Rise Of A Roman Soldier - Elite Imperial Roman Army Documentary - Documentary Films Channel

The Roman army is a term incorporating the terrestrial armed forces set up by the Roman Kingdom (to c. 500 BC), the Roman Republic (500-- 31 BC), the Roman Empire (31 BC-- 395/476 AD) and its successor, the East Roman or Byzantine Empire (395-- 1453). It is hence a term that extends approximately 2,000 years, during which the Roman armed forces undertook various permutations in structure, organization, devices and strategies, while saving a core of lasting traditions.
The Early Roman military of the Roman kingdom and of the early republic (to c. 300 BC). During this period, when warfare mainly included small plundering-raids, one of the most effective type of raids ever before it has actually been suggested that the Roman military complied with Etruscan or Greek versions of organization and equipment. The early Roman military was based upon a yearly levy. According to Michael Ivanovich Rostovtzeff, "the army contained the whole population". The infantry ranks were filled up with the lower classes while the cavalry, celeres or equites, were left to the patricians. This was doinged this because the wealthier can pay for equines. Moreover, the commanding authority during the regal period was the high master. Until the establishment of the Republic, as well as the consuls, the king assumed the function of "commander-in-chief". In 508 B.C. Rome no longer had a master. The powerful position of the army was offered to the consuls; "that were asked for both one by one and jointly to take care to protect the Republic from threat".
The term legion is originated from the Latin word "legio"; which ultimately means draft or levy. In the beginning there were simply four hordes. These myriads were numbered "I to IIII", with the fourth being written hence and not IV. The first legion was considereded as the most distinguished. The last being a persisting theme in lots of aspects of the Roman Army. As discussed before, the bulk of the army was residents.