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Roman army facts for kids

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Exercitus Romanus
Cornicen on Trajan's column.JPG
Roman soldiers on the cast of Trajan's Column in the Victoria and Albert museum, London.
Active 753 BC – 1453 AD
Country Roman Empire
Branch romanum legio
Size 28-50 legions
Headquarters Budapest
Bonn
Enns
Caerleon
Alexandria
Sinjar
Regensburg
Svishtov
Busra
Motto(s) 'Gloria Exercitus'
Engagements Roman–Gallic wars
Samnite Wars
Pyrrhic War
Punic War
Macedonian Wars
Jugurthine War
Mithridatic War
Gallic Wars
Civil War
Roman invasion and occupation of Britain
Roman–Germanic Wars
Domitian's and Trajan's Dacian Wars
Roman–Parthian War of 58–63
Jewish–Roman wars
Commanders
magister militum, Strategos, Stratelates Caesar
Notable Commanders Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Julius Caesar
Germanicus
Flavius Stilicho
Gaius Marius
Gnaeus Pompey Magnus
Scipio

The Roman army is the military of ancient Rome, the forces used by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire. Its infantry for much of its history, was the Roman legion. Rome also had a navy. The size of the army in the late Roman Empire was about 128,000 – 179,200 men. It was very well organized. The main Roman soldiers in the Empire were the legionaries. The legions were separated into centuries, made up of 80 soldiers and 20 other men who remained in the camp to cook and do other chores.

Other soldiers in the army were called the auxilia. Auxilia were non-citizens who mainly came from the provinces. They were paid less than legionaries and did not usually wear armor but at the end of their service, which was a minimum of 25 years, they were given Roman citizenship.

The army had cavalry units called Equites. Their men were rich enough to have horses and more expensive weapons. Being few, they were less important in battle than the infantry.

Weapons and equipment

Roman soldier in lorica segmentata 1-cropped
Modern replica of lorica segmentata type armor.

The soldiers of the Roman army wore helmets and body protection. In the early to mid-Republican era, legionaries usually bought their own equipment. Hastati, the first line of soldiers, usually had breastplates, called a cuirass, and some wore lorica hamata, or chainmail. The richer principes, the second line of soldiers, could afford lorica hamata but they were sometimes seen wearing the cheaper cuirasses. Both hastati and principes were each armed with a gladius - a short, 60 centimeter (two foot) sword - and each had two pila - short spears.

The third line of soldiers, the Triarii, had a hasta, a two meter long spear. They were also armed with the gladius and had an early form of the lorica segmenta or iron band armor. All legionaries had a large rectangular shield, the scutum, which had rounded corners. By the late Republican period, all legionaries carried a gladius, two pila, a new, larger scutum, and wore chainmail. Lorica segmentata was only commonly worn between the 2nd and 3rd century.

Larger weapons such as the ballista (large crossbow) and the Onager (catapult) were used in larger battles.

Training

The main thing a member of the Roman Army needed was physical fitness. Soldiers were expected to march about 36 km (24 miles) in five hours. They also had to be fit to be able to fight well and cope with any injuries.

New soldiers would do two sessions of military drill and give their oath of loyalty to their Commander and Emperor. Every day the whole of the legion would practice running, jumping, sword fighting and javelin throwing.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ejército romano para niños

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