Curiosities of ancient Rome (Army)
This page is also available in: Polish (polski)
Musculus – Roman war machine
The Latin word musculus means “little mouse” as well as “muscle”. The ambiguity comes from the fact that some of the moving muscles under the skin look like little mice in motion. Interestingly, musculus was also a term for the ... Read more
Great military reform that never happened
It is reported that in 107-102 BCE there was breakthrough military reform in the army of the Roman republic carried out by Gaius Marius, and its most important decrees it was supposed to transform the civilian army into a professional ... Read more
Great defeats with Persians and Empire’s rematch in 3rd century CE
The greatest defeat in Roman history is considered to be the battle with Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BCE. There are also known hecatombs in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE and under Adrianople in 378 CE. However, a little ... Read more
Roman military diploma
A military diploma is the modern name of Roman documents confirming the release from the army and the granting of Roman citizenship to a veteran of auxiliary units by the emperor. It existed as a reward for faithful service. The ... Read more
Imaginifer – emperor’s standard-bearer
Octavian Augustus after taking power introduced many propaganda solutions that were to tie the people to the new ruler. He adopted republican titles, erected many monuments showing the divine grace resting upon him, and built magnificent buildings in the “Eternal ... Read more
Caesar and his campaigns across Rhine
Julius Caesar is one of the greatest leaders in world history. This is evidenced by his victories in Spain (61 BCE), the conquest of Gaul (58-50 BCE), the invasion of Britain (54-53 BCE) or, for example, military campaigns east of ... Read more
Gallus’ war campaign in Arabia
With the addition of Egypt to the Roman Empire in 30 BCE, Augustus saw a number of problems related to the new province. Regular invasions by the Kushites began from the south, and Arab pirates lurked from the side of ... Read more
Who could serve in Roman legions?
Many fans of Roman films are astonished by the ideas of the producers that in the Roman army they placed soldiers from different continents. The rule was that only a Roman citizen could serve in the army, i.e. in the ... Read more
Reward for winning fight
In the late 2nd century CE, a senatorial decree entered into force allowing gifting the victorious gladiator a reward of 500 sesterces for a fight, if free human and 400 if he was slave. This amount was comparable to the ... Read more
Types of Roman tents
Tents were already in use in ancient times. Ancient Romans used them mainly in marching camps (castra aestiva), which were broken up during military campaigns every day. We owe a lot of information about their construction to the excavations in ... Read more
IMPERIUM ROMANUM needs your support!
If you like the content I collect on the website and share it on social media channels, I will be grateful for your support. Even the smallest amounts will allow me to pay for further corrections and improvements on the site and pay for the server.
Support IMPERIUM ROMANUM!
Discover secrets of ancient Rome!
If you want to be up to date with the newest articles on the website and discoveries from ancient Rome, subscribe to the newsletter, which is sent each Saturday.
Subscribe to newsletter!