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Iv'e made my own RP and its been going pretty good, school started so i can't really be on that much and apperently neither can the others.

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really your own rp and yet you dont come on enuph mmm

hi Membership into the Roman army changed as Rome changed. In the early Roman Republic only land-owning Roman citizens were allowed to join and they had to provide their own equipment in the Greek Hoplite manner. The average term of service or enlistment was 6 years. Part of the Gracchi reforms was to make the state responsible for supplying the equipment and forbidding the enlistment of youths under 17. However, enlistment as a legionary was still restricted to Roman citizens, although the land holding requirement was dropped. In the later Republic, non-citizens and people from tribes or nations allied to Rome could join the Roman Auxiliaries and serve a standard period of service. The auxiliary would then be granted Roman Citizenship at the end of their service.


[edit] Roman Legionary
In Roman times the minimum age of enlistment was 16-17 years old and the maximum age of enlistment was 46 years old. The length of the enlistment varied as time went on. In the Roman Monarchy and early Republic, the Roman Army functioned more like a militia in that the army was called up only when a war was going on. However, with the Marian Reforms in 107 BC, a more permanent army was formed and soldiers were enlisted for a set term of 25 years. After the 25 years, the veteran would receive a pension and a plot of land for their retirement. A veteran could also choose to rejoin the army for another term, or they could rejoin as an evocati.


[edit] Army size and statistics
It is estimated by Edward Gibbon that the maximum size of the Roman army was around 376,500 troops. However, Antonio Santosuosso argues that if one includes all the allied Foederati troops fighting on behalf of and in the name of the Roman Empire, then the size of the army in the late Roman Empire was closer to 650,000 - 700,000 men. The Roman Army was organized into legions of 6,000, the Legion was headed by an officer called a Legate. In the legion there were "Centuries" these were groups of 100 men(headed by an officer called a centurion).


[edit] Tactics
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Main article: Roman Infantry Tactics
The Romans generally followed the same basic methods in battle, although adjustments were made depending on the enemy, terrain, etc.


[edit] Defense
The most common defense a Roman would use was a Testudo or Tortoise. They called it a 'Tortoise' of shields because they would group together to make a semicircle which looked like a tortoise shell. They also used the 'Tortoise' for approaching fortified structures. Soldiers would make a rectangle, with their shields protecting their sides and heads. '

Defense Against Cavalry As Caesar did against Pompey in the civil war, the first rank of each of the front cohorts of the legion would make a solid wall of shields, then would level their pila so to make a wall. The second rank, the cohorts of the first line, would stab over the top of the first rank's heads and/or throw missiles

The Orbis The Orbis was the last option a Roman general would take, if the situation looked dire (e.g. surrounded and heavily outnumbered). The formation is literally an orb or circle of men. As was said before this was the last possible option, but it did create several advantages: there is no front or rear, just a solid wall of shields and weapons with the officers and archers in the center giving support where most needed. The Orbis required strict organization and highly disciplined legionaries in order to hold until the last man fell.





[edit] Attack
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The Wedge The wedge was a tactical formation favored by many Roman generals. The formation took the appearance of a row of saw teeth facing the enemy, which would enable the Roman legion to separate the opposing force and break the enemy's formation. Every "teeth" would have 1 soldier in the first rank, 2 in the second, etc. Generally 10-12 ranks made an individual unit of the wedge formation. This also made the most of the customary weapon of the Roman soldiers, the gladius or spatha which were generally around 56-66 cm long, as it would force close combat where it would be difficult to wield larger weapons.

The Charge As the name suggests this tactic is to run as fast as you could to get to the enemy,without throwing either of your pilas and then engaging with them. Caeser also used this tactic a lot against Pompey but Pompey thought that if he made his own army not counter-charge then the Caeserian troops would be out of breath and unable to use their combat experience well, but Julius Caeser simply made his troops stop halfway to catch their breath and regain formation and then resume the charge.


[edit] Weapons and Equipment
Main article: Roman military equipment

[edit] A Roman Soldier's Main Armor
A set of Roman armor would include one of a variety of body armor types (usually designed to be flexible but strong; a centurion's body armor differs from that of the legionary), a shield (with a special design/decoration for each legion), leggings or greaves, an apron (for decoration and protecting the groin, mostly made of metal), marching sandals (with studs on the sole), a coarse woolen tunic, a belt (showing a soldier's position/rank in the army), and lastly a helmet (with cheek, ear and neck protection). A helmet may also hold a crest.


