The Impressive Training and Recruitment of Rome’s Legions
소스 코드
- 게시일 2024. 04. 18.
- This video covers the process and philosophy of training and recruitment of Roman soldiers in the Early Roman Empire, with close reference to the writings of Vegetius' "de re militari".
I would greatly appreciate any support you would like to give this channel, as it will help me create more quality content for you in the future!
Patreon: / filaximhistoria
Media used in the video:
Total War: Rome II
(krplus.net/C2Vw...)
Mods for ROME:
"Divide et Impera" (Part 1-4)
"Roman Legions for Divide et Impera"
Introduction (0:00)
Recruitment (0:55)
Desirable Feats (2:01)
Infantry training (3:37)
Cavalry training (9:15)
Passing the trial (10:48)
![돈 없어서 못갔던 신혼여행지 드디어 갑니다 [울릉도 캠핑카]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3RedgK6a2u8/mqdefault.jpg)
![[조커: 폴리 아 되] 1차예고편](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4DM8_51bz-c/mqdefault.jpg)
I hope you all enjoy this little stray away from my original series on the Legions. Due to the much appreciated interest from your side, I decided to make a smaller series about the way the Legions operated, to make sure we are all on the same page as I continue my main series. I'll be making a couple more of these kinds of videos in the future. As for now, the story of the 14th Legion is next!!
You might pin your comment at the top so everybody would see .
Btw good job ! Didnt know that every legionnaire was also a slinger .
I'd love to see a video about the 14th legion the legion that defeated boudica. after that you should make a video about the valeria victrix or the eleventh or the fifth alaudae. legion and then you should make a video about the Roman military ranks,wages,how do they get promoted,how did the military system works
These videos about the legions and Roman army are my favorite! I think there is a pretty large demand for Roman military history and it’s absolute badassery. From their grueling engineering and building speed to their tough fights against the odds, what’s not to love? I’m sure this channel will grow
Hello, just found your channel, after the 14th do you think you could od the 6th, please?
@@baggelis_aikaterinis I think everyone was a little surprised by the prevalence of sling use. I always thought it was reserved for specialized troops like the Baleric slingers.
"What's your name, lad?"
"Biggus Dickus, Sir."
"Get him outfitted, he'll make general one day."
This, THIS. 🤣👌
Lmao🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sussus Amogus
HE HAS A WIFE YOU KNOW
"You are now pawt of the common tholdiewy"
When panic and fear hits, you fall back to your training, which is why they emphasized it so much and why it is paramount for success.
They say you fight like you train
The more you sweat in training the less you bleed in war
A man with natural ability, but no training, is a huge loss in the battlefield- lost potential!
You guys are great. Let me get my quote book.
@@bemotivated8443 "sweat during peace, bleed less during war" - sun tzu
An odd note on roman legionnaires that may also account for the crazy levels of stamina they exhibited in battle was the fact legionnaires in a block formation would be rotated in and out of the front rank at approximately 1 minute of combat so they stay consistently fresh and receive about a 7-minute breather before they were upfront again. This is also an impressive feat of coordination as maintaining a battle line while rotating men between the front and back ranks would have required intense displine.
I never knew! Thanks for sharing
What is your classical source on this?
@@sir_humpy KRplus
That's just like Sword Art Online. Romans must have copied the show
Cool. It's like short shifts in hockey.
Every legionarre was also part modern day construction worker. The days before battle, two warring bodies would often camp with sight distance of the other. It was extremely demoralizing for most Roman antagonists to wake, only to find rows of palisade with towers and other entrenchments built overnight, the siege of Alesia being an excellent example.
The siege of Alesia was far from an example. Caesar wasted a lot of materials and energy to get so far. On the other hand, the Gauls were surprised by this ridiculous use of extreme engineering. At least, it was not a normal procedure. Only the siege of Massada was something like it.
Part modern day construction worker...? Really? Do go on.
Imagine trying to play call of duty only to find out the other guys have been playing fortnite the entire time
@@planetruths1373 Its a phrase often used by Dan Carlin on his podcast and when you realise its accuracy you're going to feel a bit silly for your comment
@@velenvskaelhas I feel more silly reading your comment. What was the aim of your comment? And just because someone produces a podcast doesn't make them instantly correct. So if you want to tell me what he means by that phrase and how it applies here that would be awesome.
A sense of humour being a desirable feat for the legion was unexpected for me.
At first glance it made no sense to me either, but thinking about it, I can see the logic behind the decision. One could think that those that make jokes are more capable of handling stress and are better at dealing with the horrors of war mentally.
I don't know if that's true, they did manage to conquer a whole lot of land with their selection methods so I'm guessing they were on to something
Every guy who's done military service knows there's a lot of laughs and fun going on. Despite the harshness of the drilling. Or maybe because of it.
During the hard stress and long marches and heavy work the humor and chitchat is something that make the whole squad or troop get to know each other good and helping each other. You can just have a look at some of the Varangier runic scribbling in Rome that has just that .
@@mariusmuresan8248 yup, you’re absolutely right.
I’ve had the best conversations and heard the best jokes all while in some of the worst spots a person can be in.
