by Algy Moncrieff

Created on: July 15, 2009   Last Updated: July 27, 2009

The Romans are famed for their apparently unstoppable conquest of Europe, and it is undeniable that the main reason why the Romans were so incredibly successful on the field of battle in the few hundred years of their Empire was the incredible discipline and constant ingenuity of their tactics - a lot of which were recorded in Vegetius' book, 'Epitoma Rei Militaris'. When looking at what it was that made the Romans so successful, a number of factors must be considered, namely their equipment, their organisation and training, and finally their tactics when actually on the battlefield. Perhaps above all else the surprising mobility and strength of the barbarians was what lead to the need for extremely superior tactics on the field of battle, and better equipment. It was this adaptability of the Roman legions, especially after the Marian reforms (which standardised tactics, allowed much wider recruitment and supplied troops with their weapons rather then making them arm themselves) that ultimately was the reason why the Romans came to rule such a large portion of the world.

- Equipment -

Each regular legionary of the Roman army was equipped with a short stabbing sword known as a gladius, two specially designed spears for throwing or fighting cavalry known as pila, his large square shield called the scutum, and lorica segmentatum - segmented armour - that was designed to offer excellent protection to the head and torso whilst still allowing the maximum movement. Furthermore, each soldier had to carry about 15 days' food rations, tools for fort construction, and a cleverly designed tripod of spiked wood that could instantly be used to erect a paling fence around a fort.

The scutum was large and rounded to offer brilliant protection as the soldiers would fight side on with this shield in front and then stab at the enemy with their gladius. The pila were designed to be thrown before combat, and had soft metal points that would bend on impact, meaning that they could not be thrown back. The fact that the army marched with equipment for rapid fort construction meant that they were, if anything, better defended when they were not on the march, rather than becoming complacent and vulnerable at the end of the day and at night. The fort would be formed of a deep square shaped ditch with four entrances and a paling fence around the outside to make enemies think twice before they attacked. It would always be built to the same design so that it could be rapidly

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