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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
The Battle of Adrianople (Hadrianopolis)
The Battle of Adrianople on 9 August AD 378 was the beginning of the end for the Roman empire. Was the Roman empire weakening, then the barbarians were on the …
List of the Major Battles in Roman History
This is an attempt at a list of the major battles and military incidents to have taken place in the course of Roman history: YEAR PLACE WINNERS (Commander) LOSERS (Commander) …
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 …
The Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama in the summer of 202 BC marked the end of the power of the great Hannibal Barca. With its greatest son, also Carthage should be at …
The Battle of Ilipa
The Battle of Ilipa in 206 BC was in my opinon Scipio’s masterpiece. If Rome had ten years earlier been terribly defeated at Cannae by Hannibal, then Scipio had spent …
The Battle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae in the summer of 216 BC is a milestone in Roman history. It was Hannibal’s finest hour and forced the Romans to learn a painful lesson. …