Modern warfare age It was a cumbersome military unit to manoeuvre, and easily defeated by mountain tribes such as Volsci or Samnites in rough terrains.

Early civilian authorities, called praetors, doubled as military leaders during the war season; lasting from spring to autumn. A formal war declaration included a religious ceremony that ended in the throwing of a ceremonial javelin into the enemy's territory to mark the start of hostilities.

Roman Republic (509-107 BC)

At some point, possibly in the beginning of the Roman Republic after the kings were overthrown, the legio was subdivided into two separate legions, each one ascribed to one of the two consuls. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire In the first years of the Republic, when warfare was mostly concentrated on raiding, it is uncertain if the full manpower of the legions was summoned at any one time. Legions became more formally organized in the 4th century BC, as Roman warfare evolved to more frequent and planned operations, and the consular army was raised to two legions.

In the Republic, legions had an ephemeral existence. Except for Legio I to IV, which were the consular armies (two per consul), other units were levied by campaign. Rome's Italian allies were required to provide a legion to support each Roman Legion.

In the middle of the Republic, legions were composed of the following units:

Each of these three lines was subdivided into maniples, each consisting of two centuries of 60 men commanded by the senior of the two centurions. Maniple (Latin manipulus) was a tactical unit of the Roman legion adopted from the Samnites during the Samnite Wars Centuria ( Latin plural centuriae) is a Latin substantive from the stem centum (a hundred denoting units consisting of (originally only approximately Centurion redirects here This article is about the Roman soldier Centuries were normally 60 soldiers each at this time in the hastati and principes (no longer 100 men), with 120 strong maniples. There were generally 10 maniples of hastati, 10 maniples of principes and 10 of triarii which had two half strength centuries of 30 men, plus about 1200 velites and 300 cavalry which made up 10 units - 30 men strong. This gave the mid Republican legion a nominal strength of about 4500 men. Later on when the legions undertook the Marian reforms and was made up of 80 strong centuries each century had its standard and was made up of ten units called contubernia. In a contubernium, there would be eight soldiers who shared a tent, millstone, a mule and cooking pot (depending on duration of tour). "Saucepan" redirects here In Australia "the Saucepan" is sometimes used as an unofficial name for part of the constellation of Pavo, when finding the Because maniples were their main tactical elements, the legions of the early Republic are sometimes referred to as Manipular legions.

Late Republic (107-30BC)

Main article: Marian reforms
See also List of Roman legions for details of notable late Republican legions

Following the Marian reforms of the 2nd century BC, the legions took on the second, narrower meaning that is familiar in the popular imagination as close-order citizen heavy infantry. The Marian reforms of 107 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by Gaius Marius, a statesman and general of the Roman republic. This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire 30BC - 284AD legions for which there exists

At the end of the 2nd century BC Gaius Marius reformed the previously ephemeral legions as a professional force drawing from the poorest classes, enabling Rome to field larger armies and providing employment for jobless citizens of the city of Rome. This article is about the Roman statesman who reorganized the army and was seven times Consul However, this put the loyalty of the soldiers in the hands of their general rather than Rome itself. In this period all Italian regions obtained full Roman citizenship and provided a larger basis for the army, supplemented by poor urban Romans.

The legions of the Late Republic and Early Empire are often called Marian legions. Following the Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC, Marius granted all Italian soldiers Roman citizenship. The Battle of Vercellae, or Battle of the Raudine Plain, in 101 BC was the Roman victory of Consul Gaius Marius over the Germanic He justified this action to the Senate by saying that in the din of battle he could not distinguish Roman from ally. This effectively eliminated the notion of allied legions; henceforth all Italian legions would be regarded as Roman legions, and full Roman citizenship was open to all the regions of Italy. Thus the three different types of heavy infantry were replaced by a single, standard type based on the Principes: armed with two heavy javelins called pila, the short sword called gladius, chain mail (lorica hamata) or banded armour (lorica segmentata), helmet and rectangular shield (scutum). The lorica hamata is a type of mail armour used by the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The lōrīca segmentāta was a type of segmented Armour exclusively used in the Roman Empire, but the Latin name was first used in the 16th century Scutum ('skjuːtəm in English pl scuta) is the Latin word for " Shield " although it has in modern times come to be specifically

