Curiosities of ancient Rome (Army)
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Penteconter – great colonization galley
Thinking about the ships of ancient Greece, we certainly see fast and slender triers, with protruding, shiny brown beaks and rowers sitting in three rows, one above the other. However, the first Greek warships, we know about today, differed significantly ... Read more
Decimation – severe punishment in Roman army
Decimation (from the word decimatio) was one of the most famous and harsh punishments used against a cowardly or rebellious group of soldiers in the Roman army. The unit sentenced to be decimated (e.g. a cohort) was divided into groups ... Read more
Best slingers came from Balearic Islands
The best slingshots came from the Balearic Islands, where mothers ordered their sons to shoot the plates with food. The young boys did not eat until they hit the target. In the Balearic Islands, the manner of fighting has evolved ... Read more
Hoplites in Roman army
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 ... Read more
Did Roman legionaries sing songs during march?
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 ... Read more
Archimedes and mirrors
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! Roman troops have ... Read more
Professional army was founded by Augustus
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 ... Read more
Romans took weapons from other peoples
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 ... Read more
“Marius’ mules”
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 ... Read more
Acies triplex
Acies triplex, the triple formation, was a military formation used by the Roman legions of the republic period. It was introduced as a result of the reform of the Roman army in the 4th century BCE (so-called Camillian reform), which ... Read more
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