The velites were a light infantry unit in the Roman military during the mid-Republican era. They existed for about a century before being disbanded. The first recorded use of the velites was in 211 BC during the Siege of Capua when the Romans fought the invading Carthaginian army in the Second Punic War. Their lineage can be […]
It has gone down as one of the worst defeats in Roman history. Three Roman legions were lost on the battlefield, and three legionary eagles were captured as a former Roman officer betrayed the army. What happened at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest? Why don’t we know the names of the legions that were lost?
Battle of Teutoburg Forest and Rome’s lost legions Read More »
From what we know, Evocati (singular Evocatus) were veteran soldiers who had finished their term of service in the Roman army but had voluntarily re-enlisted back into the military. Every ancient civilization had its veteran group of soldiers who served for many years in the army. The Romans had these, too, but unlike many other civilizations, they could call upon
In this series, we examine the various units that made up the Roman war machine. Armies were the backbone of any ancient civilization, and the Romans did it better than anyone else over a long period of time. Let’s examine the hastati. The hastati (singular hastatus) were an ancient unit formed in the republic’s early days in the late sixth
This article is part I of a series that will cover some of the more common types of armor worn in ancient Rome. That is not to say that these types of armor were not used by other ancient civilizations (in fact, there is evidence that the Romans took many types of armor from other civilizations). Let’s
Roman Armor: Lorica Segmentata, Hamata, Squamata Read More »
The defense of a nation or civilization remains a key to its existence and longevity. Many ancient civilizations were built on the back of a strong military. When we think about the modern military, we think of tanks, missiles, planes, guns, drones and other hi-tech equipment. In the time of ancient Rome and ancient Greece,