The role of allied legions would eventually be taken up by contingents of allied auxiliary troops, called Auxilia. Each legion had an auxilia of similar size, which contained specialist units, engineers and pioneers, artillerymen and craftsmen, service and support personnel and irregular units made up of non-citizens, mercenaries and local militia. These were usually formed into complete units such as light cavalry, light infantry or velites, and labourers. Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a Skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of Infantry, harassing Velites (Singular Veles) were a class of infantry in the Polybian legions of the early Roman republic There was also a reconnaissance squad of 10 or more light mounted infantry called speculatores who could also serve as messengers or even as an early form of military intelligence service. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information In military terminology a squad is a small Military unit led by a Non-commissioned officer (NCO that is subordinate to an Infantry Mounted infantry were Soldiers who rode Horses instead of marching but actually fought on foot in the modern era with Muskets or Rifles but before Speculatores and Exploratores were the scouts and Reconnaissance element of the Roman army. Military intelligence (abbreviated MI int Commonwealth, or intel

As part of the Marian reforms, the legions' internal organization was standardized. Each legion was divided into cohorts. A cohort (from the Latin cohors, plural cohortes) is a fairly large military unit generally consisting of one type of soldier Prior to this, cohorts had been temporary administrative units or tactical task forces of several maniples, even more transitory than the legions themselves. Now the cohorts were ten permanent units, composed of 6 and in the case of the first cohort 8 centuries each led by a centurion assisted by an optio, a soldier who could read and write. An Optio (from the Latin verb optare, 'to choose' because an Optio was chosen by his Centurion) was a soldier in the Roman army who These came to form the basic tactical unit of the legions. The senior centurion of the legion was called the primus pilus, a career soldier and advisor to the legate that sometimes was promoted to the higher rank. The Primus Pilus was a member of a Roman legion. In the late Roman republic, the cohort of which there were six to ten became the basic

Every legion had a baggage train of 640 mules or about 1 mule for every 8 legionaries. To keep these baggage trains from becoming too large and slow, Marius had each infantryman carry as much of his own equipment as he could, including his own armour, weapons and 15 days' rations, for about 25-30 kg (50–60 pounds) of load total. To make this easier, he issued each legionary a forked stick to carry their loads on their shoulders. The soldiers were nicknamed Marius' Mules due to the amount of gear they had to carry themselves. This arrangement allowed for the supply train to become detached from the main body of the legion, thus greatly increasing the army's speed while on the march.

A typical legion of this period had 5,120 legionaries as well as a large number of camp followers, servants and slaves. Legions could contain as many as 6,000 fighting men when including the auxiliaries, although much later in Roman history the number was reduced to 1,040 to allow for greater mobility. Numbers would also vary depending on casualties suffered during a campaign; Julius Caesar's legions during his campaign in Gaul often only had around 3,500 men.

Tactics were slightly different from the past, but largely improved due to the professional training of the soldiers.

A re-enactor as a Roman centurion, c. 70.
A re-enactor as a Roman centurion, c. 70. Note Sometimes the ' 70s is used as shorthand for the 1970s, the 1870s, or other such decades in other centuries Events and
A re-enactor, showing a Roman miles, (2nd century).
A re-enactor, showing a Roman miles, (2nd century). The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC.