@@TheStonewall117 Exactly. No army of assholes is going to be very cohesive. Humor is essential.
I can see myself getting successfully kicked out of the program.
Same
thought so too 😅
2300 years ago, you'd've been a different person. Being in the Roman Army was a real step up for a lot of people in a world devoid of many alternatives for a better life.
I can pass it
If I lived back then with the same height I have today, shit I would’ve made Calvary
All this just to become a recruit...Triarii, the veterans who made it to old age, must've been some absolute beasts..going through this training, and then surviving through countless battles for several decades..
Triarii did not exist after the Marian reforms. The professional Roman army did however have Evocati cohorts, which were formed from veteran legionaries that served their term.
Probably tall 6+ feet dudes.
@@aba22125 There would be barely any of those around. Note how 5.8 feet (5'10'' according to the even sillier convention used for height nowadays) was already considered tall, and how recruits were preferably from poor parts of the empire where they would not have optimal nutrition growing up and would have to work hard at an early age. The odds of growing over 6 feet vanish under those conditions.
@@forasago manlet cope
Actually, I'd be curious to find out what were the chances for a legionary to be in combat in a given year. Of course, it varied on the period and on the location but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that many legions especially in the long pacified provinces didn't see active fighting for years. Forays, punitive expeditions, pillaging with relatively little fighting and relatively few casualties were more likely to happen in the life of a legionary than proper pitched battles where legions were decimated.
As a former US Marine, I'm amazed at how similar modern military training is to ancient Roman military training. Not much has changed. In basic training, Marine recruits are first taught close order drill and formation. Then, the next 'phase' begins in which they are taught certain practical survival skills - such as swimming, sowing, first aid training, navigation (using a map and compass), etc. We are also issued our rifles in this 'phase' and taught how to properly operate it (though we are not yet allowed to fire live rounds). The final 'phase' of training was the actual combat training. Getting to *use* all these weapons you were only learning about before (now we got to fire live rounds); learning advanced infantry tactics and maneuvers, conducting combat exercises to practice these techniques, etc. We had to live in the forest pretending we were at war; digging and sleeping in fighting holes, eating nothing but MREs, getting only 1-2 hours of sleep a night, one team of recruits conducting mock patrols while opposing teams conduct mock ambushes, 'shooting' at each other with blank ammunition. The 10-20 mile forced march was also a common thing in Marine training, with each Marine recruit carrying nearly 100 lbs of gear too, just like ancient Roman troops.
It's very interesting to see that the modern US Marine Corps follows the same training program and 'curriculum' as ancient Roman military. I guess "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
- 'Phase' 1: The absolute basics. Such as formation, close order drill, physical fitness.
- 'Phase' 2: Practical survival skills and basics of equipment/weapons/tools.
- 'Phase' 3: Full-fledged combat training. Actually *USING* all the weapons, rather than just learning about them. Actually *DOING* all these infantry tactics and maneuvers, rather than just learning about them.
Stolen valor much?
1. No such thing as a former Marine, no Marine would ever call himself "former".
2. You are not issued your rifles at Phase 2, you're issued your rifle in receiving because it's used in drill from the beginning. Anyone who went to Marine boot would know that.
@@leloelela as an actual Marine vet of almost 9 years and 4 overseas tours I can confirm a lot of what he said was legit. The 100 lbs of gear is more like 80, I was never taught to sew in boot camp, however most of what he said was accurate. You are actually ridiculously mistaken, “ex Marine” is the term no Marine would ever use.. Former Marine is widely accepted and I use it consistently when talking about my service. Yes it is true you are issued your M16 in receiving before you even meet your Senior, however what he’s talking about is Phase 2 Rifle week where you pack up your entire barracks and live at the Rifle range area for two weeks, week 1 is grass week, week 2 is range week. Moral of the story, never call stolen valor unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure, if you weren’t a Marine don’t call someone out for something you have no experience in.
I was not in U.S. military but from one of the EU countries its same principle so yeah,can confirm
@@leloelela I bet you feel pretty good about your post lmao
Usmc boot camp has changed through the last decades but ya we got rifles in receiving but the ones we shot in rifle qual were not the ones we did drill with if I remember correctly
How about a movie showing a guy signing up for the legion, going through boot camp, and eventually getting deployed in the front?
krplus.net/bidio/ZtOifnVnpqC9c3I This comes close but is primarily focused on the formation and dissolution of legions.
Aurelian needs his own movie
Starship Troopers? But of course, the book was much better than the movie.
Full Metal Jacket but Ancient Rome lol
The first couple of episodes of Spartacus was like that
Q: "How many catapults are attached to your cohort?"
A: "5000."
all of them
Yes.
Сколько катапульт было у Цезаря во время Галльской кампании? Сколько легионов? Это же классика бля, это знать надо!
@Indian Streetshietters on the Catalaunian fields.
@Indian Streetshietters Nope. The huns ultimately lost. Curb your bad pop history, kiddo.
I think that an important part of Roman army training was the contubernium (“tent-together”), which was composed of eight legionaries, who trained together, fought together and (as the name suggests) always shared the same tent. They also could be rewarded or punished together as a unit. I am sure that these small permanent squads really helped Roman unit cohesion.
