LESSON 5.5 Why was the Roman army so successful?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • describe the characteristics of the Roman military • describe its role in expanding and maintaining the power of the Roman state.
Tune in What made Roman soldiers intimidating? Was it their training or bravery? Roman soldiers feared their ofýcers more than their enemies because of strict discipline. Decimation was a severe punishment in the Roman army. Soldiers were split into groups of ten. One soldier was chosen to be killed by the others. 1. Describe why anyone would want to join the Roman army. 2. Comment on how discipline would have affected the performance of the soldiers.
SOURCE1 Roman soldiers were subject to harsh discipline.
5.5.1 Roman army weapons and tactics Until the ýrst century BCE, the Roman army was made up of land-owning citizens. They provided their own gear and fought for glory and wealth. As Rome grew, a stronger army was needed. From 396 BCE, soldiers were paid. They served for about 20 years and had to be ýt. 5.5.2 A Roman soldier’s harsh life Roman soldiers couldn’t marry, paid for their supplies and used auxiliaries .
When not marching or ýghting, legionaries built camps, roads, walls and aqueducts . Soldiers could share the loot from a battle and often received land when they retired.
142 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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