Curiosities of ancient Rome (Army)
The world of ancient Romans abounded in a number of amazing curiosities and information. The source of knowledge about the life of the Romans are mainly works left to us by ancient writers or discoveries. The Romans left behind a lot of strange information and facts that are sometimes hard to believe.
Ancient Rome and the right to own weapons
Ancient Romans, unlike modern Americans, did not think that citizenship automatically entitled them to possess sharp weapons. It was recognized that such freedom could lead to many dangers.
Caesar’s idea to improve the equipment
During the Civil War (49-45 BCE), Julius Caesar’s soldiers were regularly hailed by missiles ejected and fired by the Republican side. Caesar decided to improve the equipment of his legionaries.
Various legionary weapons
The graphics show legionaries from the reign of Octavian Augustus. In mass culture, an erroneous image of Roman legions as a formation composed of equally equipped soldiers has formed.
Exercises of Roman legionaries
What made Roman legionaries stand out was the ability to act in a group and fight in various weather conditions. In addition, they were disciplined, well-equipped, and of course perfectly trained and durable. So what did their training look like?
Roman testudo – defensive formation of legions
Romans used the testudo formation to protect themselves from the enemy’s fire. The legionaries resembled a turtle-covered shell – hence the name. It was a compact rectangular formation in which the legionaries (usually 27) from the first row and the sides of the formation held the shields in front of them or from the side of their exposed side, while the legionaries from the inner ranks held the shields horizontally above each other and over the legionaries of the first and side ranks, thus creating a shield of the whole formation covering themselves from enemy shots.
Arcani – Roman agents in Britain
Arcani, also called areani, were agents in Roman military units based in Roman Britain during the later part of the island’s occupation. They were used as both scouts of legions and secret spies. Many of them were mercenaries. This unit was disbanded by the father of the later emperor Theodosius I – Flavius Theodosius, for their participation in conspiracies.
Fabricae – Roman armory
Until the fourth century CE, the production of armor and weapons in the Roman Empire was centralized and their execution was the responsibility of the so-called fabricae. Armories were deployed throughout entire provinces and their main task was the production of military equipment.