Emperor Augustus Research Paper

When the Roman Emperor Augustus came to power in 27 BC it was after a period of civil war that lasted over 70 years following the death of Julius Caesar. Rome had 50 legions at this time, and number that would have put too great a financial strain on the Roman coffers. Augustus also feared for the loyalty of these legion due to the fact that many legionaries prior to the civil war had given their loyalty to the legion’s commander and not the state. During this time Augustus also limited Rome’s territorial ambitions choosing the secure its gains and to not expand it much further, thus making it more unmanageable both administratively and financially. Augustus reduced the size of the Roman standing military to 28 legions and placed them on the borders of the empire. Those that were cashiered out were given lands in far off Roman territories with the idea was that these ex-legionnaires would put down roots, start a family, and thus help “Romanize” the local area. Outside of reducing the financial strain process also had the benefit of putting a kind
Legionaries carried small javelins called pilum and would throw them en masse as the formations got close to each other. The tips were made of a soft metal, with the rest of it being made of wood that was designed to bend after impact so as to render it useless and would not allow the enemy to throw them back. These javelins would often impact enemy shields and embed themselves into them rendering the shield useless due to the heavy, awkward weight of the javelin sticking out, striping the enemy of some their protection. Closer in the Romans relied on a short, very well tapered, stabbing sword to attack their enemies with called a gladius. Legionnaires were also equipped with a small dagger but this is more for use outside of combat but could probably be used as a last resort if the need