Roman Legions and other military units

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KalaVelka
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Roman Legions and other military units

#1

Post by KalaVelka » 10 Apr 2003, 18:18

I am looking information about Roman legions and other military units like praetorians. I would like to know about their generals, tactics, famous battles, information about legions and you can tell me also anything that you keep interesting.

Thx

partia est communis omnium parens

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Victor
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#2

Post by Victor » 10 Apr 2003, 20:08

There is so much to say about the Roman Legion that it is even hard to know what to start with. Which period interests you more? The Legion had several different organizations during its long history.


Homer martin
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Hi

#3

Post by Homer martin » 10 Apr 2003, 21:08

Here is the web site address of a good Roman forum:

http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk

It covers re-enacting, history, archaeology, book reviews on Roman subjects and marketplace.

The history of the Roman army and its make up would cover a very large book, as the Roman army changed as time past.

/hgm

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KalaVelka
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#4

Post by KalaVelka » 11 Apr 2003, 06:27

thx for the link. I would like to know about 60bc-100ac. Did legions have names and did they belong to armygroup?

Homer martin
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hi

#5

Post by Homer martin » 11 Apr 2003, 13:11

The time frame you want to cover is still a very large amount of changes and 2 major civil wars. Yes Legions had names and where simi corp together. After Augustus beat Mark Anthony, the number of Legions used by the Romans was cut by more than half, fewer Legions not only saved money it cut the number of Revolts that would be a possibility down. Also in the time frame your looking at the Romans went from a simi oval shield to the classic simi squared shield you see in most movies, and the helmet in Julius time was bronze by 50-60AD it mainly iron. Some of the Names of the Legions after the Augustus-Anthony war:
I Germanica
II Augusta
III Gallica
V Macedonica
VI Victrix
VIIII Hispana
X Fretensis
XII Fulminata
XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix
XX Valeria Victrix
XXI Rapax
XXII Primigenia
XXX Ulpia Victrix
If a Legion was destoryed and it Eagles taken, that number and name of the Legion would never be used again.
The Quinctilius Varus (9AD)disaster is one of the biggest military defeats in the history of Rome, the 3 Legions lost in this action where never refromed. Accounts of the battle:

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/23 ... anaccounts

Sometime in the 1 Century AD the 1st Cohort in many of the Legions had its strenght double.

/hgm

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KalaVelka
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#6

Post by KalaVelka » 11 Apr 2003, 13:47

Eagles? what were eagles? Which divisions were best?

Homer martin
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Hi

#7

Post by Homer martin » 11 Apr 2003, 14:38

Eagles:

Every Legion had a standard of an Eagle that was introduced by Marius. This Eagle was guarded by the 1st Cohort and never leaved camp unless the whole Legion left camp. This was carried by the Aquilifer.

Legions also had an Imago, which was usually an image of the Emperor, which was carried by the signifer. Every man in the Legion had to known what the Emperor looked like. Each Century had a signa.

Some Legions also had other sysbols they adopted like a wolf, bull, wild boar, some Zodiac sign, etc.

Legions also had Vexilla which was a small standard which could have any number of items on it, like a Wild boar with a Legion number, just a Legion number, an Eagle, some God, etc. Vexillations where given to even small detachments from a Legion.

The best Legions is a harder question, as time past this changed age to age and would be a matter of opinion too.

this is just quick guide to the about subject.

/hgm
Last edited by Homer martin on 11 Apr 2003, 15:55, edited 1 time in total.

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Korbius
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#8

Post by Korbius » 11 Apr 2003, 15:20

The praetorians were of course the elite of the roman army. They were supposed to be the bodyguards of the king but as time passed, the praetorians sometimes got to place the emperor that they liked and overthrowing the one that they didn't want. The praetorians later were mainly from the region of Illyria which in present day is the western balkans (ex-yugo republics, albania, N. greece, austria, etc.)

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KalaVelka
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#9

Post by KalaVelka » 11 Apr 2003, 15:29

But there wasnt any legion which had reputation like DasReich or LSSAH?
How many cohorts were in one legion?

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Korbius
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#10

Post by Korbius » 11 Apr 2003, 15:46

The Legion was split into 10 Cohorts.
The Cohorts were divided into Centuries.
The First Cohort contained five centuries of 160 'crack troops.'
The other cohorts contained six centuries of 80 men.
The centurion in charge of the First Cohort was called the Primus Pilus. He was the best.

Homer martin
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hi

#11

Post by Homer martin » 11 Apr 2003, 15:54

Late 1st Century Legion toe:

Strength 5,500

10 Cohorts

The 1st cohort had 5 Centuries of 160 men each.
The 2nd though the 10th cohort had 6 Centuries of 80 men each.

Each Century had one Centurion, one Tesserarius, one signifer and one cornicen or tubicen.

The Legion also had 120 Cavalry used to scouts and dispatch riders between post.

Higher command of the legion was as follows:

Legatus
Tribunus laticlavius
Praefectus castrorum
5 Tribuni angusticlavii
Primus pilus (sr. Centurion)
and the Aquilifer

These numbers changed Legion to Legion some Legions could have as many as twice the number of Centurions when on station.

Each Legion also had auxiliaries that could double the strenght of the command.

Auxiliares came from all over the Roman Empire.

In Julius time the his 9th Legion was one of the better ones.

Here is a link to pictures of Standards, Eagles, Vexilla:


http://www.niximperial.com/nixpage04.html

/hgm

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KalaVelka
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#12

Post by KalaVelka » 11 Apr 2003, 18:19

Thx for all.

ChristopherPerrien
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Reputations!?

#13

Post by ChristopherPerrien » 13 Apr 2003, 19:06

But there wasnt any legion which had reputation like DasReich or LSSAH?


No one will remember the names or the "reputations" of Nazi SS divisions
2000 years from now.

Romans legions managed to conquer most of the "known" world and hold it against all enemies for several hundred years. That's a little better than losing your first war and ceasing to exist in about five years.

If you want to know about legions read "The Gallic War" by Juluis Ceasar,
you can read about his beloved 10th Legion and then you can have a standard to judge want an "Elite" fighting force actually is.

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T.R.Searle
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#14

Post by T.R.Searle » 20 Apr 2003, 14:40

Another good book is Roman Warfare, by Adrian Goldsworthy It has everything about the legions, leaders, battles, unit composition, also maps and goes through the campaigns of the Romans from the beginning to the end. So much information infact I wouldnt know how to put it on here. If you can try to pick up that book, or if there is something in particular you want to know you can PM me and I could find it.

T.R.Searle :)

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T.R.Searle
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#15

Post by T.R.Searle » 20 Apr 2003, 15:05

The Army In Battle (here is alittle bit of info from that book I previously metioned)

The Manipular Legion was designed for fighting pitched battles. Its organization allowed it only one formation, the triplex acies with the three lines of heavy infantry supporting eachother to place maximum pressure on the enemy to the front. When a Roman army was close to the enemy, the legions marched in three parallel columns, the hastati(first line of heavy infantry, recruited from younger men) on the left, the principes(second line of heavy infantry, recruited from men in the "prime of life") in the centre and the triarri(oldest and most experianced men of the legion) on the right. To deploy into battle formation these columns wheeled to the right to form the triplex acies. Each maniple had to be positioned carefully in the relation to its neighbours in its own and the other two lines to ensure that the legions front was properly and uniformly supported. Even when the army had camped only a few kilometres or less from the enemys position, and then, at the point which would form the left of the army's position, wheeled to the right and marched along the army's intended front to form the triplex acies. It was a time-consuming process, even in an experianced and well drilled army, the whole column having to stop and wait as each maniple reached its appointed position and closed up from marching formation into battle formation before it could move forward again. Deploying a Roman army took hours, and required constant supervision from the tribunes. If the enemy threatened then the army's deployment was covered by the cavalry, perhaps supported by some of the velites(light infantry). More often then not the enemy way too busy forming his own battle line to pose much of a threat.

This was the army of the mid-republic. There is more but will take ages to type.

T.R.Searle :)

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