The Roman Soldier- A Killing Machine

The reason that Rome was able to conquer and defend themselves so well throughout the ages was because of their army. The Roman army was on of the fiercest and dangers armies of antiquity. The reason for their ferocity was that these men were professional soldiers who were either fighting to protect the land they owned and payed taxes on or they were fighting to gain land and money. Also, the men fighting would be of utmost physical condition. The army consisted of men between the ages of 17 and 46 (http://abacus.bates.edu/~mimber/Rciv/soldier.htm) and were chosen based and their wealth (they had to buy their own equipment) and the physical stature. The only men that would be exempt from duty would be veterans (16 campaigns for infantry and 10 for cavalry) the extremely poor, and the unfit. To not be chosen for the army was seen as a dishonor and a disgrace.

The Roman army had it’s foundations of an oath. Each solider would have to swear the sacramentum which not only changed his life from a citizen to a soldier but also subjected to him to every order and command of the general without question. Essentially the oath made it so that soldiers could blindly do whatever the general said, this made the soldiers a killing machine. They would have no fear of killing, or dying. They had no conscience, all emotion would be taken out, they essentially removed themselves from the normal realm of Roman society and became a tool for the army to use. The only means to release yourself from the sacramentum would be death or demobilization.

The army was expected to march up to 20 miles a day (http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/roman_army.htm) with their entire palette of equipments: weapons, armor, supplies, tent, sleeping gear, everything they needed. They were also expected to stay with the army for 25 years. After this commitment you would be given land and money but also be highly regarded and revered in the community because a service to Rome, meant not only a service to the empire but also a service to the Gods.

The army set-up had the same strict order as the rest of the Roman enterprise. The army was set-up where 5000 legionnaires (Roman citizens) would form a legion, the legion was then broken down into centuries of 80 men who were led by a centurion, these would then be broken down to groups for various jobs.

The strict format the the army followed allowed for an effective and potent killing machine to be produced and was one of the main reasons Rome became so strong and so vast within their time.

Bibliography:

1. http://www.roman-empire.net/army/army.html

2. http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/roman_army.htm

3. http://abacus.bates.edu/~mimber/Rciv/soldier.htm

-Kemal Alladin

The Roman Castrum: Construction and Setup Process

The Roman castrum was designed as a temporary defensive structure that protected a legion’s supplies and rested its soldiers. While on long marches, legions would set up a castrum every night and disassemble it in the morning. Castra were a representation of the Roman’s ideal city brought down from the heavens. As a result, Roman castrumswere maticulously made perfect in every way. From an even wall, to roads that followed the cardinal points perfectly, to a seamless vallum (defensive wall). The Castrum was an important part of the Roman military and a reflection on important Roman values, and therefore were constructed with the utmost precision while still keeping its mobile properties.

Kit of Parts

Each roman legion marched with a unit of engineers and carpenters led by a Chief Engineer or Architecti. They carried with them, tools for building and measure, stakes for building the perimeter wall, tents for barracks, and a meritte of other equipment for erecting the structure both quickly and precisely. A Roman castrum must be able to be erected in a few hours even when under attack. A caravan often followed a marching legion inorder to help carry this huge load. The equipment varied with the needs of the legion and the seasons. There were summer camps or sub pellibus tentoriis, winter camps or castra hiberna, camp of 3 days or tertia castra and 4 days or quarta castra, among many other variations.

Set-up/ Construction

When erecting a castrum, the first step of the process is to find a site. The site must be flat, not be vulnerable to attack, and ideally have running water for hydration of both soldiers and animals and to act as a base for the latrine.

Once a preferred site is found, engineers started plotting out the site. This usually started at the center of the camp, graduated measuring rods or decempedae and sighting devices or groma accurately measured out the two main perpendicular roads and aligned them perfectly with the cardinal points. Streets, gates, and important features were marked out with coloured rods. Once features are marked, the grunt work begins. A trench is dug out around the parameter. The dirt from the excavation is not wasted but placed inside the vallum for further fortification. Stakes were erected to make up the vallum. When desired, towers were placed at intervals around the parameter for additional defense. Permanent camps required the structure to be made with materials with greater rigidity and durability. Stone and brick could be quarried from surrounding areas. All in all, Roman castra were a precise piece of engineering that was both easy and quick to set-up and also provided a considerable level of defense.