Roman Military Strategy

and Tactics

War can only end in eventual victory

 Terms
Hastati- younger soldier, early form of the
legionnaire
Velites- light infantry, missile thrower
Triarii- Veteran soldier, wealthier and more
heavily armed
Ferentarii- young, poor soldier
Trireme- a ship with rectangular or
triangular sails wide enough for three
rowers at each oar, often equipped with a
ram and siege weapons
Quinquereme- similar to a trireme, but five
rowers could be stationed at each oar,
making the ship much larger
Phalanx- rectangular military formation
consisting almost entirely of heavily armored
spearmen (though after Alexander the
amount of armor became less important in
labeling a division a phalanx)
Scutum- large rectangular shield
carried by Roman legionnaires
Legionnaire- a member of an army
(legion), usually used to describe the
standard heavy infantry of the Imperial
Roman Army
Pilum- heavy spear, could be thrown
as a javelin with an effective range of
20 meters
Contubernium- squad of eight men
Maniple- subdivision of a legion
consisting of either 60 or 120 men.
Cohort- division of legion made up of
480 men
Century- division of cohort consisting
of 80 men (originally 100)
Rome Under the Etruscan Kings
Prior to the republic the
Roman Army resembled
a Macedonian phalanx.

Cavalry used defensively

Equipment and rank

based on wealth
 Rome Adapts
Completely reorganizes army.

Tactics during battle still not

seen as important part of
warfare.

Cavalry still not seen as an

offensive unit and will not
be for a while.

It has come to the triarii!

 REALLY Adapts
New Helmets! New Shields!
Rome Still Missing Something
Up until the Second Punic War Rome had no
generals that stood out from the crowd

Until
The Shield and Sword of Rome

Quintus Fabius Maximus Marcus Claudius Marcellus

(Cunctator)
More Importantly Though

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus

 Major Reformations Under Scipio
Tactics during battle
Effective use of religion in
battle
Could attack better than
Marcellus, and defend better
than Fabius
Changed basics of Roman
formation
Unknowingly set precedent by
popularizing gladius
Knew that numbers meant
nothing without tactics
Made Roman Army self-
sufficient, distrusted allies
Destroyed other Carthaginian
forces before engaging
Hannibal
Took advantage of outdated
enemy tactics
 The Classic Roman Legion
Came into being largely due
to reforms of Caius Marius

Any citizen could be a

soldier now, so long as he
was fit and willing to fight

Soldiers prepared for any

situation

Pensions!

Marius Mules
 Way the Classic Legion Operated
With many wars under
its belt the Roman
Empire held dominance
on the battlefield

Rome had tactics that

only it had the
resources to pull off
In Order to Gauge the Enemys
Strength

Skirmishing Formation
Uh oh Light Cavalry

Repel Cavalry
Standard Formations
Ace in the Hole

The Wedge (Pigs Head)

If Things Take A Turn for the
Worse

The Orb
 The Roman Standards

Standards of a Legion and a Aquilifer

Maniple
To reach the gates

The Tortoise
Sieges
The Siege of New Carthage
Scipio once again takes
advantage of tactics of the
time

Mirage created by Romans

crossing the lagoon

Combined with naval attack

 Roman Ingenuity

Siege Tower
Battle of Pydna
 Naval Warfare

Quinquereme
Trireme
Slow Development of Naval Tactics
Wars with Carthage gave
Romans a reason to
develop a navy.

Objectives: Ram or Board

Marcus Vispanius Agrippa

showed Antony the
importance of tactics at
Actium
 How Could Rome Lose?
Even an army of
400,000 could not
keep these borders
safe forever.

Remember cavalry?

The last competent

general was Belsarius
under Justinain.
An Empire Split, An Army Reformed
Diocletian splits the empire,
reforms defense plan

Comitatenses, limitanei

Theodosius and Constantine

further reform army

Magister Peditum, Magister

Equitum
Roman Tactics Used Today
My mother bore a general, not a warrior