Military: Fighting, Training, & Tactics

Most notably, the Roman Army established fighting practices that encompassed a fierce training system. Roman soldiers were expected to give complete authority or suffer the consequences. They were given six months of training before they were allowed to battle adversaries. All newly enlisted soldiers became disciplined and physically fit otherwise they faced severe punishment by ruthless measures. Training of Ancient Roman soldiers was very unforgiving and tough. Discipline was legendary, which kept the Roman army strong and alert. An example of this was if a Roman soldier fell asleep while on watch, the soldier could be stoned or clubbed to death. The Romans also invented decimation. Decimation was a tactic used by the Ancient Roman military to control and create fear in cowardly and disobedient soldiers. Decimation would occur by taking groups of ten soldiers from the unit that was to be punished and whoever the lot fell was killed by his nine fellow soldiers by being stoned or clubbed to death. The remaining soldiers were punished by being forced to sleep outside the Roman camp and had to eat provisions of barley rather than the wheat they were use to.

The Ancient Roman military was known for their skilled fighting techniques. Ancient Roman soldiers were taught to never back down during battle. They put the most experienced soldiers in the back of the legion and the new recruitments in the front to ensure they would not run. This was beneficial to the army for two reasons. First it kept the inexperienced from fleeing and second made sure the experienced solders survived. Roman legions varied during the duration of the Empire but comprised of about 5,000 soldiers. They were expected to march 20 miles a day with their armor and weapons. This ensured they were fit and ready at a moment’s notice for battle.

The Roman military mastered other techniques like tactics. Tactics changed with battle, time, and their enemies. For example, a famous formation used by Roman Legions during battles was called a Testudo. This is where soldiers positioned their shields at their sides overlapping to make a cover that protected them during attacks. This made it almost impossible for enemies to breach, giving the Ancient Roman military the edge. Furthermore, the might of the Ancient Roman military came from the military’s ability to learn from their mistakes and from their enemies. The Ancient Romans improved tactics, techniques, and even weaponry. With all these things continually changing and being improved on, the Ancient Roman military created a system for success.