USO Canteen FReeper Style~Ancient Warfare: Part II Ancient Roman Military~August 5, 2003

MilitaryHistory.com and Google.com at the Internet | August 5, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

[Kathy in Alaska]

It annoys me every time I hear about complaints of our guys not getting the electricity, trash, and what all else fixed fast enough. It seems we've already gotten more stuff up and running than they ever had. Oops! I forgot to take into consideration that it is the media writing about complaints. I assume the media would fall over dead if they reported the good stuff.

[Radix]

 

Marines with Task Force Tarawa take down a civilian driver who passed near their position March 24 in Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Marines with Task Force Tarawa attack the military garrison of the Iraqi 23 Infantry Brigade March 24 in the southern Iraq city of Nasiriyah.

 

Vehicles from the Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment rumble down a street near the village of Faysaliyah, Iraq, during a bad dust storm March 25. The cavalry spent the entire night fighting through the area and within the village. The U.S. took no casualties, while the Iraqis suffered an estimated 150 casualties inflicted by the cavalry.

 

Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, 26, of Mt. Sinai, N.Y., runs while carrying a young Iraqi boy injured during a battle between the Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment and Iraqi forces near the village of Faysaliyah, Iraq, March 25.

Officers from the 7th Cavalry Regiment work on their battle plan as they prepare to enter the city of Faysaliyah March 25.

A medical platoon with the 7th Cavalry Regiment tends to an Iraqi woman suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg during a battle between the regiment and Iraqi forces near the village of Faysaliyah, Iraq, March 25.

Airman 1st Class Jason Harris, with the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron secures the area for a large supply convoy trying to cross the Iraqi border from Kuwait March 25. The convoy is on a mission to set up a forward search-and-rescue location deep inside Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Mark Strunk, a medic with the 3rd Infantry Division, tends to a wounded Iraqi soldier March 26 in a town outside Baghdad.

 

A.J. Anderson, 5, wipes his eye in front of a fence hung with yellow ribbons during a March 26 ceremony at Fort Story, Va., in support of troops deployed overseas for Operation Iraqi Freedom. His father, Lt. Col. Brian Anderson, commands of the 11th Transportation Battalion, which earlier deployed to Kuwait from Fort Story.

 

A navy corpsman and Marines with Battery M and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines examine a lance corporal shot in the right shoulder during a March 26 patrol mission.

 

Lance Cpl. Dante Baquir, 22, of Oakland, Calif., with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, cleans and repacks 50-caliber ammunition into an ammunition box near a 155mm Howitzer in central Iraq March 26.

 

Lance Cpl. Alfredo Martinez, 21, of Lindsay, Calif., and his comrades with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines patrol outside their artillery position in central Iraq March 26 to make sure it is safe for the artillery convoy to head to another area.

[Radix]

I have Missed you Trike man.

[Radix]

Cause!

 

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Trike. Thank you, Military men and women, past and present.

[LadyHawk]

Hello Canteen Crew!!! I've missed ya'll!! I haven't had much time at home to get on here and play! Well, I've got to check out all my mail from you nice people, so I'll catch you in a bit! Good to see you all having fun!

Thank you, men and women of our armed forces, for jobs well done in keeping us safe! We owe you all a big hug and well wishes!! : - )

[minor49er]

I just sent off an e-mail to someone in the Navy!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good girl! You've brightened someone's day.

[LaDivaLoca]

Welcome to the Canteen and Thank you, Arthur, for the additional information.

[LaDivaLoca]

Good evening, John. It's good to see you! BTW, thanks for keeping me on your ping list.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi LadyHawk! Hope your day has been productive since you're so busy; no spinning of wheels.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Ancient Warfare ... Bump!
Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!

Hiya, blackie, thanks to the happy bumper for bumping by.

[LaDivaLoca]

Good evening, R. Scott. Welcome to the Canteen. It was a very interesting time reading all the information about the Roman Army. And there is more to come. Check back next week.

