Roman Military Technology and Tactics

Subscribe – 2000 years ago the Roman army is the best equipped army in the world. While architects have mastered the art of manipulating stone and concrete, military engineers have fashioned metal and wood to create devastating weapons of war. The Roman foot soldiers main weapon is a fearsome sword called the Gladius, a double edged blade with a sharp point used for stabbing and thrusting, rather than slashing. When not fighting at close quarters, their spear, called a pilum, could kill from a distance with lethal accuracy. Protecting soldiers from injury is just as important as arming them for attack. Early Roman soldiers wear chainmail, but armourers come up with a far superior form of protection. Articulated plate armour called lorica segmentata, made from overlapping iron plates joined together by leather straps, as flexible as chainmail, but one third lighter. If the romans weaponry has a modern feel, then so does the tactics they use. The Roman legio