The Army & Battles

Army Overview
List of Major Battles

Centurion

Army Career

Roman society was governed by class and so in effect, there were three separate army career options possible, that of the common soldier in the ranks, that of the equestrians, …

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How to become a Roman soldier?

How to become a Roman soldier?

The Recruit of the Republican Army (before the Reforms of Marius) War offered the Roman citizen of the republic the possibility of returning covered in glory, having won both land …

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The Auxilia

There were three kinds of units in the auxilia of the early empire. The cavalry alae, the infantry cohorts and the mixed infantry and horsemen cohortes equitatae. The Ala (The …

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Recreation of a Roman Aquila Standard

The Roman Standards

Nothing in military history quite matches the Roman standards. Perhaps the closest equivalent is the regimental colors in contemporary armies. The Roman standards, the signa were a recognition signal and …

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Legion Name List

This is not a complete list of all legions, but a listing of examples of legionary nick-names and their origins. NAME ORIGIN OF NAME TIME OF CREATION I Adiutrix pia …

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Roman Military Tactics

Roman Military Tactics

Information about tactics can be derived from accounts of battles, but the very military manuals known to have existed and to have been used extensively by commanders, have not survived. …

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The Layout of a Roman Legion's camp

Roman Army Camp Layout

Below you find the layout of camp of a Roman army on the march. Every night the legion would halt and erect a camp in this layout. As every Roman …

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legionnaire equipment

The Legion’s Equipment

The equipment to the legionaries was remarkably uniform throughout the empire and it is possible that there were large centres in Gaul and North Italy for the mass manufacture of …

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roman army

The Roman Army Overview

Nowhere does the Roman talent for organization show itself so clearly as in its army. The story of the Roman army is an extensive one, demonstrated in part by the …

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The Sack of Constantinople

The Sack of Constantinople

The Conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in AD 1203/1204 Background of the Fourth Crusade In the years from 1201 to 1202 the Fourth Crusade, sanctioned by pope Innocent III, …

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The Battle of Cynoscephalae

Had Roman involvement in Illyria and the Macedonian alliance with Carthage in the Second Punic War (right after Cannae!) not made Rome and Macedon the best of friends, then peace …

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