Roman Military Strategy and Weapons

Roman Infantry Weapons And Equipment

• Each Roman foot soldier carried the same essential gear:

  Helmet - essential head protection
  Armor - essential upper-body protection
  Sword - close-combat weapon used for stabbing an opponent
  Spear - medium-range weapon used to deflect or stab an opponent
  Shield - used to block an opponent's attack
  Cloak - body covering, and also used to deflect, or bind up an opponent in a fight
  Sandals - essential footwear

Artillery Weapons

• Roman Legions carried a number of specialized weapons that subsequently came to be known as "artillery." These large-scale war-fighting systems included:

  Ballista - mechanical slingshot used to hurl large stones over long distances.
  Scoripo - similar to a large-wheeled cross-bow, used to throw pointed projectiles
  Onager - a smaller, more mobile version of the Ballista
  Catapult - the largest device in the Roman Army, also used to hurl stones over long distances

Cavalry Weapons and Equipment

• Roman cavalry were not considered central to a legion's war-fighting efficiency until the latter stages of the empire. Nonetheless, cavalry was always part of the force structure based on its capability for light skirmishing, screening the infantry and intelligence gathering. The typical horseman carried the following:

  Helmet - essential head protection
  Armor - essential upper-body protection
  Sword - close-combat weapon used for stabbing an opponent
  Bow-and-arrow - weapons system that propels a pointed projectile over long-distances
  Shield - used to block an opponent's attack
  Cloak - body covering, and also used to deflect, or bind up an opponent in a fight
  Sandals - essential footwear

The Grand Strategy

• Roman military strategy was typically governed by an overall political goal (the Grand Strategy) that was subsequently broken down into one or more operational plans. This concept was based on cohesive geo-political force projection, developed and managed by Rome. Therefore, Roman field commanders operated primarily on the "effect side" of an overall "cause and effect" equation. Today, this general concept can sometimes be referred to as the impact of "boots on the ground."

The Operational Plan

• Operationally, the Romans tended to attack aggressively whenever a situation was required. Although there is historical material that suggests that the reason Roman armies were so adept at engineering, and fortification, was due to a more passive operational bent, on balance, the empire took the war to the enemy whenever, and wherever, it chose.