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What was special about the Roman army?

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.
  • The soldiers were the best trained, they had the best weapons and the best armour.

  • The Roman army conquered a huge empire.

  • A Roman soldier could march 20 miles a day, wearing all his armour and equipment.

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.
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Who was in the Roman army?

Only men could be in the Roman Army, no women were allowed.

Roman army re-enactors wearing armour and holding javelins.
Image caption,
Roman army re-enactors wearing armour and holding javelins.

There were two main types of Roman soldiers: legionaries and auxiliaries.

  • The legionaries were the very best soldiers.
  • A legionary had to be over 17 years old and a Roman citizen.
  • Legionaries signed up for at least 25 years' service.
  • But if they lived, they were rewarded with a gift of land they could farm.
  • An auxiliary was a soldier who was not a Roman citizen. He was only paid a third of a legionary鈥檚 wage.
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How did the Roman army fight?

Roman armour.
  • 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 divided into groups of 80 men called 鈥centuries鈥.

  • The man in charge of a century was known as a 鈥centurion鈥.

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.
  • They hurled javelins and drew their swords, before charging into the enemy.
  • 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.
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Watch: What was a Roman fort like?

Take a trip around the famous Roman fort at Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall.

Find out about Vindolanda.

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

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