The Roman Empire Essay

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful and influential empires of its time, controlling a large portion of Europe. The Empire ruled for over 1000 years, starting in 625 BC and falling in 476 AD. Roman success during that time was significantly based upon its military strategies and drive for expansion. Roman military success was advanced in many critical ways, including incentives to obey through economic investments of land and the promise of citizenship, the creation of the Roman legion, systems of rewards and punishments, and rigorous training centralized in fighting as a unit. The tactical organization of Roman methods of war reflects the value of expansion to Roman society.

In the preliminary stages of the Roman Empire, expansion,

At the beginning of the Roman republic, soldiers were landowning citizens, and it was a privilege to serve in the military. Their discipline was used to combat the aggressive behaviors of those in the army temporarily. As the republic advanced, the "ethic of obedience to command over self-serving aggression was reinforced by embedding it in Roman culture." (Lee 125) The advancement of the republic provided the high nobility—who owned the land— enslaved people from war as workers on their plantations. The rotation of control away from citizens caused those who were nonlandowning to need support from the government. This led those without land to become professional soldiers, who now owed their lives and stability to the Empire. Soldiers took an oath to obey their officers, and in the Empire, the oath was given to the emperor. Because of the emperor's divine power, the oath had religious holding, creating powerful obedience. Incentives were given to soldiers as rewards for courage, while punishments were given for disobedience and insubordination. The punished soldiers were used as an example to others in the forms of "dishonorable discharge, disbandment, demotions, temporary expulsion, flogging, various types of humiliation, and fines." (Lee 125) These tactics of punishments were initially used to encourage obedience. However, as the Empire evolved, they were used in

Romans put an immense amount of importance on training. The Roman drills and practices resembled an actual battle but without bloodshed. Roman officials believed that performance in real scenarios would benefit if they practiced like a real battle. Professional soldiers would train every day, testing their bodily and mental strength. A routine was highly emphasized to create discipline and structure in training. Individual skills were practiced, like sword and javelin work, but group work was essential to the flow of the legion and order of command. Soldiers practiced "moving into and out of precise linear formations, maintaining strict intervals, and even a 'military step.'" (Lee 127) The constant practice of these formations and movements lead to the success of their strategies in battle. It also created unity amongst the troops and helped to engrave confidence within