[edit] Personal Armor
The lorica segmentata was a type of armor primarily used in the Roman Empire. The armor itself consist of broad ferrous (iron or steel) strips ('girth hoops') fastened to internal leather straps.
The lorica hamata is a type of chainmail armor used during the Roman Republic as a standard-issue armor for the secondary troops (Auxilia).
The lorica squamata is a type of scale armor used during the Republic and at later periods.
Scutum, (Latin for shield), although it has in modern times come to be associated with the standard semi-cylindrical type carried by Roman legionaries.
The cingulum was a military belt worn at all times, even without the rest of the armor.
They at least held about 30kg of weaponry around with them.


[edit] Artillery weapons
Ballista and Repeating Ballista
Onager
Catapulta

[edit] Ranks
Further information: Roman legion officers

[edit] High level ranks
Legatus Legionis/Primus Pilus: The overall Legionary commander. This post was generally appointed by the emperor, was a former Tribune and held command for 3 or 4 years, although could serve for a much longer period. In a province with only one legion, the Legatus was also the provincial governor and in provinces with multiple legions, each legion has a Legatus and the provincial governor has overall command of them all.
The Quaestor: Served as a type of quartermaster general, in charge of purchasing, finance, the collection and distribution of booty, etc. Again, these might perform similar functions on the civilian side.
The Legati: senior commanders under the supremo. Generally they were of senatorial rank and were commissioned by the Senate.
Tribunus Laticlavius: Named for the broad striped toga worn by men of senatorial rank. This tribune was appointed by the Emperor or the Senate. Though generally quite young and less experienced than the Tribuni Angusticlavii, he served as second in command of the legion, behind the Legate.
Praefectus Castrorum: The camp Prefect. Generally he was a long serving veteran who had been promoted through the ranks of the centurions and was 3rd in overall command.
Tribuni Angusticlavii: Each legion had 6 military tribunes of equestrian (knight) class citizens. They were in many cases career officers and served many of the important administrative tasks of the Legion, but still served in a full tactical command function during engagements.

[edit] Mid Level ranks
Primus Pilus: The senior centurion of the legion and commander of the first cohort was called the primus pilus ("first rank" wink , a career soldier and advisor to the legate. While every normal cohort was composed of 5 to 8 centuries, the one that was led by the primus pilus (the first) had about 10 centuries, or 800 men.
Primus Centurion: Senior centurion in any cohort other than the first cohort. Commanded that cohort and served as an advisor to the legion's commander.
Centurions: They were the backbone of the professional army and were the career soldiers who ran the day to day life of the soldiers as well as issuing commands in the field. They were generally moved up from the ranks, but in some cases could be direct appointments from the Emperor or other higher ranking officials. There were 64 centurions in each legion (10 in the first cohort and 6 in the rest), one to command each centuria of the 10 cohorts.
Aquilifer: A single position within the Legion. The aquilifer was the Legion's Standard or Eagle bearer and was an enormously important and prestigious position. The next step up would be a post as a centurion.
Optio: One for each centurion (therefore, there were 64 in a legion), they were appointed by the centurion from within the ranks to act as his second in command.
Tesserarius: (Guard Commander) Again there were 64 of these, or one for each centuria. They acted in similar roles to the optiones.
Signifer: Each centuria had a signifer (therefore, there were 64 in a legion). He was responsible for the men's pay and savings, and the standard bearer for the Centurial Signum, a spear shaft decorated with medallions and often topped with an open hand to signify the oath of loyalty taken by the soldiers. It was this banner that the men from each individual centuria would rally around. A soldier could also gain the position of Discentes signiferorum, or standard bearer in training.
Cornicen: (Horn blower) They worked hand in hand with the signifer drawing the attention of the men to the Centurial Signum and issuing the audible commands of the officers.
Imaginifer: Carried the Standard bearing the image of the Emperor as a constant reminder of the troop's loyalty to him.

[edit] Low level ranks
Immunes: These were trained specialists, such as surgeons, engineers, surveyors, and architects, as well as craftsmen. They were exempt from camp and hard labor duties due to the nature of their work, and would generally earn slightly more pay than the Milites.
Discens: Milites in training for an immunes position.
Milites Gregarius: The basic private-level foot soldier.
Tirones: The basic new private recruit. A Tirones could take up to 6 months before becoming a full Milites.

[edit] Training

[edit] Fitness
The main pre-requisite for a member of the Roman Army was fitness, given the long distances they were expected to march. They commonly trained by running, chopping down trees and doing obstacle courses. 3 times a month a legionary had to do an 18 mile route march with 60 pounds of equipment,armour and weapons to carry. It was common practice for a legion being readied for deployment to spend the previous weeks in long field training drills, some of which required that they build three field camps a day. Requirements for non-legionary troops were not as severe. Roman Legions in Imperial Rome were known to march with 66-100 lbs of equipment per legionary at an average pace of at least 4.5 miles/hour for 5 hours and then building a fort for the night, next morning they would take it down and start all over again and even possibly fighting in the same day. Sometimes they played football. This was a grueling, violent sport that sometimes broke bones.


