
The commanders of the Roman army might try to gather intelligence on the enemy. After staying in the camp for some time, the army would destroy the camp to prevent its use by the enemy, and then continue moving. Afterwards, the soldiers would construct a fortified camp.

This formation would be surrounded by soldiers on the flanks. While marching the Legion would deploy in several columns with a vanguard before them. Traders, hucksters, prostitutes, and other miscellaneous service providers would also follow the marching legion. Some equipment was moved by pack animals and carts. Roman soldiers would build infrastructure such as roads or supply caches while on the march. Local peasants or farmers might have their supplies taken from them in order to supply the Roman legion. The Roman army would be supplied by purchasing agents that would buy provisions. Centurions commanded the centuries (groups of about 100 soldiers). Tribunes oversaw the logistics of the army. A legatus assisted the magistrate in commanding the legion. Several legions made up field armies.ĭuring the Republic consuls, proconsuls, praetors, propraetors, and dictators were the only officials that could command an army. Each cohort was divided into three maniples. Roman Legions were divided into units called Cohorts. During the training exercise, Roman legionaries would also be taught to obey their commanders and either the Republic or the Emperor. Then they began to spar with other soldiers.
#FORAGER FIRE TEMPLE LIGHTS OUT COMBINATION HOW TO#
They learned marching skills first, followed by learning how to use their weapons. Roman soldiers would train for four months. Legions carried onagers, ballistae, and scorpios. Sometimes Roman soldiers would have mules that carried equipment. These tools would be used for building the castrum. They carried around tools such as a dolabra, a wooden stave, a shallow wicker, and a basket. Roman legionaries had armor, a gladius, a shield, two pila, and food rations.

Eventually, Roman emperor Diocletian would create the Comitatenses and Limitanei units to better defend the empire. Later, Marius would institute the Marian reforms, creating the Roman legion of popular imagination. By the early third century BCE, the Roman army would switch to the maniple system, which would divide the Roman army into three units, hastati, principes, and triarii. The original Roman army was made up of hoplites, whose main strategy was forming into a phalanx.

Various battles are summarized to illustrate Roman methods with links to detailed articles on individual encounters. It does not attempt detailed coverage of things like army structure or equipment. The focus below is primarily on Roman tactics: the "how" of their approach to battle, and how it stacked up against a variety of opponents over time. Roman infantry tactics refers to the theoretical and historical deployment, formation, and manoeuvres of the Roman infantry from the start of the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