That's how are military rocks so I'd imagine that's where we got it from. Platoons is what it's called, one person messed up then that person messed it up for everyone 😂😂
Their biggest strength was standardization. They could quickly field large groups of legions, train them, equip them, and navigate them throughout the empire. So in Judea, Gaul, Germania, Hispania, Egypt, or Scythia you might have a local rebellion and kill 2-3 locally based legions, take, the standards, and perhaps capture the governor. For many empires this would be back breaking but for Rome they would field, train, and throw 6 legions back at you the next year to kick you in your teeth. The only group that consistently beat rome in the open field for extended periods of time was Hannibal. Even he was eventually weakened and beaten by Rome's endless supply of soldiers.
And that was largely because he knew their playbook and was trying to short circuit them as much as possible. Plus he liked to do things considered "impossible", so he often had surprise on his side and terrain advantage.
It's called logistics.. the roman army knew long before anyone else the true importance of logistics .. along with they're training this is what enabled them to conquer the world of they're time .
i would mention the parthic empire as a good antagonist of rome, considering they never were able to defeat them
@@thed3m0n0id9 In addition, he was up against the pre-Marian reform Romans. They had the Hastati, Princeps and Triarii going on. I wonder how well he would've fared against post-Marian Legions. (admittedly, the difference between the pre-reform and post-reform army was largely that the later had even greater standardization and numbers on its side)
@@jeffbenton6183 Marius went kinda batty but damn, what a soldier!
As an unemployed person I found this Informative.
It's crazy how similar this is to U.S. bootcamp.
Join the roman army
@@handsomesquidward5160 ymra namor eht noij
FedEx needs employees
@@daemonzap1481 right?? I know where they got alot of ideas from now lmao
A sincere sense of humor indicates a man is comfortable in his own skin and not unstable or insecure.
@Alexander Ortiz that's not your friend. Find better ones.
@Alexander Ortiz 🤔....friends don't usually try to stab u....may I suggest u choose better friends!!!
Oh boy all those depressed comedians must be very confused then
@@trackerbuckmann1627 or how about not abandoning them and try to help them?
@@gasmask7064 imagine trying to help someone who tried to stab you.
You forgot the most important thing about the sling! Back then it had more range than the bows of the period. Also they manufactured metal standardized sling ammunition with a hole in it to cause it to whistle. They were often found with derogative messages etched in them. Kind of like how we write messages on bombs we drop. Great job on the video and hope to see more!
They would be deadly when used in a defensive position especially when used in volume. They would have been small and easy to carry.
I always liked the "train harder than the real task at hand" mentality. Makes one good at their job, whatever that is.
I think you missed the most important reason to be taught to march: synchronized (marching in step) is the only way to move large bodies of men efficiently over distances. If not synchronized, their movement becomes chaotic with constant stopping and starting-basically a slow muddle. Roman legions were known for rapid movement over long distances, a nasty surprise for their enemies.
That makes so much sense
@@cesarvargas262 Yeah, i've never thought of this, it's so smart !
@@Nuse_mp3 yeah it makes so much sense now lol
Yes that is so true
If only all the friggin traffic at stop lights were that efficient.
An interesting fact I learned a while back about the stones or ballistae that Romans used is that they used to carve insults on them. Such as; "This one's going up Pompei's arse!" Similar to the way soldiers sometimes write on bombs in today's military. Literally adding insult to injury.
That is very true!
One of the best I read was from the first triumvirate's period. A sling projectile with "Cornelia sucked my D***" written on it. Cornelia being Pompei's wife... It was very politacally loaded.
@@k.v.7681 Probably some of the earliest examples we have of political propaganda.
@@deathdeathington
Somethings never change, I guess. Soldier’s are always gonna be soldiers (or as my dad always put it “Joe’s gonna joe”). 😆
You still see it even today, especially today. I actually had one of my guys paint all of his 40 mm rounds with smiley faces and dick related jokes.
(Edited for grammar)
glad to know humans never change
Slingers hurled lead weights, not stones, though I'm sure they hurled stones in time of necessity. The lead projectiles had standard shapes and weights. They were marked with the identification of their legion. After successful battle they were gathered up and recovered for reuse. They are commonly found archaeological artifacts and have been used to track the movements of legions or detachments from them. There are excellent You Tube programs on how to use a sling and related weapons. They could be very formidible. Consider a volley of low velocity large shotgun slugs as an equivalent. Since their enemies typically had no equivalent missles but only relatively weak archery without compound bows and fired at high trajectories this could be a decisive weapon by breaking up enemy formations and unit cohesion. I certainly wouldn't want to face a volley of well delivered slung lead projectiles.