[edit] Group Training
Every day the whole of the legion would practice swimming, running, jumping, fencing and javelin throwing. But, before that happened newcomers would do two sessions of military drill and give their oath of loyalty to their Commander and Emperor.


[edit] Drill and weapons training
Both legionary and auxilia troops also did drill training, from fundamentals such as learning military step and the exact formation of ranks, to practicing tactical maneuvers. Roman tactics also required the soldier to be able to respond instantly to commands to change the shape of his formation, not simply to fight as a brave individual, as in barbarian armies. This required extensive training and discipline. Weapons training covered how to handle a sword, both to become accustomed to the weight and balance, and also how to deliver injurious blows to an enemy without exposing the soldier's own body to enemy strikes. Roman sword-fighting as talk was in fact fairly restrained and measured - primarily, the sword was to be used to make short stabbing strokes from behind the protection of the scutum with minimal risk of the soldier receiving counter-strokes. This is in contrast to the rather looser style of slashing blows favoured by many barbarian peoples. The soldier was taught not to engage in wild sword-fights with opponents and especially not to lay himself open to his antagonist while aiming his stroke at him. A favoured tactic taught was to knock one's opponents off their feet with a ram of the scutum (shield), and then to dispatch him with one or more swift downward stabs whilst he was vulnerable on the ground, all the while remaining protected himself by the scutum, which was to remained raised. They also trained in the use of the thrown javelin and pilum.


[edit] Times of training
In the Roman times training was usually an all day thing, it started at 6am and didn't end until midnight, sometimes they would have to work two days in a row with no break.


[edit] Common skills
As a minimum, it was expected that all troops would be at least minimally competent at swimming, so as to be able to ford any rivers where it was necessary to cross without the aid of a bridge and also some of them would have to swim in their armour so they could continue fighting.


[edit] Special skills
In an army as organizationally complex as the Roman army, physical conditioning, while stressed, was not sufficient. The most intelligent were trained in the special skills needed by the army, and would become officers or immunes in areas such as engineering.


[edit] Campaigns
Further information: List of Roman battles

[edit] History of the Roman army
Main articles: Campaign history of the Roman military, Structural history of the Roman military, Technological history of the Roman military, and Political history of the Roman military
From a few score men defending a small hill town in Italy, through a citizen militia consisting of citizen-farmers raised annually for a short campaign before returning to harvest their fields, the Roman army grew to be a professional standing army of several hundred thousand men. Roman historian Edward Gibbon estimates in his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that the peak size of the Roman army in the late imperial period was in the order of 375,000 men.


[edit] Roman military engineering
Main article: Roman military engineering
The Roman army was a prolific and highly competent engineering force. Specialist engineers attached to legionary and other forces would use labour from within the bulk of the army to achieve impressive engineering feats. The Roman army would frequently construct forts, bridges and roads as a routine part of their military culture. However, certain impressive extra-ordinary structures were also built in times of need, including a massive earthen ramp in order to top the walls of the city of Masada in the Jewish Revolt.


[edit] Branches
Further information: Roman military structure

[edit] References

[edit] Secondary Sources
Davies, Roy W. "Service in the Roman Army", Columbia University Press, New York, 1989

[edit] See also
Military of ancient Rome Portal
Carthaginian Army
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_army"

:scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: : centurion (Latin: centuriō; Greek: hekatontarchos) was a professional officer of the Roman army since the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded a century (centuria) of eighty men, but the senior centurions commanded cohorts or took senior staff roles in their legion. Early centuries contained 100 men instead of 80. Contents [hide] 1 Origins of title 2 Role 2.1 Seniority 3 Uniform 4 Responsibilities 5 Qualifications for becoming a Centurion 5.1 Age Requirements 5.2 Social Status 5.3 Education 6 Benefits and Hazards of being a Centurion 6.1 Benefits 6.2 Hazards 7 Notes 8 References 8.1 Primary Sources 8.2 Secondary Sources 9 External links 10 See also [edit] Origins of title Centurions took their title from the fact that they commanded a century. Centuries were so-called because they numbered roughly one hundred men. Early in Roman history the exact establishment became set at eighty men, although by the Imperial period, the establishment of a century in a first cohort (but no other cohort) had grown to 120 men. [edit] Role In the Roman infantry, centurions initially commanded a centuria or "century" of theoretically 80 men, depending on force strength and whether or not the unit was part of the First Cohort. Centurions gradually rose in seniority in their cohort, commanding centuries with higher precedence, until commanding the senior century (of six) and therefore the whole cohort. The very best centurions were then promoted to become centurions in the First Cohort, called Primi Ordines, commanding one of the five centuries of 120 men and also taking on a staff role. The most senior centurion of the legion was the Primus Pilus who commanded the first century. All centurions, however senior, had their own allocated century. The Primus Pilus was so called because his own century was the javelin century (pilus) of the first cohort (primus). Only eight officers in a fully officered legion outranked the Primus Pilus: The legate (lēgātus legiōnis), commanding the legion; the senior tribune (tribunus laticlavus); the Camp Prefect (praefectus castrorum); and the five junior tribunes (tribūnī angusticlāviī). In comparison to a modern military organization, centurions covered a whole range of ranks. Ordinary century commanders would be equivalent to a modern army lieutenants or captains. The senior centurions leading cohorts would be equivalent to lieutenant colonels. The Primus Pilus with his senior staff role might be considered equivalent to a modern colonel. Centurions often suffered heavy casualties in battle, generally fighting alongside the legionaries they commanded. They usually led from the front, occupying a position at the front right of the century formation. They led and inspired their men by example. They also sought to display the skill and courage that got them to their rank in the first place. It is for these reasons that they often suffered a disproportionate number of casualties. Below the centurions were the optiōs, second-in-command of centuries. [edit] Seniority Each century had a precedence within the cohort. Centurions' seniority within the cohort and legion depended on their century. Centurions begun by leading junior centuries before being promoted to leading more senior ones. Centurions were referred to by the name of their century. The precedence was as follows for centuries of cohorts 2 to 10, from most senior to most junior: Forward Hastati Rear Hastati Forward Principes Rear Principes Forward Triarii Rear Triarii This was also the order in which they advanced in battle, with the senior century at the front and the junior at the rear. For the first cohort, century seniority was as follows: First Pilum First Forward Principes First Rear Principes First Forward Triarii First Rear Triarii There were only five centuries in the first cohort. All first cohort centurions outranked all centurions from other cohorts. [edit] Uniform Roman centurion.The Roman centurion was distinguished by his uniform: his armor was silvered, he wore his sword on his left side rather than his right, he wore greaves on his legs, and the crest of his helmet was distinctively turned perpendicular to the front. As the well known lōrīca segmentāta armor came into use, Centurions continued to wear chain mail armor. It is believed that he also wore his decorations and awards prominently on his torso in battle, to show his bravery to friend and foe alike. He also carried a short staff (stick) - usually a vine stave, called vītis - as a symbol of his authority. One infamous centurion was nicknamed "Give me another" because of his habit of breaking his staff across the backs of his men. [edit] Responsibilities The centurion was in charge of his century/cohort. Centurions were also tasked with the training of the legionaries. They could often be merciless in their handling of this task, and were known for dealing out brutal punishments. While the Roman army was known for these harsh conditions, it paid off during battle when strict order and discipline could decide the outcome. This often allowed the Legions to succeed in battles where they faced a numerically superior army. As commander, the centurion had the right to give awards to the men in his cohort, as well as to punish them, whenever necessary. The centurion's punishments could be very severe, and could include execution. However, centurions could be punished by their own superiors. Examples of behavior warranting punishment of a centurion are sleeping on the job, or failing to train legionaries sufficiently. Like any other soldier, a centurion caught guilty of such discretions could be sentenced to death just as easily as the soldiers under his command. [edit] Qualifications for becoming a Centurion A man in Roman army who wanted to become a Centurion had to meet many qualifications. First, the man had to have several letters of recommendation from important people. Therefore, it would help if one trying for the position was befriended to several important senators, or even the consuls/emperor themselves/himself (depending on the time period). [edit] Age Requirements A man who desired to be a Centurion would have had to have been at least thirty years of age. Therefore, if he had entered the army at age 16, he would have spent almost half his life in the military, giving him the experience he needed so that he would know how to sufficiently command his cohort. [edit] Social Status As stated above, the aspiring centurion needed good connections to be recommended for the post. These connections might have been easier to achieve if the centurion was of a higher class. [edit] Education One of the tasks of the centurion was to relate his superior officers' written commands to the men in his cohort. Therefore, he had to be able to read. In order to do this, he needed at least enough education to be literate. Also, the more educated one was, the better chance he had of becoming centurion. [edit] Benefits and Hazards of being a Centurion [edit] Benefits Centurions had the privilege of riding on horseback during marches and, if they had been given permission to marry, to live with their family while in garrison. [edit] Hazards These officers were responsible for their men during battle, and led from the front, fighting alongside their soldiers. Their increased prominence put them at higher risk, and casualty levels for centurions were correspondingly high. [edit] Notes [edit] References [edit] Primary Sources (none yet) [edit] Secondary Sources (none yet) scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: :scream: