Rome Part 3

Next, was the Primus Pilus. He was in charge of 700 to 800 men and 8 senior centurions. This man was shown respect for the position he held. He got paid 18,000 denarii a year. Although he was a very superior officer, he would fight as much as a Legionary. The Primus Pilus carried two weapons called a gladius, and wore a cool looking breastplate.

The Senior Tribune was the Legates right hand man. He was in charge of six Tribunes and had lots of respect. He was also in charge of all the paper work.

The Legate commanded a whole legion and never ever fought.

If you have any questions about this army, just leave a comment and I will answer you personally. If you would like to read more on the roman army just click here.

Rome - Part 2

I once told my grandfather (Who I think knows everything.) that the Roman pilum bends when it hits the ground and he said (to my surprise) "I never knew that."

2. The Roman army was noted for their organized military. The lowest rank soldier was an Auxiliary who was a non-citizen of Rome. They were the lowest paid soldier in the army. They were paid about 250 denarii a year. Now, it would seem like these guys would never be on the front line. However, that's not true. They were always on the front lines fighting. In addition to fighting, they were also messengers and scouts. Instead of a pilum they carried a hasta and instead of a square shield they had a round shield, which allowed them to fight in loose formations. They did not have breastplates and they were given little training.

The Legionary was paid 300 denarii per year. He was very well trained and disciplined. His weapons were a pilum (spear) and gladius (sword). He used a square shield and always fought on the front line. These soldiers, instead of loose formations, fought in tight formations like the "wedge" and others. The wedge was usually used for breaking enemy lines.

Then there was the tortoise which looked like a tank. It was so strong that once they tried to drive a cart and horse over it and it worked! Here is a picture of a tortoise.

The next soldier is the Centurion,he was paid 8,500 denarii. He is in charge of 80 men and was very cruel. In battle he would usually lead wedges. You can see he has a unique helmet. His only weapon is a gladius. The stick in his left hand he used to beat disobedient legionaries. Here were the top 4 reasons a Centurion would issue a punishment.a

1. Cowardliness
2. Theft
3. Disobedience
4. Desertion

Please come back for more on the Roman army.

Remember if you have any questions just leave a comment and I will answer it in my next blog.

Thanks!

Rome - Part I

Many people think that the roman empire was massive. Well actually, the Roman empire was smaller than the US! Now here are 10 technological edges that the Romans had.

1.Their aqueducts were probably the thing that they were known most for. They would usually start at some mountain then traveling over hundreds of miles to some city. Then a smaller one would hook up to a reservoir then the water would be shipped off by pipes to fountains, bathes, and villas.

Now if you have any questions just leave a comment then I will answer it in my next blog.