FinleyTaylorLifeofaromansoilder

Romanroads **FinleyTaylorLifeofaromansoilder.** **FinleyTaylorEntertainment** **FinleyTaylorAqueducts** **FinleyTaylorNero** **life of roman artisan** home Life of a Roman Soldier If you were drafted into the Roman millitary there would be some things that you would have no know so you didn't die. 1. You would have to first pass a series of gruleing drills and tests to become part of the legion. 2. These drills included practicing formations, physical training and tactical training. 3. To join the Roman Legion you had to be atleast 17years and could usually serve up to the age of 46. (If you lived that long) 4. Roman punishment was harsh. You swore an oath to the senate and the roman people. Then once more to your general and to the emperor. If you broke this oath you were to be executed. 5. The general had the power to execute people for any reason at any time. So dont make him mad... 6. A legion was built of 4,800-5,500 roman soilders. Some of these soilders were skilled engineers and craftsman who could build things such as forts and catapults when needed. 7. The Roman legion was successful because of their tactics and stratagie in war some battle tacitcs they used were a.The **wedge** was commonly used by attacking legionaries, legionaries formed up in a triangle, the front tip being one man and pointing toward the enemy, this enabled small groups to be thrust well into the enemy and, when these formations expanded, the enemy troops were pushed into restricted positions, making hand to hand fighting difficult. b.The **tortoise** was a essentially defensive formation by which the legionaries would hold their shields overhead, except for the front rows, thereby creating a kind of shell-like armour shielding them against missiles from the front or above. c.The **skirmishing formation** was a widely spaced line up of troops, as opposed to the tighter packed battle ranks so typical of legionary tactics. It allowed for greater mobility and would have found many uses in the tactical handbooks of Roman generals. d.The order to **repel cavalry** brought about a the following formation. The first rank would form a firm wall with their shields, only their //pila// protruding, forming a vicious line of glistening spearheads ahead of the wall of shields. A horse, however well trained, could hardly be brought to break through such a barrier. The second rank of the infantry would then use its spears to drive off any attackers whose horses came to a halt. This formation would no doubt prove very effective, particularly against ill-disciplined enemy cavalry. e.The **orb** is a defensive postition in the shape of a circle taken by a unit in desperate times. It allows for a reasonably effective defence even if parts of an army have been split up in battle and would need a very high level discipline. You would need to have all of those tactics down or everything would fail. 8 . As the Roman empire expanded on its conquest for domanance and supremecy it required a larger army. Because of this they started offering people with out full or no Roman citizenship a chance to have one bye serveing in the Roman legion for a long period of time.