Thank you for the insight Brian!
these weapons are really cool. Thank you for explaining it
Well said Bryan. I would be HORRIFIED of ancient slingers: the range, low projectile observability and damage potential is something that shocks me. For the nerds who still want more:
THE SLING
Recruits are to be taught the art of throwing stones both with the hand and sling. The inhabitants of the Balearic Islands are said to have been the inventors of slings, and to have managed them with surprising dexterity, owing to the manner of bringing up their
children. The children were not allowed to have their food by their mothers till they had first struck it with their sling. Soldiers, notwithstanding their defensive armor, are often more annoyed by the round stones from the sling than by all the arrows of the enemy. Stones kill without mangling the body, and the contusion is mortal without loss of blood. It is universally known the ancients employed slingers in all their engagements. There is the greater reason for instructing all troops without exception in this exercise, as the sling cannot be reckoned any incumbrance, and often is of the greatest service, especially when they are obliged to engage in stony places, to defend a mountain or an eminence, or to repulse an enemy at the attack of a castle or city.
That's a great point. I feel like we laugh off slings as "barbaric" in modern times, but an arrow shot at a high angle vs a freakin lead weight? If given the choice of what to get hit with, I'd take my chances with the arrow
@@Baphelon 100%, the story of David vs Goliath is one of those that's entirely misinterpreted through our modern lens due to that reputation. It wasn't a small guy with a pathetic little weapon miraculously beating a giant killing machine, it was one skilled man equipped with the height of military technology of the time vs a big dude fighting yesterday's war. David had all the advantage in the situation, if you take the parable at face value anyway.
Hi. So, a Roman mile is slightly longer than a modern mile. I was winded when he said that they marched for 5 hours straight with 60 pounds of gear. When converted that is 22.2 miles in 5 hours, or 4.5 miles an hour with roughly 43.5 pounds of gear.
The US army standard training ruck march clocks in at 12 miles in 3 hours, or 4 miles an hour with 69 (nice) pound ruck sacks. Neat!
Legions were in effect special operations and had the highest standards but also did the toughest jobs. Rome also had axillary forces that would not have been as capable and was also used as a proving ground for those that may have wanted to enter the legions.
Their methods were so good, they're still being taught almost 2000 years later.
I was in the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard. I have often considered that you could take Roman soldiers from this height of the empire period and put them through Basic and they would perfectly understand everything, right down to the paperwork. And that you could do the same with the guys in my units in a Roman army camp. My last first sergeant used to tell stories of beating his M-113 driver on the head with the radio antenna. He would have LOVED a vinewood staff.
we're still humans, still about the same size and still dying the same ways. Just our weapons changed.
@@segueoyuri they were around 5’5 now we’re about 5’9
@@yaboykev5627 I really don't think so. 177cm (cavalry required height) is over 5'10 in freedom units.
@@segueoyuri so you believe they were taller….
Back then:
Basic reading and writing skills --> Eligible to apply for centurion position
Today:
Masters degree and PhD in engineering with 15 years of experience --> Eligible to apply for senior vice janitor position at Tesco
You still only need basic reading and writing to join the military.
And any college degree (basic reading and writing) to be an officer.
@@AJenny581 Depends on what kind of officer
I mean reading and writing back then was probably the equivalent of holding a bachelor's lol
@@saltybrick5643 like a Phd :)
As it should be
They had two-a-days for recruits. And everyone built things and also knew how to tear things down. I think the word 'professional' would describe Roman soldiers and they were many times up against enemies whose training didn't even come close to mastering the military skills of the Romans. Add to this that Rome was a wealthy nation/state and could provide the best of everything their soldiers needed and you have a formula few other nation/states could match.
Brilliant! This is the stuff I wish we learned in school. Students would be a lot more interested in learning about history if it were thought through human perspective. Great video! Thanks!
This guy is great, hardly any historians ever actually describe the training, they are usually just like "the legionnaire's intense training made them very effective." Then move on
I would love to see a true deep dive into the topic. How many push ups where they required to do in 2 minutes? how many calories did they eat on average? All I learned here is that they marched 20-24 roman miles. What about roman candles? cause those are also different from normal candles.
@@greenwave819 yeah I know what you mean I love minor details like that, most people think that's odd
I couldn't agree more, it's annoying how quickly most documentaries and historians pass over the training aspect and move on. But just a quick correction, it's legionaries as in legionary, not legionnaires as in legionnaire. Legionnaires are from the French foreign legion, not ancient Rome.
@@greypilgrim228 yeah i know autocorrect insisted
@@therandomnessnetwork1658 Ahh no worries then, I know the pain of an overactive autocorrect, bane of my life when texting people.
Centurion: "Okay dudes, let's swim!"
Legionair: "Kind of nippy today, sir."
Centurion: "You can leave your sandals on"
Now we know who is going to be picked for his sens of humor
I bet they also learned how to swim in full armor.
@@oxygenasturia5706 i dont think that would even be possible
Google sucks yes?
@@johnwick9416 i mean its heavy metal how can you float with it?
This is very interesting about the selection process. I believe it is important even today for any successful operation. In my Infantry unit, most of the sub-standard's were discharged with in the first year of service.
Honestly making their practice weapons twice as heavy is brilliant as you mentioned, its like a runner practicing with weighted vest
Or when baseball players put weights on their bats while swinging
I read that Napoleon had a great sense of humour and that's probably why his troops would follow him to the ends of the earth. From my army experience the best NCO's were always very funny men that could yell at you and make you laugh at the same time.
gragrn. Yes indeed. I bet his troops laughed their socks off at Waterloo, when he told them the one about Wellington being a bad general and that the "English" were bad soldiers. By 1900 hrs that day, however, Wellington and the "English" (British being more accurate) had given Napoleon's stand up routine a right good heckling. That's comedy for you.
