Positive factors
Rigorously trained
DISCIPLINE – fought compactly, together, obedient, routine
Flexible and adaptable tactics – depending on enemy, terrain, weather etc.
Ease of travel – many roads and control of seas
Roman culture itself was quite advanced
Logistics – supply chain, map making and intelligence network, paperwork
War engineers and artillery – excellent support and cover fire
Great leaders – centurions were educated and experienced
Formation & manoeuvring was excellent
Financial power + mass of resources
Top-notch training and equipment
One of the first professional armies, not called up citizens
Organisation
Loyalty + determination to Rome/their general
Well fed and looked after
Were paid and given extras
Accompanied by specialists such as medics
They learnt from their enemies – adopted new techniques and technologies
Persistent – if retreat was necessary, their enemy would soon have a new fresh army at their doorstep.
roman infantry
- used the phalanx in earlier times. roman tactics back then were not very complex, other than a straight frontal assault until the rise of scipio africanus
-disciplined, ordered troops were more effective, than wild rushing at the enemy or reliance on numbers or better troops to ensure victory.
-every situation was handled accordingly, regarding terrain, weather, type of terrain and the opposition’s soldiers
-phalanxes were vulnerable to the ‘checkerboard’ system of the romans, which allowed their soldiers to move and retreat flexibly
- troops: triarii maniples, principes maniples, hastati manciples, velites skirmishers
Within this triplex acies system, contemporary Roman writers talk of the maniples adopting a checkered formation called quincunx when deployed for battle but not yet engaged. In the first line, the hastati left gaps equal in size to their cross-sectional area between each maniple. The second line consisting of principes followed in a similar manner, lining up behind the gaps left by the first line. This was also done by the third line, standing behind the gaps in the second line. The velites were deployed in front of this line in a continuous, loose-formation line.
legionnaire equipment
Sword – Gladius
Shield – Scutum
Armour – Lorica Segmentata
Dagger – Pugio
Javelin – Pilum
Helmet – Galea
Sandals – Caligae
Personal + miscellaneous items
question
Analyse why Roman infantry was so successful in conquering their neigbours.
Some possible aspects to be researched:
Equipment, discipline, tactics/formations, strategies, important figures – basically what their advantages were.
IPT update
I deleted the top part of this post and a couple of others.
Since I’ve pretty much forgotten to do most of my posts, I’ll just do a quick, more detailed recap.
The week after the assessment, I’ll admit I didn’t really do anything besides reading the sheets. It felt like I had ages to do it. I decided to choose scenario 1, as it seemed like it was the easiest… Not sure if it was in the end. I thought I didn’t need to start till a couple of weeks.
2 weeks later, I started Phase 1, which was pretty lazy of me. I finished it in a couple of nights work, as it was really only one page. I had to redo it after discovering that there was a scaffold for it.
3 days after that, I decided I really needed to get started. I started and finished phase 2 in about 3 days, where I did a page a night. I also had to re-do it after discovering another scaffold. After that… the next day i started the hell of phase 3.
Phase 3 took me as long as it took a regular assignment. About 3 hours, just to draw some diagrams (which was actually the toughest part cos of all the little clicking and drawing circles with a mouse) and a couple of bits on designing. I did it in one day, and the fatigue was getting to me through it. I even had to turn down the brightness and contrast on my monitor cos it was hurting my eyes.
Then next night after that, which is today. I finished Phase 4 and 5 on the same day. As they were only a couple of pages long, I felt relaxed. About the whole assignment.. it took about 9 hours total. Felt like hell. Please don’t make any longer ones PLEASE
-reinaldo
IPT assessment
Sorry, I saved instead of published for my other blog thingos, and they came up as a draft/unpublished status by accident. On June 10th I started Phase 1. On the 11th I completed Phase 1, and I started Phase 2, and right now (12th) I’m in the middle of doing it.