After the Marian reforms, and throughout the history of Rome's Late Republic, the legions played an important political role. By the 1st century BC the threat of the legions under a demagogue was recognized. Governors were not allowed to leave their provinces with their legions. A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the When Julius Caesar broke this rule, leaving his province of Gaul and crossing the Rubicon into Italy, he precipitated a constitutional crisis. Rubicon ( Rubicō, Italian: Rubicone) is a 29 km long River in northern Italy. A constitutional crisis is a severe breakdown in the orderly operation of Government. This crisis and the civil wars which followed brought an end to the Republic and led to the foundation of the Empire under Augustus in 27 BC. List of Civil wars involving Rome. There were several Roman civil wars, especially during the time of the late Republic. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Year 27 BC was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar.

Roman Legions camps (80 AD)
Roman Legions camps (80 AD)

Early Empire (30 BC-284 AD)

See Directory of Roman legions of the early Empire

For political and economic reasons, Augustus reduced the number of legions from nearly 50 at the end of his war against Mark Antony to only 28 which decomposed to 25 after the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in which 3 legions were slaughtered. This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire 30BC - 284AD legions for which there exists Marcus Antonius (in Latin: M·ANTONIVS·M·F·M·N ( c January 14 83 BC&ndash August 1, 30 BC known in English as Mark The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place in the year 9 A Generals during the recent Republican civil wars had formed their own legions and numbered them as they wished. When these wars ended, Augustus was left with around fifty legions, with several double counts (multiple Legio Xs for instance). Beside streamlining the army, and regulating the soldiers' pay, he corrected these numbering anomalies. During this time, there was a high incidence of Gemina (twin) legions, where two legions were consolidated into a single organization (and was later made official and put under a dux and six duces).

At the same time, he greatly increased the number of auxiliaries to the point where they were equal in number to the legionaries. He also created the Praetorian Guard along with a permanent navy where served the liberti, or freed slaves. The Praetorian Guard ( Latin: PRÆTORIANI was a special force of Guards used by Roman Emperors Before being appropriated The Roman Navy ( Latin: Classis, lit "fleet" comprised the naval forces of the Roman state

Augustus' military policies proved sound and cost effective, and were generally followed by his successors. These emperors would carefully add new legions, as circumstances required or permitted, until the strength of the standing army stood at around 30 legions. With each legion having 5,120 legionaries usually supported by an equal number of auxiliary troops, the total force available to a legion commander during the Pax Romana probably ranged from 153,600 downwards, with the more prestigious legions and those stationed on hostile borders or in restive provinces tending to have more auxiliaries. Pax Romana ( Latin for " Roman Peace " was the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force Some legions may have even been reinforced at times with units making the associated force near 15,000–16,000 or about the size of a modern division. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers

Throughout the imperial era, the legions played an important political role. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Their actions could secure the empire for a usurper or take it away. Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority For example, the defeat of Vitellius in the Year of the Four Emperors was decided when the Danubian legions chose to support Vespasian. Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, born Aulus Vitellius and commonly known as Vitellius ( 24 September, 15 &ndash 22 December, 69 The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69 in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian ( November 17 9 &ndash June 23 79) was a Roman Emperor who

In the empire, the legion was standardized, with symbols and an individual history where men were proud to serve. The legion was commanded by a legatus or legate. A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer Aged around thirty, he would usually be a senator on a three year appointment. Immediately subordinate to the legate would be six elected military tribunes — five would be staff officers and the remaining one would be a noble heading for the Senate (originally this tribune commanded the legion). There would also be a group of officers for the medical staff, the engineers, record-keepers, the praefectus castrorum (commander of the camp) and other specialists such as priests and musicians.