A short funny man...
@@petedraper5185 your gay duke of wellington nearly got pummeled by the GigaCHAD Napoleon and his Grande Armée. Really Napoleon was outnumbered and his army nearly destroyed the gay british army. They were saved by the entire Prussian army. I hate anglos and I agree with the Honorary Mongolian that nobody likes anglos, the whole Europe don’t even like you.
Fuck England !
gragrn I totally agree.I am an old Marine and I can remember that my Drill Instructors were some of the best comedians I ever witnessed at times but if you laughed at their shit talkin they would thrash your ass.In the fleet I knew some NCOs that were also hilarious without going to far and they were the better leaders.
@@basedkaiser5352 why is that?
You asked for a mere 1 legion of viewers, you got 12+ times that amount. Such is the faith the first citizen Youtubius Algorithmus has placed in you. Excellent video.
Haha, indeed. Thank you!
All hail Youtubius Algorithmus!
@@kevalincowri586 Youtubius Algorithmus, the generous son of Youtubius, who is a ruthless dictator
@@AveCruxSpesUnica XD nice one
no edits, well done
There is such a Big potential for a series where the main characters go through this process
Man thank you so much for that bit about the slings that the legionaires used. I didn't know that at all and that's badass that you mentioned that.
Imagine being a barbarian and thinking you've pulled a fast one on ol' Rome then they form a circle and start yelling "legio aeterna victrix."
Sounds cute
In Rōmā, fortēs virī sunt!
Means?
@@jacobjozef65 “In Rome, the men are strong!”
or worse they start roasting you one by one
These men were tough dudes, no wonder they conquered Europe, North Africa and the Middle East... great video btw!
Hahaha thank you some of my family members believed that my ancestors used to be a Roman legionary one was actually a primi ordines if I'm not mistaken. the stories about them has been told for generations I think if I'm not mistaken most of my ancestors served during emperor Trajan to Antoninus pius 2nd century
Me, My grandpa, my uncle really believed the stories
@@joeeema3873 that is actually so cool my friend, i wish i could track my ancestors way back then. You will have many tales to tell your children of how your ancestors civilized the world. Kind of jealous of you, not gonna lie :)
@@Roman_Imperator thanks man, my grandpa said that the Centurion was stationed in Pannonia or moesia in early 100's so there's a possibility that he fought in Trajan's dacian wars. then he was stationed in Germania or raetia he got promoted in Germania or raetia if I'm not mistaken Then he retired. Turns out He joined the army again as a primus pilus after a few years as a primus pilus. he died or discharged because of his wounds his last
Not to take away from the Roman's accomplishments, but they didn't conquer anywhere close to all of the territories you mentioned. They conquered up to half of Europe, a small part of the Middle East, and an extremely tiny part of Africa that was basically just the Mediterranean coastline of North Africa.
This was a great idea for a vid and very well done! Please do more detailed explorations like this!
Im absolutely LOVING this series man, outstanding work
As a former Drill Instructor.... I approve of such training....
In his search to be a great leader, the young centurion sought out the Republic’s veteran warrior. Looking up from his labor, the sage spoke:
“I know not what beats beneath your tunic, but what I saw in a leader from foot soldiers to proconsul is thus:
One who makes drill bloodless combat and combat bloody drill…
One who disciplines the offense and not the offenders…
One whose heart is with the Legion and whose loyalty is to the Republic…
One who seeks the companionship of the long march and not the privilege of position…
One whose commission is assigned from above and confirmed from below…
One who knows the self and, therefore, is true to all…
One who seeks to serve and not to be served…
This is the one who leads best of all.”
NCO's - the Heart and Soul of All Services.
As an old Ranger, I too approve!
Oohrah devil
Shut up
@@bingcrosby6364 u shut up
Man I would give my life to see ancient Rome at its peak. What it really looked like. It must have been so stunning.
I'd be down to see the architectures of Rome and middle east.
@@rxonmymind8362 the Roman forum is beautiful
Many gave their lives when Rome was at its peak.
I imagine they smelled incredible. They shared a common ass wiper, when did they ever bathe? Their arm pits probably grew mushrooms. Their hair was long and greasy and full of lice I bet too 😂
@@stevena3333 you're a very funny guy
One of rare videos I watched from start to finish! Impressive stuff!
That's interesting about the slingshot being highly respected. Cassius Dio talks* about the Balearic islanders being awesome at using slings and repulsing a Carthaginian force using them during the punic wars.
wheres the large chin in the desirable feats list
Ayo man love yer videos
it was a must,salve
It came with the kit
I was here
Yes. AVE SOL INVINCTVS, AVE AUREALIANUS
The logistics fueling all this activity must have been incredible.
It was! I will definitely post a video about logistics in the future. Cheers!
@@HistoriaMilitum It has been said that anyone can make war, but not logistics. What do you think about that? myself as an student of administration and logistics, I think this is perfectly true.
