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Army is a collection of curiosities about the ancient Roman army and its functioning. This category includes lesser-known facts, interesting information, and unusual details about the legions, weaponry, discipline, tactics, and daily life of soldiers of the Roman Empire.
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 Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall in England, where leather materials have also been preserved.
When we hear about Roman soldiers, we see in front of us a well-equipped Jewish legionary fighting in the formation testudo. We do not realize that one of the first types of a warrior in the Roman army was a heavy-armed hoplite who looked completely different from the legionary.
Life in the army has always been hard and required soldiers to have strong will, perseverance and physical strength. Long and demanding marches caused the soldiers to try to diversify time in various ways, including singing. Did Roman legionaries do the same?
Archimedes was a brilliant Greek scientist who led engineering work to defend Syracuse during the second Punic war, in 214-212 BCE. The Romans storming the massive city walls had to deal with unusual Archimedes inventions, including mirrors!
The Roman army from the beginning of its existence was constituted by Roman citizens who had property/land allowing them to arm themselves in battle. The change occurred at the end of the 2nd century BCE, when Gaius Marius first extended his hand to people without land (proletarii), offering them military service and a form of existence.
Most equipment legionary was not a Roman invention. For example, pugio Romans borrowed from Iberian tribes. Also, gladius are modeled on Iberian swords; legionaries were equipped with this weapon for the first time during the Second Punic War by the Scipio Africanus Major.
The Roman army has evolved many times over the course of history. The equipment (except armour) of Roman soldiers was originally, as was the case in all armies of the then world, on carts or mules/donkeys. Gradually, however, there was a need to improve military mobility, shorten the entire marching column, and abandon the use of too many draft animals and rolling stock.
