Roman legions

Let's talk about ancient battle tactics :D

Rome was one of the largest civilizations on Earth, made so primarily on their military might. Romans were tough, disciplined soldiers with exceptional battle tactics at their disposal. They weren't the only unit, mind: Romans had what they called auxiliaries, consisting of cavalry, archers, scouts, skirmishers, etc.. Nor were they a static unit: as the years passed, the armies developed with better equipment, different organization, etc. So when I say legionaries, mainly I'm talking about the heavy infantry of the Roman Republic, the backbone of the military machine.

The heavy infantry wore an iron helmet and armor: first bronze cuirasses, then later chainmail. They had hobnailed sandals which in themselves could be used as effective weapons, but their real weapons were:

1) The pilum. This was a javelin specially designed to break after being thrown. This way it couldn't be thrown back by the enemy.

2) The shield, which to the Romans was as much a weapon as a piece of defensive gear.

3) The gladius. There's a lot of misconception about this weapon, so let me clear some stuff up. The gladius is most deffinately a sowrd, not a dagger. It's a very short-bladed sword, but long enough so as not to be confused. Looking at mine at a glance, I'd guess it's blade is about 2 - 2.5 ft., but don't quote me.

Some people say the gladius is a thrusting sword, but this is false. It is a double-sided wide-bladed sword that tapers to a point, and so can most definitely be used to slash as well as thrust.

It is not the only sword that the Romans had; they had longer blades for dueling. But the gladius was the principle weapon of the legionaries because it's light weight and could be used easily in tight formation. It's short so that Romans could wear it on the right and still be able to draw it while carrying their shields in their left hand.

And while were at it, the Romans did not believe left-handers were evil, but they harshly disciplined them because in the army, everyone had to fight with their right hand or they'd mess up the formation.

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Roman battle tactics were flexible, enabling them to handle all types of opponents from pitched battles to guerrillas, but in general the heavy infantry fought like this:

1) Wait for the enemy to attack. They might approach slowly if the enemy showed no sign, but otherwise the Romans let them come first.

2) At about 30 ft., throw pilum. This was far enough so that afterward the legionaries could draw their swords, but close enough so that the javelines would decimate the enemy's front lines.

3) Wait.

4) When the enemy was one step away, the front lines took a step forward and shield bashed them in the face. The momentum alone was usually enough to knock the enemies flat on their backs, but if not a thrust from the gladius would finish them off.

5) Battle in close formation, much like a phalanx, using the gladius to make quick attacks between shields. Romans especially targeted the legs, which are hard to protect even with a shield and contain veins that will bleed an enemy out.

Again, this wasn't always how they fought. Time, terrain and the opponent all had an effect. But in general, it was a highly effective tactic.

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Incidentally, the gladius was not a Roman invention. In fact, it's Spanish. Well, not actually Spanish, but it was the sword used by the people who lived in Spain when the Romans invaded. The Romans liked the design of the sword so much that they took it for their own.