@@JunguianPhantom I fully agree. War is a lot more than just having fighting men, its also about maintaining them.
“An army marches on its stomach”
-Napoleon
@@HistoriaMilitum I´ll be eagerly waiting for your next material, sounds very promising
Thank you so much for the deep dive into some generally forgotten details of the Roman Imperial Army, & just what made them such a force to be reckoned with.
That horse at 5:29 be like: “dafuq why are we swimming couldn’t we just run to the other side”
Imagine what a modern day Roman soldier would look like if Rome never fell.
Rome Never Fell.
You Should Research The Jesuits....
Google Nato
Rome is still here; we’re called AMERICA 🇺🇸
@@carpenter155 lol what?
@@carpenter155 Wtf are you talking about
I can see you becoming one of those big history channels. keep with the good work, mate!
I have still a very long way to go, but I am very thankful that you already believe in me!
I cant finish this vid right now but I see some qualities I saw on many big history channels. It's like something that is done by professional video editor. I gonna check other vids when I finish my school works.
This is the first video I watched and I am already sold.
I also got an ad.
Maximus is speaking facts.
So if my math is correct, they were required to complete that march at a power walk with 60 pounds of equipment. That would be pretty hard even on a flat track, even without the equipment. A fit backpacker can do about that distance in a day, but not at that pace. The faster version would be a light jog. This is pretty similar to the forced marches they do for special forces selection. It's astounding to me that the average Roman recruit was fit and healthy enough, that their bare minimum physical fitness is equivalent to that of our most elite fighters today. The guys who make it through special forces training in modern armies are very exceptionally gifted in terms of athleticism. Only a small percentage of recruits in modern armies even have the genetic potential for that level of fitness, much less the mental fortitude to develop it. I think the only conclusion you can draw is that the average person was better off genetically back then, and that they must have been healthier on average. Really makes you stop and think about our modern lifestyles and what it's doing to us as a species.
“Times” make the man
He literally said the soilders were selected, not average joes
People usually got more exercise "back then", but they also starved and underage often and many never made it out of childhood, so "healthier" is relative here
Also notice he said "roman miles" which were shorter than modern miles. Similar to how they wanted their special troops to be 6 "roman feet" tall. (5'8" today)
Amazing. Almost everything you said is plain wrong.
Roman legions were the special forces of the Roman Empire, the Auxiliaries outnumbered them by a huge margin and did most of the regular fighting. The legions were deployed during exceptional times like a large scale military expedition under an emperor, a massive revolt, to hold exceptionally rebellious areas (like Germania, Brittania or Judea) or to fight other legions during a civil war.
They were the best of the best, basically.
Today's regular soldiers are far more physically capable than regular roman troops aka auxiliaries and are only slightly physically inferior to the legions which, like I said, were a special force.
Another dumb thing you said is that our ancestors were genetically superior when it's simply untrue. In fact, we are actually genetically superior to our ancestors- natural selection is a thing you know, genetically weaker individuals died off in the 2000 years between us and them. Things like the various plague outbreaks ensured that people today have far stronger immune systems than our ancestors simply due to the fact that it killed off like 60% of the people.
Yes, the modern lifestyle is more sedentary but that doesn't mean the modern human is innately weaker. We have better genes and far greater potential, in fact. Most people would be quite physically capable if they hit the gym or are simply made to work hard physically. Things like good nutrition and facilities also help.
@@woodrowwant6216 nah they probably just kept going till some of em dropped dead and left em. If you keep pushing your body through injuries there's still a chance you'll survive. Modern athletes wouldn't take that risk.
This is super interesting!!! Thanks so much for uploading this!
Let's hear about the smiths, medics, horse's, cooks etc that fueled this insanity !! Love it
I will surely have a video about them as well!
I'm guessing the cooks were highly respected and treasured
Artillery - catapults and Ballista.
they were also all soldiers... what you wanna hear about is the camp following the army not the army personnel.
Let's hear what the horses have to say
“The discipline of the Romans made them triumph over the tall height of the Gauls, the strength of the Germans, the cunning of the Greeks and over all the other populations of the world" Vegetius, De Re Militari
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_militari
Did they though?
@g hough What supply lines r u talking about?!? They conquer everything they wished and made colonies out of those lands! It was corruption,thirst for power and money as it was the complacency,cheap political games and outright degeneracy that with time slowly but surely undermined the Rome and its legions!
@@stormtrooper9404 All that, and much more. Towards the end, it was also constant migrations of people from beyond the northern frontiers, who brought with them their own customs, traditions - and weapons, which eventually changed the makeup of the army as they enlisted. They weren't citizens and had no loyalty to Rome. Rome was no longer able to collect taxes from less wiling migrants who had never seen the city, or the land of Italia.
@g hough 😁😆🤣 Their "known world" was pretty tiny. "All of Europe" is not that large either. Comparable to TX is all I am saying.
Excellent video. I had no idea about the slings that is fascinating. I know most things about Roman military history so it’s truly excellent to find something so fresh as I have never seen that before. Thank you
I just finished reading the art of war by Vegetius, it's amazing and a blessing that such a document survived until today. I highly recommend it, a direct look inside more than 2000 years ago. Makes me feel proud being somewhat descendant of the Roman culture
Proud that you come from the most well known rapists and destroyers of civilizations?
