Military of ancient Rome

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The Military of ancient Rome (known to the Romans as the militia) means all military forces of Ancient Rome from the founding of the city of Rome to the end of the Western Roman Empire. Originally there was only the Roman army, but a small navy was added during the Second Samnite War.

The Roman military was an important part of the Roman state. Josephus describes the Roman people as "as if born ready armed."^[1]. It has a history of more than 1300 years. Roman armies fought in Parthia as well as in Africa, and in - what was in that time the far north - the British Isles.

Following a series of reforms during centuries, the army became highly trained and was well equipped in the middle of the Roman Imperial period. The Romans also had a powerful navy that ruled the Mediterranean and the European Atlantic coast. In the late Imperial period the military's numbers were significantly increased to cover the borders and keep internal peace. The circumstances of the Empire had changed; the Western Roman Empire now relied heavily on foederati units of mostly Germanic tribes living within the borders, who fought in the name of Rome during the Migration Period.

At its territorial height, the Roman Empire may have contained between 45 million and 120 million citizens.^[2] Historian Edward Gibbon estimated that the size of the Roman army "most probably formed a standing force of 375,000" men at the Empire's territorial peak in the time of Hadrian. This probably included only legionary and auxiliary troops.^[3] But Gibbons states that it is "not... easy to define them with any tolerable accuracy."

Locations of Roman legions, 80 AD.

Evidence has also emerged recently that the Roman army may have included women as well as men. Women were never admitted into core units such as the legions, but there is archaeological evidence that some women did serve in the federated troops used in the late Empire.^[4] Contemporary sources made no record of this and there is no archaeological evidence that suggests that women were a significant part of troops even amongst the federated troops of the late empire.

1 Notes
2 References
- 2.1 Primary sources
- 2.2 Secondary sources
3 Other websites

[change] Notes

↑ Williamson, G. (tr.), Josephus, The Jewish War, 1959, p. 378
↑ Estimates range wildly because census data was imprecise and there is some disagreement over how many federated tribes had settled permanently in the late Empire.
↑ Gibbon E., The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Penguin, 1985, para. 65
↑ Smith, L., Women warriors from Amazon fought for Britain's Roman army,[1] in The Times, 22 December 2004

[change] References

[change] Primary sources

Livy, The Rise of Rome, Oxford University Press, 1998
Polybius, History, Book 6
Tacitus, The Histories, Book V

[change] Secondary sources

Gibbon E., The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Penguin, 1985
Goldsorthy A., In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire, Weidenfield and Nicholson, 2003
Grant, M., The History of Rome, Faber and Faber, 1993
Heather, P., The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History, MacMillan, 2005
Jones, The Later Roman Empire,Johns Hopkins University Press, 1964
Lane Fox, Robin, The Classical World, Penguin, 2005
Luttwak, E., The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, Johns Hopkins
Matyszak, P., The Enemies of Rome, Thames and Hudson, 2004
Santosuosso, A., Soldiers, Emperors and Civilians in the Roman Empire, Westview Press, 2001