[LaDivaLoca]

LOL! and I thought I was the only one who was confused. I added links to the post for additional and detailed information. The first link has a question and answer portion about the Roman arms and armour. The other 2 links has more detailed explanation about the organization of the ranks. I gathered from all the sites I visited that the Roman Army was modified a few times. Here's one (my apologies for the length:

"The forces which composed the Roman army under the Empire may be divided into the following five groups: (1) the imperial guard and garrison of the capital, (2) the legions, (3) the auxilia, (4) the numeri, (5) the fleet."

1. The Imperial Guard: The imperial guard consisted of the cohortes praetoriae, which together with the cohortes urbanae and vigiles made up the garrison of Rome. In the military system as established by Augustus there were nine cohorts of the praetorian guard, three of the urban troops, and seven of the vigiles. Each cohort numbered 1,000 men, and was commanded by a tribune of equestrian rank. The praetorian prefects (praefecti praetorii), of whom there were usually two, were commanders of the entire garrison of the capital, and stood at the highest point of distinction and authority in the equestrian career. 

2. The Legions: There were 25 legions in 23 AD (Tacitus Annals 4, 5), which had been increased to 30 at the time of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, 160-180 AD (CIL, VI, 3492 a-b) and to 33 under Septimius Severus (Dio Cassius, iv. 23-24). Each legion was made up, ordinarily, of 6,000 men, who were divided into 10 cohorts, each cohort containing 3 maniples, and each maniple in turn 2 centuries. 

The legatus Augustus pro praetore, or governor of each imperial province, was chief commander of all the troops within the province. An officer of senatorial rank known as legatus Augusti legionis was intrusted with the command of each legion, together with the bodies of auxilia which were associated with it. Besides, there were six tribuni militum, officers of equestrian rank (usually sons of senators who had not yet held the quaestorship) in each legion. The centurions who commanded the centuries belonged to the plebeian class. Between the rank of common soldier and centurion there were a large number of subalterns, called principales, who correspond roughly to the non-commissioned officers and men detailed from the ranks for special duties in modern armies. 

3. The "Auxilia": The auxilia were organized as infantry in cohortes, as cavalry in alae, or as mixed bodies, cohortes equitatae. Some of these divisions contained approximately 1,000 men (cohortes or alae miliariae), but the greater number about 500 (cohortes or alae quingenariae). They were commanded by tribuni and praefecti of equestrian rank. The importance of the auxilia consisted originally in the diversity of their equipment and manner of fighting, since each group adhered to the customs of the nation in whose midst it had been recruited. But with the gradual Romanization of the Empire they were assimilated more and more to the character of the legionaries. 

4. The "Numeri": The numeri developed out of the provincial militia and began to appear in the 2nd century AD. They maintained their local manner of warfare. Some were bodies of infantry, others of cavalry, and they varied in strength from 300 to 90 (Mommsen, Hermes, XIX, 219 f, and XXII, 547 f). Their commanders were praepositi, praefecti or tribuni, all men of equestrian rank. 

[Wild Thing]

Hi MoJo, that is such a nice surprise.
Thank you MoJo,thank you for including me.You are very kind.

Wild Thing

[LadyHawk]

Hi Kathy!! Just another 9 hours today. Through to yesterday, I worked 5-9's and 2-10's. *YAWN* I really need to get some time here at home to do the wife things, like laundry! YIKES!!

[minor49er]

Here's another humor attempt for today:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they laid down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?"
Watson pondered for a minute.
"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.
Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.
Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant.
Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"
Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke.
"It tells me that someone has stolen our tent."

[Trikebuilder]

Glad to hear from you too Bro, how the younger Radix doing? You two going to do a little shared experience together, (may I suggest a motorcycle trip to Sturgis, the two of you would be a hoot!)

[LadyHawk]

Sorry I have to run. I hate that, but... Dinner and sleep are still waiting for me, so I best go. I wanted to stop by and let you all know that the Hawks are alive and well. SouthernHawk will stop by in the morning and me? Well, I'll be sure to check in as soon as I can! I promise! I miss you good people!!! WAAHH!!!

Everybody take care, and sleep well!

[LaDivaLoca]

LOL!!! The joke was funny but I think your "armor" is even funnier. Do they come in different colors like your burkas?