The Life of a Roman Soldier

By Calum Johnson

IntroductionThe Romans were able to expand their empire because of the strength of the Roman ArmyIt was the first paid, full time professional army in the world.

The Roman Empire

Uniforms and equipment

Roman soldiers wore leather sandals on their feet, these were called caligae. They also carried a sword (Gladius), 2 javelins (Pilum, Plural: Pila) and a dagger for close up fightingA group of soldiers sometimes joined together by making a tortoise shape with their shields, this was called testudo.....

They wore a woolen tunic and leather breeches around their legs and also wore shoulder plates to shield their shoulders and upper arm.A Roman shield (scutum) was curved to fit around the body and their helmet was made of bronze to protect their heads and necks as that was the primary area for the enemy to strike.Another primary area to be hit was the hips and so for this reason they wore a cingulum or metal belt.

A Roman soldier

TrainingLegionaries were very fit, they trained by running, chopping down trees and doing obstacle coursesEvery month they did a route march with 60 pounds of equipment, armour and weapons to carry!

They also did drill and weapon training.

DisciplineCenturions were in charge of discipline. They carried a stick of very hard wood and they used it to beat their soldiers. They used to punish small things with extra duties, flogging or a fine.If a whole army failed a task they would be decimated, this meant that the entire army lined up and every tenth person was beaten until death by friends.

Men earned 2½ denarii a day, this was a lot in those days.Serious criminals who did things like mutiny, murder or desertion were punished by stoning, a method where your fellow soldiers threw stones at you until you were dead.

FortsHadrians wall had 17 forts , each one held 500 – 1,000 troops Soldiers lived in barrack blocks Eight men had to share two small rooms, one was used for sleeping and the other for keeping weapons, cooking equipment and food.

At the middle of each fort was a head -quarters (HQ) building, it had offices where the most senior soldiers/officers worked. It also had a strong room to keep money in.

Latrines (toilet blocks) were built for the soldiers They were usually near an outside wall and had underground drains to carry away the sewage There was a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers within the fort.

Roman Barracks

Roman Fort at Hadrian's Wall (housesteads)

A plan of housesteads roman fort

Plan of a Roman Fort

QuizHow were Romans able to expand their empire?Answer: Because of the strength of their armyWhat was the name for a Roman shield?Answer: A scutum

How many pounds did the soldiers have to carry on their route marchesAnswer: 60 poundsHow much did the soldiers earn a day?Answer: 2 ½ DenariiHow many forts did Hadrian's Wall have?Answer: 17 forts

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How to join the Roman army:

Before you could join the army you had to enrol on a waiting list, just like we have to enrol on a primary school waiting list.When you did join you had to prove that you wanted the job by becoming the barrack servant for a year, this meant you had to clean toilets and wash clothes.

Currency.........

The Romans originally did not have money. They, like many other tribes, swapped. Many years later the idea of an official currency was adopted, the coins used were called denarii (singular: denarius).

Rome's enemies Below is a list of the numerous factions the Romans fought against:i.Gauls (French)ii.Germanic-Francish tribes (German)iii.Britons, Celts and Picts (British)iv.Dacians and Illyrian tribes (Austrian)v.Scithians, Huns, Roxolani, Samaritans, Vandals and Slavs (Ukraine/Russia)vi.Ostro-Goths, Goths, Visi-Goths, Macedonian, Greek (Greek)vii.Persian, Parthian, Egyptian, Carthaginian (North Africa).viii. Spanish (Spain)

Roman Settlements

The End!!Presentation by Calum Johnson

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