Late Empire (from 284)

A re-enactor, portraying a legionary at the end of the 3rd century
A re-enactor, portraying a legionary at the end of the 3rd century
See List of Roman legions for catalogue of late Empire legions
See also: Late Roman army

In the Later Roman Empire, the number of legions was increased and the Roman Army expanded. This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire 30BC - 284AD legions for which there exists The Late Roman army is the term used to denote the military forces of the Roman Empire from the accession of Emperor Diocletian in 284 until the Empire's Late Antiquity (c 300-600 is a Periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in Main article Military history of ancient Rome The principate of the Roman empire had no use for the republican army with its intense loyalties There is no evidence to suggest that legions changed in form before the Tetrarchy, although there is evidence that they were smaller than the paper strengths usually quoted. Tetrarchy ( Greek: "leadership of four " can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals The final form of the legion originated with the elite legiones palatinae created by Diocletian and the Tetrarchs. Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( ca. December 22 244 The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes December 22 as his birthdate These were infantry units of around 1,000 men rather than the 5,000, including cavalry, of the old Legions. The earliest legiones palatinae were the Lanciarii, Joviani, Herculiani and Divitenses. The Jovians ( Latin: Ioviani) and Herculians (Latin Herculiani) were the senior palatine Imperial guard units of the Emperors

The 4th century saw a very large number of new, small legions created, a process which began under Constantine II. Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known in English as Constantine II, (316 – 340 was Roman Emperor from 337 to 340 In addition to the elite palatinae, other legions called comitatenses and pseudocomitatenses, along with the auxilia palatina, provided the infantry of late Roman armies. Comitatenses is the Latin plural of comitatensis, originally the adjective derived from Comitatus ('company party suite' in this military context it Auxilia palatina were the late Roman Empire infantry units first raised by Constantine I as part of the new field army he created in about 325 The Notitia Dignitatum lists 25 legiones palatinae, 70 legiones comitatenses, 47 legiones pseudocomitatenses and 111 auxilia palatina in the field armies, and a further 47 legiones in the frontier armies. The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries [2] Legion names such as Honoriani and Gratianenses found in the Notitia suggest that the process of creating new legions continued through the 4th century rather than being a single event. Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor For other figures with this name see Gratian (disambiguation. The names also suggest that many new legions were formed from vexillationes or from old legions. A vexillatio (plural vexillationes) was a detachment of a Roman legion formed as a temporary task force created by the Roman Army of the

According to the late Roman writer Vegetius' De Re Militari, each century had a ballista and each cohort had an onager, giving the legion a formidable siege train of 59 Ballistae and 10 Onagers each manned by 10 libritors (artillerymen) and mounted on wagons drawn by oxen or mules. Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus was a writer of the Later Roman Empire. De Re Militari ( Latin "Concerning Military Matters" is a treatise of Roman warfare and military principles written in the late Roman Empire, The ballista ( Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα - ballistra, from - βάλλω ballō, "to throw" plural ballistae The onager was a post-classical Roman Siege engine, which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine similar to that of an Onager (wild ass In addition to attacking cities and fortifications, these would be used to help defend Roman forts and fortified camps (castra) as well. The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military They would even be employed on occasion, especially in the later Empire, as field artillery during battles or in support of river crossings. Field artillery is a category of mobile Artillery used to support armies in the field

Legionary officers

Aside from the rank and file legionary (who received the base wage of 10 asses a day or 225 denarii a year), the following list describes the system of officers which developed within the legions from the Marian reforms (104 BC) until the military reforms of Diocletian (circa 290). The Roman Currency system included the denarius (plural denarii) after 211 BC a small Silver coin, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( ca. December 22 244 The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes December 22 as his birthdate

Senior officers

Mid-level officers

Low-level officers

Special duty posts

Pay

From the time of Gaius Marius onwards, legionaries received 225 denarii a year; this basic rate remained unchanged until Domitian, who increased it to 300 denarii. This article is about the Roman statesman who reorganized the army and was seven times Consul The Roman Currency system included the denarius (plural denarii) after 211 BC a small Silver coin, Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death In spite of the steady inflation during the 2nd century, there was no further rise until the time of Septimius Severus, who increased it to 500 denarii a year. The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Lucius Septimius Severus (or rarely Severus I) ( April 11 145 - February 4 211) was a Roman general and Roman Emperor This salary would be supplemented by the booty taken in a campaign.

