Why Was the Roman Army so Successful

418 Words2 Pages
Throughout the years the roman army conquered most of Europe and lands all over the world, making them one of the most successful armies of their time. This essay will explain some of the things that made them so successful such as Organization and Equipment. The Roman soldiers were always well equipped for battle. They had a short sword, a dagger, a spear, flexible armour and a helmet. As well as the weapons the solders carried, there were other weapons such as the baluster used to catapult huge rocks at the opponent. All the weapons had there own special job, for example, the spear was designed to bend when it hit the ground so that the enemy could not throw them back. These weapons helped make the Romans successful because they were affective in battle and the soldiers were trained well to use them. Which brings me on to my next point. Training. After being accepted and sworn in, the new recruit was sent to his unit to begin training. This was thorough, systematic and physically hard. First the young soldier had to learn to march at the regulation pace for distances of up to 24 Roman miles (about 22 statute or 35km). Physical fitness was further developed by running, jumping, swimming and carrying heavy packs. Next came weapon training, starting with a wooden practice-sword and wicker shield. Soldiers learned to handle their shields correctly and to attack dummy targets with the point of their swords. The Roman soldiers had to have both obedience and organisation. Obedience because they would have to tolerate the training and pain and not drop out. Organisation because without it the Roman army would not know where to go and would not win without it if they were facing a bigger army. The second stage of the weapon training was to learn how to throw a pilum. This was like a javelin that had a wooden shaft 1.5 metres long
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