Throughout the course of the Roman Republic, they were threatened by many different countries around them. They created a mighty military that crushed the Latin states. After that, they waged a war against the Samnites, and were victorious. They had a significant portion of Italy as a result, and came into direct contact with the Greeks. The Roman's culture was greatly affected by the Greeks (such as adapting gods). Later on, the Romans crushed the Greeks, and had most of Italy under control. Their conquests were successful because of their great military strategy and their effectiveness of their ruling. For example, they gave their conquered civilians full Roman status, and gave them a stake in success. They also crushed rebellions without mercy, and used force when necessary. The Romans were good soldiers and persistent ones; they rebuilt the losses after each battle. They also built interconnecting roads that helped them move ideas, people, and weapons/food across Italy to fortified positions. Rome essentially mobilized the manpower of Italy for war.…
Can you imagine four-thousand spartans charging down a hill while three-thousand Athenians ready their bows and release them all simultaneously while the string whips in the hard rain? The Peloponnesian War was one of the most fierce wars in Greece because many people fell in battle. From the South were the Spartans. Their forces had never been stronger with a reformed, military-based government. From the North was the Athenians who had just been through a war that had been won, and were still armed and battle ready, holding fortresses across Greece. The interactions that these two city states made against, with, and without them were so intense that even the fierce kings, Leonidas of Sparta and King Pericles Cleon Nicias of Athens, fell to each other's armies.…
he sica, or siccae, was a curved scimitar, a short, curved sword, with a blade about 16-18 inches long - the most common Dacian sword (The inhabitants of Dacia are generally considered as belonging to the Thracian nations). The sica was commonly used by a Thrax (Thracian) gladiator and the Dimachaerus.…
The Romans were able to control the entirety of Central Italy, with aspirations for more, by about 300 B.C. The democracy of a very organized government created the pride that the Romans had in such abundance. Their incredible leaders added confidence to the ranks with victory after victory. When the Latin's rebelled in 340 B.C. it was said "that whichever side had been led by Titus Manlius would have undoubtedly won." (VIII, 10.11) The Roman soldier trained hard to become disciplined in order to win battle after battle. The Roman spirit, and the eagerness to win that puts ferocity in their eyes and fear in their enemy's hearts, will for a very long time take the…
The Spartan Military was one of the most feared militaries of its time. Located in the southern region of the Peloponnesus, Sparta was centralized around military dominance. Beginning at a young age, Spartan boys were pushed both physically and mentally. Every day was a test. Lycurgus, a Spartan Tyrant, was revered as God with his reforms to transform Sparta into the ultimate weapon, militarization. The Spartan military was the most feared military in the world for their way of life, ruthless training, and strategic tactics.…
Romans lost over 100 thousand men in the first and second Punic wars. The men that where left after they had savagely beaten anyone that stood in their way had no trouble taking over the entire Mediterranean. There were lots of battles fought and won during this time. After the first and second Punic wars Rome set it sights on the Iberian Peninsula. During these battles Rome took over what is today Spain and Portugal. Rome had already foothold in Africa during the Punic wars but this wasn’t enough for them. Rome wage war against the Jugutha and Numida of northern Africa in what became known as the Jugurthie…
The entire Spartan society revolved around the army, essentially making it the key aspect of Spartan life and culture. The army influenced areas such as education and social structure as well as being the most important defence of Sparta in both combat and reputation.…
Rome’s military might have been small but it was mighty, it had excellent military tactics and strong military generals. This contributes to why they kept on winning many battles. The fights that were won prisoners of war were taken. Many of the prisoners were then sold into the gladiatorial school and tried to earn their freedom, fighting in the gladiator games.…
On Roman Military Matters, commonly referred to as De Re Militari, by Flavius Vegetius Renatus is essentially a field manual focusing on Roman military organization and how to field an army in a time of war. Vegetius discusses not only the development of the Roman soldier, from recruitment to final training, but also the organization, weaponry, strategy and tactics employed by the Romans legions. Though Vegetius, through evidence, had no military background or experience, and it is unclear on what evidence he based his argument, he accurately and in great detail described the structure of the Military of the late Roman Empire.…
The Roman Army was one of the most successful armies in the past as they conquered most of the land in Europe. There were very successful because of their excellent organization, strict recruitment policy, hard training, well equipped armors and equipment and intelligent tactics.…
The political changes of the classical period of Roman Empire had an imperial theme. By the time of the Roman Empire; the ruling bodies of governance were a single military warlord called an emperor. Roman administration was a somewhat ramshackle affair, relying more on regional aristocratic elites and the army to provide cohesion. During the Roman Empire period, Rome was ruled by a series of emperors. Most emperors gained power though the military and many fought for power. Wars were fought between generals who killed other citizens in attempt to control power .Imperial riches empowered a small group of military leaders – Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar – who recruited their troops directly from the ranks of the poor and whose fierce rivalries brought revolts to Rome during the first century B.C.E. In the Roman Empire, nationalism was shown when Romans persecuted Christians and other conquered people by making them slaves. From the late Roman Republic into the Roman Empire, an emperor named Trajian extended the Empire to its greatest extent. The Roman Empire became the center of an enormous…
“The mainstay of any Greek army was the hoplite.” (Greek Warfare) Greek hoplites carried a long spear, short sword, and circular bronze shield. His armor included a bronze helmet, bronze breastplate, greaves for the legs and finally, ankle guards.…
Ancient Greece had one of the greatest militaries of all time. All throughout Greece there were different city-states. Each city-state had a different style of war. In Athens, they had the largest navy in Greece and fought battles on water. Sparta dedicated all their men to military and were all soldiers. The Greek civilization began around 2800 BC and started in the bronze age. The Greek military was the most important part of Greek Civilization because it protected Greece against others, with good strategies, had great armor for protection, and honor brought through victories…
In Ancient Greece, warfare was predominant war of life. Greeces terrain was very mountainous. Because of this there were many city states. There was constant war between these states for territorial expansion, revenge or sometimes just honor. In the early stages of the geek warfare, the Archaic period, training was disorganized and weapons were pretty bad. Although soldiers were paid, they were only paid enough to make them survive the day (enough for food, cloth, etc.). Soldiers didn't have any real uniforms and as soon as the war was over the went back to their farms instead of training more. By the 600 BC, the spartan military was a model for all city states to follow. The Spartans had a well trained, full time army that had organized uniforms. In response to this, many city states, like Athens,…
The Roman army was very mighty. Because of this they were able to expand their territory. At the height of their power they were able to conquer what we now call Wales, Spain, France, the Middle East, Greece, most of Germany, and the northern coast of Africa. Historians view the roman army as an extremely effective fighting machine. The lowest level soldier in the Roman army was a legionnaire. 5000 to 6000 legionnaires made up a legion. They were trained to fight in a disciplined and coordinated manner. If they didn’t fight well, they would be punished. Even if they won the battle. Their training was brutal. They had three main primary weapons. The Pilum was similar to a javelin and was thrown at the enemy. The main purpose of the Pilum was…