All legionary soldiers would also receive a sizeable sum of money on the completion of their term of service: 3000 denarii from the time of Augustus and/or a plot of good farmland (good land was in much demand). Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Later, under Caracalla, the praemia increased to 5000 denarii. Caracalla ( April 4 188 &ndash April 8, 217) born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later

Symbols

From 104 BC onwards, each legion used an aquila (eagle) as its standard symbol. The signa militaria were the Roman military Ensigns or standards The most ancient standard employed by the Romans is said to have been a handful ( maniple The symbol was carried by an officer known as aquilifer, and its loss was considered to be a very serious embarrassment, and often led to the disbanding of the legion itself. An aquilifer was a senior Signifer bearing the eagle standard of a Roman legion Normally this was due to the fact that any legion incapable of regaining its eagle in battle was so severely mauled it was no longer a workable fighting force.

In Gallic War (Bk IV, Para. 25), Julius Caesar describes an incident at the start of his first invasion of Britain in 55BC that illustrated how fear for the safety of the eagle could drive Roman soldiers. When Caesar's troops hesitated to leave their ships for fear of the Britons, the aquilifer of the tenth legion threw himself overboard and, carrying the eagle, advanced alone against the enemy. Legio X Gemina, the twin legion, was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, for his invasion of Gaul. His comrades, fearing disgrace, 'with one accord, leapt down from the ship' and were followed by troops from the other ships.

With the birth of the Roman Empire, the legions created a bond with their leader, the emperor himself. Each legion had another officer, called imaginifer, whose role was to carry a pike with the imago (image, sculpture) of the emperor as pontifex maximus. The Imaginifer was a type of Signifer during the Roman Empire who carried the imago - the image - of the emperor The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the Ancient Roman College of Pontiffs.

Each legion, furthermore, had a vexillifer who carried a vexillum or signum, with the legion name and emblem depicted on it, unique to the legion. It was common for a legion to detach some sub-units from the main camp to strengthen other corps. In these cases, the detached subunits carried only the vexillum, and not the aquila, and were called, therefore, vexillationes. A vexillatio (plural vexillationes) was a detachment of a Roman legion formed as a temporary task force created by the Roman Army of the A miniature vexillum, mounted on a silver base, was sometimes awarded to officers as a recognition of their service upon retirement or reassignment.

Civilians could also be rewarded for their assistance to the Roman Legions. In return for outstanding service, a citizen was given an arrow without a head. The Arrow without a head was a Roman award for civiliansIt was awarded to officials in the civil administration who contributed to the victories of the Roman legions

Discipline

Main article: List of Roman military decorations and punishments

The military discipline of the legions was quite harsh. As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted a "carrot and stick" approach to military with an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry Regulations were strictly enforced, and a broad array of punishments could be inflicted upon a legionary who broke them. Many legionaries became devotees in the cult of the minor goddess Disciplina, whose virtues of frugality, severity and loyalty were central to their code of conduct and way of life. In Roman mythology, Disciplina was a minor Deity and the personification of discipline

Minor punishments

Major punishments

Factors in the legion's success

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Mccall, Jeremiah B. Arther Ferrill, now a professor emeritus of history at the University of Washington at Seattle is also a respected expert on Ancient Rome and Military history Adrian Goldsworthy (born 1969 is a British Historian and military writer. Adrian Goldsworthy (born 1969 is a British Historian and military writer. The Cavalry of the Roman Republic: Cavalry Combat and Elite Reputations in the Middle and Late Republic. (New York, Routledge, 2002) pp. 53ff
  2. ^ Totals from summary of Notitia Dignitatum in Richardot, Philippe, La fin de l'armée romaine 284-476 [3rd ed. ] Economica, 2005. ISBN 2-7178-4861-4 .
  3. ^ Birley, Anthony R. Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1989) p. 40
  4. ^ Montesquieu C. , Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline, Hacket, 1999, p. 24

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic