10 Fascinating Facts About The Ancient Roman Army

List Verse ^ | Sept. 4, 2016 | CRISTIAN VIOLATTI

[lulu16]

Rome’s all-conquering military machine holds a special place in our minds. Its efficiency and discipline made a small city on the Italian peninsula rule over most of the Western world, from the British Isles to the Near East and from the Rhine to North Africa. This list offers some interesting facts about the Roman army, some of which can explain part of its success and also its failures.

10 Seasonality And War

During the Romans’ early history, the logistical challenges of conducting a war meant that the Romans only fought between sowing and harvest (during the summer). Rome was an agriculture-based economy, and the movement of troops during winter was highly demanding.

According to Livy (History of Rome, 5.6), if a war was not over by the end of summer, “our soldiers must wait through the winter.” He also mentioned a curious way that many soldiers chose to spend the time during the long waiting: “The pleasure of hunting carries men off through snow and frost to the mountains and the woods.”

The first recorded continuation of war into the winter by the Romans took place in 396 BC during the siege of the Etruscan city of Veii.

[Secret Agent Man]

11. They had no women troops in the army.

[Secret Agent Man]

The logic behind the decimation picking random people is flawed. I understand their point, but that logic will turn more people against you than with you.

Unjust punishment as a general rule, people revolt against.

[Sans-Culotte]

Africa and recounting the Roman/Carthaginian wars that took place in the area and said he was a Roman soldier who fought there in that war (in a previous life).

I always thought the implication was that he'd fought for Carthage. When I was a kid, Hannibal was a hero of mine. But now, I tend to admire the Romans more for coming back from several horrific defeats at Hannibal's hands. Winning the Punic Wars really established Rome as a great empire.

[litehaus]

“Latin is a dead language, nothing changes.”

Carved into a wooden desk back in High School-—:

Latin is a dead language
Dead as it can be
First it killed the Romans
Now its killing me !

[1rudeboy]

For later.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I suppose you could argue that Latin isn’t dead, it just morphed into the various Romance languages. Love that peom BTW!

[MGG]

But were they led by Biggus Dickus?

[Hostage]

The Romans gave up on defeating the German tribes militarily.

The Germans had the following going for them that other peoples vanquished by the Romans had lacked:

1. UNITY. The Germanic tribes would unite against a foreign army.
2. PREPARATION. The Germans were very organized, strategically and tactically.
3. TOUGHNESS. The Germans like the Romans planned warfare to last for months rather than days or at most weeks as others who had been defeated by the Romans were prepared for.

But the Romans were smart and eventually conquered the Germans by other means of which the following were utilized:

1. “SOFTEN” THE CULTURE. the coarseness of Germanic culture and traditions were softened by building marble baths and pools with hot flowing water and steam rooms. This injection of Roman luxury amongst other hedonistic softening practices transformed some of the German high-command causing an adoption of Roman customs and practices.

2. DETER UNITY. The Alsace-Lorrain region is a historical area of conflict between France and Germany. What many people don’t know is that the root of the conflict was created by Romans thousands of years ago. The Romans recognizing the tendency of the Germanic tribes to unite against Roman military forces decided to move the population of Gauls who inhabited the area of the present-day Riviera in the south of France to an area that is today known as the Alsace-Lorraine region. This was done so that the Germanic tribe inhabiting that area would not be able to gather the support of the other Germanic tribes in any battles with the Gauls. This was done for the purpose of creating a buffer of conflict away from the gold mines in the south of present-day France (today known as Le Midi, specifically the Cote d’Azur). The Caesars of Rome had villas along the Cote d’Azur where their trusted security could monitor the gold mining. They did not want the Germans venturing south to cause disruption to their gold activities.

[OttawaFreeper]

I’ll have to re-watch the scene again, as you raise an interesting point as that he may have been a Cartheginian as opposed to a Roman soldier.

It was funny, though, how he spoke to Omar Bradley, saying “you don’t believe me Omar, do you?”.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I don’t know, but I understand the Romans felt Gluteus Maximus was the biggest ass who ever lived.

[ETL]

“SOFTEN” THE CULTURE. the coarseness of Germanic culture and traditions were softened by building marble baths and pools with hot flowing water and steam rooms.

Sounds like what the commie left is trying to do. Totally screw up our culture. Destroy us from within.

Nice analysis. Wish I knew and understood more about the subject.

[SoCal Pubbie]

You can watch the scene here:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/1035801/Patton-Movie-Clip-You-Know-Who-The-Poet-Was-.html

I don’t think Patton gave any indication one way or another whether he had been a Carthaginian a Roman soldier.

[Does so]

The hero of the Teutoberg Wald battle was commemorated on an Arminius revolver, imported from West Germany by FIE of Miami FL.

[ETL]

PILATE: What’s so... funny about ‘Biggus Dickus’?

CENTURION: Well, it’s a joke name, sir.

PILATE: I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome called ‘Biggus Dickus’.

GUARD #4: chuckling

PILATE: Silence! What is all this insolence? You will find yourself in gladiator school vewy quickly with wotten behavior like that.

BRIAN: Can I go now, sir?

slap

Aaah! Eh.

PILATE: Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this.

GUARD #4: chuckling

PILATE: Wight! Take him away!

CENTURION: Oh, sir, he— he only—

PILATE: No, no. I want him fighting wabid, wild animals within a week.

CENTURION: Yes, sir. Come on, you.

GUARD #4: Ha ha haa ha, ha ha ha. Hooo hooo hoo hoo. Hoo hoo...

PILATE: I will not have my fwiends widiculed by the common soldiewy. Anybody else feel like a little... giggle... when I mention my fwiend... Biggus...

GUARD #1: chuckling

PILATE: ...Dickus?

Biggus Dickus - Monty Python’s Life of Brian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8_jgiNqUc

[Little Bill]

The Mongol units operated in units of 10, under the Great Khan if one fled with out orders the other nine were executed.

[Does so]

Something the US hadn’t learned in the WWII Pacific theater.

[ETL]

Re: Sounds like what the commie left is trying to do. Totally screw up our culture. Destroy us from within.

...not that a hot bath in a marble tub is such a bad thing. :) But you know what I mean. All that crazy stuff the left is doing today in an attempt to undermine our society and weaken us from within.

[ETL]

Sorry, I don’t know very much about the subject.

[Hostage]

That is precisely the analogy you are using. The Roman tactic was to make the Germanic leaders more like Romans.

The left in America wants America to be more leftist so that that the persons (Soros, etc.) at the top control the power.

The left knows that America cannot be defeated militarily so it must be defeated from within.

The problems the left faces currently stem from the 2nd amendment and from the unity around Donald Trump.

Things the left has going for it include electronic voting machines (see today’s post on the electronic vote fraud in Brazil where the same type of machines are now here in 17 states).

[Hostage]

More to follow.