It's interesting how Vegetius laments that the recruits of his time preferred to go to the auxilia rather than the legions because they had less work to do.
@Grand Moff Porkins Barbarians??? I think you mean rebels Grand Moff
@Grand Moff Porkins soy actually makes you strong and being vegan raises your testosterone levels... so you mean what with that?
@Pit Viper I've been scared _for_ them...
@@ryanzacsanders soy increases estrogen in men dumb@$$
@Pit Viper Of course you can't. You don't have the proper morality to even understand someone who doesn't eat meat.
Interestingly the part about "lively eyes" was also a desired feature in men recruited to the Swedish Army in the 1700's actually. They wanted applicants to have "good spirit, the sense of being a good comrade and have the ability to sing tunes" as well. I do not know if these requirements were inspired by the Romans though, or if it was just well understood that these features in men made good soldiers.
I'd prefer going to war with a good soldier who's also funny then a good soldier who's a pain in the ass.
@@Patfettx No shit but I'd rather go to war with a lot of good trained soldiers than a few good soldiers
being with a bunch of assholes in shit conditions of course anything to keep people from rebelling
@@Patfettx there's a similar concept in many fields of engineering. Companies would in general rather hire an average engineer with conversation and teamwork skills over an antisocial savant.
@@Baphelon Savants are not antisocial, they are asocial.
Terrific video! I'm fascinated by the specifics of Roman military training.⚔️🏹
Good stuff 👍 Excellent presentation 👏 The diligent work shows
Roman history is like crystalmeth one taste and your hooked forever.
So much Roman knowlage in my veins I think I OD.
Reject modern go back to Roma
Im.in the same boat. I've always loved greco-roman history since I was a kid but I seen the roman empire and ottoman empire on Netflix and its like an obsession.
ROMA INVICTA
I just study the enemy
@@hokageobito1973 In many ways, the Ottomans became the Romans too, just muslim. Athough Rome changed religions before, so...
When I was in the marines, one of my buddies was doing his doctorate in history, 10 of us who had JUST finished marine infantry training and were in pre deployment workouts. Tried to do the Roman legion qualifying March....which was 20 miles in 5 hours while keeping in time with step, in fill ruck with sandals. Yes "studded sole sandals". Legit best shape of our lives, absolute physical specimines....
none of finished hahaha
@@TrunkyDunks
They would have been tabbing and also running. It would not have been a set speed march.
@@bighands69 yes
Your feet would need to get used to those sandals and build callas doing training for that
0:46 Changes in military recruitment did contribute to the fall of the Roman Republic, but not to the decline of the Empire, and not due to a decline in the power of the Roman military. These changes occurred as part of the Roman Revolution, and they contributed to the Revolution politically by enlisting men living in third world conditions, whose subsistence depended entirely upon their military leaders. These generals took advantage of their troops' allegiance to turn their armies on the State.
The recruitment changes were made in 104 BC, and by the reign of Trajan, in 117 AD, the Empire had tripled in size. Most of the best Roman structures were built after these military changes.The Empire became richer and stronger because of the political changes resulting from recruitment changes. Running an Empire with a city-state government turned out to be unsustainable. All it took was a little chaos among a small group of men in a small forum to topple the entire system. The Imperial government had way more to manage, and was able to do so for another 1500 years (if you count the Byzantine Empire, which you should). So if anything these recruitment changes helped save the Roman Empire.
These assumptions are based of Vegetius, but he needs to be taken with a HEAPING spoonful of salt, since he was an armchair "general" who was never actually in the military, and was not only wrong about the Roman army of his day in many ways (contradicted by actual Army sources, artistic depictions, archaeology, ect), but also is largely incorrect about many aspects of the older legion he looks at with ahistorical glasses.
@@TheChiconspiracy ew sounds like someone I would not like to learn more about 😅
Truly love history. Good channel as well. Thoroughly enjoy your content.
Come on man you cannot just leave me on a cliffhanger with the river crossing and bridge building
Sorry, I'll get back to it!
@Rebel Mixes wtf
@Rebel Mixes your reply is so random
@Rebel Mixes hahahahhahahahahahaha Gold
I was a Canadian Infanteer for almost 10 years, and a lot of the training we did actually parallels what the roman legions did. obviously modified to modern standards. we did a 6 month training program (3 months basic, 3 months battleschool) and literally the first thing we learn, before breakfast on our first day is how to form up, and walk in formation. Its cool to think that some random roman 2000 years ago went through a similar experience to little ole' me.
that's really interesting
@Nero Wynn last time we fought we kicked your ass and you never came back :)
Yea, Canada's known for those legendary Infantreers - wasn't Trudeau one of those???
@@hazor777 Fuck no! He wouldn't make it to breakfast on the first day of battleschool.
@@Piccillo7 ****sarcasm****
Well done, thank you for taking the time..
Great video. I'm looking forward to your vid on how they handled floods or crossing rivers, hope it comes out soon!
They weren't just throwing stones with slings, they also made ovoid bullets out of lead. Thanks for the great video!!!
