https:\/\/wolnelektury.pl\/katalog\/lektura\/kipling-puk-z-pukowej-gorki.html<\/a>; translation from Polish). The English mile – also known as the statute mile – is approximately 1.609 km; thus, according to Kipling, a legionnaire covered roughly 38.6 km in eight hours. This yields an estimated pace of 4.8 km per hour – though the actual speed was likely higher, as soldiers did not take breaks during the march.<\/p>\nAlternatively, one might consider the Roman mile (mille passus<\/em>), defined as a thousand double paces (passus<\/em>), which equals 1.478 km. This results in a distance of approximately 35.5 km and a speed of 4.43 km per hour.<\/p>\nI will return to these figures later.<\/p>\n
Roman legions marched in a formation known as a column (agmen<\/em>), carrying their gear and equipment – a practice crucial to their combat effectiveness.<\/p>\nDid the Romans march until they reached their destination?<\/p>\n
A Roman marching day typically spanned from sunrise until around noon. It is commonly stated\u2014and easily verified online – that they likely covered between 30,000 and 40,000 paces during this time. Since the “pace” is not a standardized, universal unit of distance, I am assuming here that the reference is to the Roman pace. However, the units used at the time were the passus<\/em> (a double pace, measuring 1.478 m) and the *gradus* (a single pace: 0.739 m).<\/p>\nConsider the proposed line of reasoning.<\/p>\n
The passus<\/em> should be ruled out. Under that assumption, 30,000\u201340,000 paces would equate to 44.34\u201359.12 km. It is doubtful that a legionary\u2014burdened by his gear\u2014could maintain a (constant!) pace exceeding 6\u20138 km per hour. I must emphasize: calculations must account for breaks. This is a point understood by anyone who has tried it; military reenactors and soldiers, in particular, have strongly agreed with me on this.<\/p>\nIf we base the calculation on the *gradus*, the figures become more realistic: a legionary covers 22.17\u201329.56 km, which\u2014without breaks\u2014yields a base speed of 3.16\u20134.22 km per hour. This aligns with the Roman army\u2019s standard march (*iter iustum*), which lasted about four hours and covered a distance of 15\u201320 km (though it is also stated that an iter iustum<\/em> simply involved covering about 30 km per day). When necessary, legionaries could cover approximately 30 km in five hours; this was known as a forced march, or iter magnum.<\/em> At a standard marching pace, the Romans moved at about 4.5 km\/h, whereas during an *iter magnum* they reached a speed of 6 km\/h. It turns out Kipling didn’t write nonsense after all.<\/p>\nI believe that the authors of various widely available studies all too often fall prey to myths or rely on generalizations.<\/p>\n
The step associated with the legions is, in fact, the parade step (a specific manner of foot placement characteristic of that maneuver); the name itself suggests it is ill-suited to the realities of an actual campaign.<\/p>\n
A “march step” or “ordinary step” variant was employed\u2014defined as movement performed in a steady, energetic manner.<\/p>\n
In the Polish military, a march begins from the position of attention with the left foot (a centurion would shout “sin”). It is performed using either the parade step or the ordinary step, whereas marching in place is done only with the ordinary step. Setting aside posture and arm movements, a soldier starting a march with the parade step lifts the foot to a height of about 10 cm and places it down springily, with a slight stamp. The stride length is 60-80 cm (the ordinary step is shorter, at 60\u201370 cm), and the marching tempo is 112-116 steps per minute (unchanged for the ordinary step). Crucially, “Marching with the ordinary step allows for covering greater distances on foot. During this type of march, only the necessary muscle groups are engaged”