WHAT WEAPONS AND TACTICS DID THE ROMANS USE TO MAKE THEM SO SUCCESSFUL IN WAR?

By Yang Han Div. 1

Intro

The Romans were an extremely successful civilization. They conquered numerous other civilizations and became the most powerful civilization in ancient times. Most of this happened because they had a strong military. They would crush their opponents and make them apart of Rome. But how did they become so successful in war? What gave them such an advantage over other civilizations? So my question is: “what weapons and tactics did the roman use to make them so successful in war?” lets take a look.

Arms and armor

Cassis and Lorica Segmentata

The Cassis was a helmet made of bronze. Many people think that it looked like a pot. It protected the most important part of the body, the head! The lorica Segmentata was a type of armor made by overlapping steel plates. This helps answer the question because with armor, troops can take more hits and still be able to fight, therefore, giving them an advantage over troops without armor.

The Gladius

The Gladius was a short sword used mostly for stabbing. The Gladius was usually made of steel. The Gladius was shorter and lighter than other swords, making it a perfect weapon at close range. You can stab and slash and not get too tired. Plus, a shorter sword makes it easier to stab vulnerable places like the neck or groin. Longer swords would become un-wieldable because there is no room to swing them. It helps answer the question because it they could fight more effectively at close range, then the Romans have an advantage over their enemies.

The Pilum

The Pilum was basically a javelin. It was made by attaching a long tip onto a wooden stick. It gave every Roman infantry a short ranged, high penetration weapon. One hit from the Pilum and you’re basically dead. The tip of the Pilum was soft and would bend, therefore not giving the enemy a free weapon. Even if the enemy blocks the Pilum with his shield, the Pilum would embed itself into the shield and make the shield useless. This helps answer the question because a volley of Pilum’s is an extremely effective tactic against both infantry and cavalry.

The Scutum

The Scutum was a curved rectangular shield. It was light enough to be held with one arm. The curved shape of the Scutum made it unlikely that the user would be hit with a projectile. However, the Scutum sometimes broke in battle because it was light. The Scutum has a metal boss in the center that was used to hit people. This helps answer the question because with a remarkable shield, you can block the enemy’s attacks. If you just had a sword, then you have to parry every time.

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(left)This is the metal edge of the Scutum.

Artillery

The Scorpio

This Scorpio was an early mounted crossbow and the sniper of the past. The Scorpio was made of wood and strong string. Men with Scorpios were usually posted up a hill so they had a clear view of the enemy. The Scorpio fired bolts that penetrated shields and badly wounded enemy soldiers. Each legion had a standard of 60 Scorpios. This helps answer the question because it allowed Romans to pick enemy troops off without risking any of their own.

(top) This is an arrow head that the Scorpio shot.

The Ballista

The Ballista was the Scorpio’s bigger brother. It was a giant mounted crossbow. Like the Scorpio, it had extremely high accuracy but a farther range. It also had better penetration and thus caused way more damage. The ballista could take down fully armored troops. The Ballista was sometimes pulled by horses, making it mobile. This helps answer the question because it gave the Romans a way for soldiers of average strength to take down fully armored troops from a long distance.

(top) This is part of the Ballista’s metal frame.

The Onager

The Onager is a type of ancient roman catapult that got its energy from twisting rope. It has the same principles as a rubber band airplane. Instead using a rubber band, the Onager used rope. Instead of spinning a propeller, the Onager swung a wooden arm. There was either a scoop or a sling on the end of the arm which was loaded with rocks and other projectiles. The Onager was used to attack castles and fortresses. This answers the question because it gave the Romans a way to destroy fort walls or lob projectiles over the walls.

(left)This is a frame that the an Onager used to sit on.

Tactics

The battle field

Romans chose their engagements carefully; the battle ground could sway the results of the battle. The Romans liked to choose land where they are higher than their opponents. This gave the Romans better use of artillery as well as confidence. If you were attacking cavalry with infantry, you want rocky and uneven ground. If there was wind, you want it to blow towards the enemy so it would blind them with dust. The same applied to the Sun; you want it shining in their eyes. This helps answer the question because it gave the Romans a geographical advantage.

This is a carving of a battle, note that the romans are on the higher ground.

Formations

The Tortoise

The tortoise was a defensive formation were the first row of soldiers would hold their shield in front of themselves and the second row of soldiers would hold their shields over the head of the soldiers in the first row. This formation effectively blocked most incoming projectiles. This formation was used when marching toward the enemy line. This helps answer the question because it allowed Romans to take as little casualties as possible.

The wedge

The wedge was used to break the enemy line and force them into close quarters combat. It was a squad of soldiers in the shape of a triangle. They would attack the enemy then expand outwards. This was where the Gladius came in handy. It was held low and used as a stabbing weapon. This helps answer the question because it made the Romans more effective at fighting.

The saw

Like the anti-wedge, the saw was a separate unit immediately behind the front line. When there was a break in the front line, the “saw” would come rushing in to fill the gap and reform the line. This helps answer the question because it prevented the front line form breaking. You do not want your front line to break.

The skirmishing formation

In this formation, every second soldier would step back to make a new line. The formation doubles the number of ranks you have. This was useful when you need to attack fast or withdraw quickly. This formation also allowed retreating friendly troops to pass though. This helps answer the question because it gave the Romans a way to safely retreat.

The repel cavalry

This formation was used against cavalry. The front line would put their shields in front of themselves and their stick their spears out. The second line would keep their spears ready. What would happen was when a horse came it would stop before the first row’s spears and become vulnerable to the second row. This helps answer the question because it gave the Romans an extremely effective way to fight cavalry.

The orb

The orb was a defensive formation in the shape of a complete circle. The orb was a last stand position and was only used if a part of the army gets separated from the main body or if you were completely surrounded by the enemy. Either way, you do not want to be forced to use this tactic. This helps answer the question because it gave the Roman a defensive formation to wait to be reattached to the main body of the army or to survive as long as possible.

Conclusion

Ok so now let’s remember our original question: what weapons and tactics did the Romans used to become so successful? They were successful because they had good weapons that complimented their tactics. They had state of the art artillery to kill from a distance. Of course, they also had superior tactics. If you add all of these up, you get the answer to the question. Thank you for reading my presentation!