The strong point of the Roman Empire was their army. The Roman army is said to be one of the most successful armies that ever existed. The roman army was well organized, well equipped and well trained. The roman army had to take care of a huge empire. They well-built Roman roads helped them move around the empire quickly.
The men in the Roman Legionary were all citizens of Rome. They would sign up for a 20 year tour in the army. When they had completed their 20 years of service, they would get land or money for their time in the army. This was a way of keeping a well trained and experienced army.
There were also soldiers called auxiliaries that were not citizens of Rome. The would join the Roman army for 25 years and in the end they
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The soldier 's armor was made of strips of strong iron so it would be strong and flexible. Their head and neck were protected by helmets made of iron. The helmets were made, so the soldiers had good vision. The armor was heavy, so the soldiers had to be strong. Some of them carried shields.
The Roman soldiers used several types of weapons. They used a pugio that was a dagger and a gladiis that was a sword. They had a hasta that was a spear. They also had a javelin and bows and arrows. The soldiers were trained to use the weapons, and they would practice when they were not fighting. The Roman soldiers used catapults that could throw huge rocks and knock down walls. They also had crossbows that were called ballistas that shot arrows that were the size of spears. They often practiced with swords made of wood.
The centurions wore large crests on their helmets so the soldiers could see them.
The soldiers usually marched 20 miles in a day and carried 90 pounds of equipment. When the Roman army was at its largest there were 30 legions with over 150,000 soldiers. Some said when the auxiliary soldiers were included there were over 1 million soldiers in the Roman