The Roman Empire Timeline: An Animated Journey Through Antiquity
An animated map showing the growth of Rome over the years from its start as a Republic and transformation into an Empire. It then splits into the Eastern Byzantine Empire …
Army Soldier Dress, Armor, & Weapons
A collection of pictures of soldiers with their armour/equipment (recreated from historical accounts). Hoplite (5th century BC) Veles, plural: velites (3rd/2nd century BC) Hastatus (3rd/2nd Century BC) Triarius (3rd/2nd Century BC) …
Siege Warfare
Siege Warfare – Tactics Ancient Romans were experts in siege warfare. In conducting sieges, the Romans showed their practical genius combined with ruthless thoroughness. If a place could not be …
Roman Navy
The Roman Navy was always considered an inferior arm and was strictly under army control. But already during the First Punic War, Rome proved itself capable of launching a fleet …
Military Training
Marching and Physical Training The first thing the soldiers were taught to do, was to march. The historian Vegetius tells us that it was seen as of greatest importance to …
Army Career
Roman society was governed by class and so in effect there was three separate army careers possible, that of the common soldier in the ranks, that of the equestrians and …
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 …
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 …
The Roman Standards
Nothing in military history quite matches the Roman standards. Perhaps the closest equivalent are the regimental colours in contemporary armies. The standards, the signa were a recognition signal and a …
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 …