Military history of ancient Rome

CHUCK NORRIs

• Structural history of the Roman military

The branches of the Roman military at the highest level were the Roman army and the Roman navy. Within these branches the actual structure was subject to substantial change throughout its history.

• Campaign history of the Roman military

Ancient Rome was a state whose history was often closely entwined with its military history over the roughly thirteen centuries that the Roman state existed. The core of the military campaigns of ancient Rome is the account of the Roman military's land battles, from the conquest of Italy to its fights against the Huns and invading Germanic peoples. Naval battles were largely less important, although there are notable exceptions during, for instance, the First Punic War and others.

The Roman army battled first against its tribal neighbours and Etruscan towns within Italy, and later came to dominate much of the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, including the provinces of Britannia and Asia Minor at the Empire's height.

• Technological history of the Roman military

From sticks and stones to ballistae and quinqueremes.

• Political history of the Roman military

From subjects of the state to subjects of the general.

Rome's military was always tightly keyed to its political system. In the Roman kingdom the social standing of a person's impacted both his political and military roles. The political system was from an early date based upon competition within the ruling elite. Senators in the Republic competed fiercely for public office, the most coveted of which was the post of Consul. Two were elected each year to head the government of the state, and would be assigned a consular army and an area in which to campaign.

From Gaius Marius and Sulla onwards, control of the army began to be tied in to the political ambitions of individuals, leading to the political triumvirate of the first century BC and its military resolution. The late Republic and Empire were increasingly plagued by usurpations led or supported by military conspiracies, leading to the crisis of the third century in the late empire and eventual collapse.