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Why was the Roman army important?

Roman soldier re-enactors.
Image caption,
A group of Roman re-enactors.

The Roman army was the largest fighting force in the ancient world.

It conquered a huge empire that stretched from Britain all the way to the Middle East. The soldiers were the best trained, they had the best weapons and the best armour.

When the Romans invaded Britain, their army was so good that it took on armies 10 times its size and won!

Roman soldier re-enactors.
Image caption,
A group of Roman re-enactors.
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How was the army organised?

A Roman Legionary and a Roman Auxiliary soldier stand next to each other
Image caption,
Most soldiers in the Roman Empire came from countries outside Italy. There were soldiers from Africa, France, Germany, Spain and the Middle East.
  • Only men could be in the Roman Army, no women were allowed. There were two main types of Roman soldiers: legionaries and auxiliaries.

  • The legionaries were the elite (very best) soldiers. A legionary had to be over 17 years old and a Roman citizen.

  • Every new recruit had to be fighting fit - anyone who was weak or too short was rejected.

Roman reenactors charge with their bright yellow and red shields.
Image caption,
Re-enactors with Roman shields.
  • Legionaries signed up for at least 25 years' service. But if they survived their time, they were rewarded with a gift of land they could farm. Old soldiers often retired together in military towns, called 鈥榗辞濒辞苍颈补鈥.

  • An auxiliary was a soldier who was not a Roman citizen. He was only paid a third of a legionary鈥檚 wage.

  • Auxiliaries guarded forts and frontiers but also fought in battles, often in the front lines where it was the most dangerous.

Roman reenactors charge with their bright yellow and red shields.
Image caption,
Re-enactors with Roman shields.
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How did the Roman army fight?

A Roman helmet.
  • The Roman army was huge. It was divided up into groups called 鈥legions鈥. Each legion had between 4,000 and 6,000 soldiers.

  • A legion was further divided into groups of 80 men called 鈥centuries鈥. The man in charge of a century was known as a 鈥centurion鈥. He carried a short rod, to show his importance.

Roman soldiers firing a catapult.
Image caption,
Artillery soldiers fired giant catapults called 鈥榦nagers鈥. These machines fired rocks or balls of burning tar.
  • Some soldiers shot bows and arrows, flung stones from slingshots, or could swim rivers to surprise an enemy.

  • Roman soldiers lined up for battle in a tight formation. After a burst of arrows, the Roman soldiers marched towards the enemy. At the last minute, they hurled their javelins and drew their swords, before charging into the enemy. Then the cavalry (soldiers riding horses) chased anyone who tried to run away.

Roman soldiers firing a catapult.
Image caption,
Artillery soldiers fired giant catapults called 鈥榦nagers鈥. These machines fired rocks or balls of burning tar.

Watch the video below and take a trip around the famous Roman fort at Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall.

Find out about Vindolanda.

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How well trained were Roman soldiers?

  • A Roman soldier was a well-trained fighting machine. He could march 20 miles a day, wearing all his armour and equipment. He could swim or cross rivers in boats, build bridges and smash his way into forts.
A group of Roman soldiers training.
Image caption,
This modern painting shows Roman soldiers at Birdoswald Fort (Hadrian's Wall). A centurion watches men training.
  • After a long day鈥檚 march, Roman soldiers had to build a camp, complete with a ditch and a wall of wooden stakes. The next day, they had to do it all again!

  • Roman soldiers weren't always at war - they spent most of their time training for battle. They practised fighting in formation and man-to-man. Legionaries also patrolled their conquered territories and built roads, forts and aqueducts (a bridge which carried water).

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Activities

Activity 1: Roman legionary's equipment

Click on this Roman legionary below to find out about his equipment.

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Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Roman army

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Teaching resources

Looking for more teaching resources? This collection of short KS2 Roman videos can help to support your lessons and highlight what life was like as a Roman in Britain.

成人快手 Teach has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group.

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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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