I remember a cool old story that this slinger dude was telling on KRplus about how in the old days, if the Romans ran out of metal shot on campaign, they could melt down scrap or unused metal they had in the baggage train, and pour it into holes in the ground that they'd made by sticking their thumb into the soil. When the molten metal cooled, it was in the shape of a thumb, a vaguely ovoid cylindrical shape. I remember laughing at how perfectly it captured Roman military attitudes. "Leave Rome with the best, but be able to make 80% from improvisation along the way." and also "have a strategy for everything" the Romans won battles by building because it expanded their options for strategies. Caesar exemplified this by ensuring he was able to sit in a defensive position for weeks waiting for a better opportunity to do something.
I’m 5’2 but my humor is so great I’m sure I’ll make it. Put me in coach!
💀
RUDY! RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!
You may have been accepted at that height with a strong muscular physique, as long as you had broad shoulders and we're narrow at the hip with no beer gut. Also a sandal/boot size of no less than 2.5.
Alexander the Great was 5'0 you'll be fine.
@@ym6294 Alexander's height has always been a guess. The average height for a Greek man at that time was in the 5 to 5'5. If we go by the tomb that was found in Aigai, that is suspected to be his father's, the skeletal remains found in that grave were of a man 5'8". So he was most likely between 5' and 5'8". His biographer stated that Alexander feared he wouldn't be recognized in battle, meaning he was probably very average in height and therefore blended in with everyone around him. But, yes, he will be fine.
Great video and I like how you explore some of the less explained stuff like the humour and the recruitment.
Details that are new presented in a interesting format …… Thank You very much .
Damn wish it was a longer video.
Really good watch.
Theres more where that came from. Im glad you liked it, I'll be releasing more!
@@HistoriaMilitum Do you have something from WW2?
I prefer them sweet but short like this one
Nice name lol 😂
Bro the new Resident Evil should be made by you. Just by the name you made I bet you could come up with a 10/10 story line.
"At least 5'5"
*Me with 5'4* Well, there I fail again.
same
The greatest sniper was a small man the white death 700 kills
@@richardgomez1151 Huh, I didn't know he was so short. Too bad the Roman army didn't have a sniper unit haha.
@@kevinboros7427 well manliness is more then physical power .
Its about being the guy that can put more time in work .
The guy that is good at wat ever he does because he has character and discipline.
A man is the friend you can rely on .
Lol its all good my guy
Finally a channel with actual interesting quality content my brain needed this fr fr TY
I'm so grateful to the illustrator and artists who draw these images.
One thing to keep in mind is that the minimum height requirements, were, for the day, quite a small percentage of the Roman populus. The tallest of the tall, if you like.
Another aspect is of their continued fitness standards during service. In modern day Chester, England, (Castra Deva in Roman times) there is a flight of stairs that were used as an annual fitness test. The soldiers had to run down and up them without 'losing their breath'. As kids on a school trip we all tried it and it wasn't really a problem. My guess would be that the Legionnaires would have been carrying full kit.
Legionnaires would have been doing activities not at their own pace but at that of the groups. So no slacking and a no holding up.
have to keep in mind that was probably either the/a warmup and/or a finisher after a lot of training
Legionaries train everyday, when it rains, and during marches.
4:40 damn, to the unassuming and relatively disorganized tribal warrior groups, the roman cohesion, adaptability, and precise execution on the unit scale must have seemed machine-like.
@Robert: agreed. But it would also seem to be a problem. As with this type of training, it was known how the Romans would react to certain situations. Your keyword, "disorganized", were probably the tribes greatest problem.
@@deepsleep7822 that's true - the Bato leaders of the Illyrian Revolt and Arminius were able to respond to the Roman tactics as though they were psychic since those leaders had been trained and served in the Roman military.
@@roberttaylor3118 : it seems history often repeats itself.
@@deepsleep7822 not that there aren't other worthwhile things to spend time watching or reading, but it sure would be nice if people - especially leaders - took the time to learn from historical mistakes that are relevant to the problems they face.
The formidable awe inspired by the Roman army set in array (in Latin: ACIE INSTRUCTA) is mentioned also in biblical references:
"Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as armies set in array?"
(Song of Solomon, 6:10)
Very informative! I've often wondered how things were done back then
Pretty impressive that this channel was able to go back in time and record the Roman soldiers marching
I’m a Hellenic Army infantry commander, and found your presentation fascinating. Congratulations on an excellent channel - just subscribed. Greetings from Greece! 🇬🇷
Strategos :)
Dustin Cordell - Someday, perhaps; for now, only an ‘Antisyntagmatarchis’ (Αντισυνταγματάρχης-Lieutenant-Colonel).
@@dorianphilotheates3769 you are in a good position :) you still command a regiment size force in a division yes
Dustin Cordell - 🙂
Strange that it's still called the "Hellenic" army, and not the Greek army.
For those who are interested, you didn't always have to be Roman to join it was open to other tribes / races. These guys were called auxiliaries and fought together, they were granted citizenship after completing their military service - around 20 years I think.
Thx I'll definitely sign up
its really cool that you use Gameplay of Total War for you Videos this gives an extra feeling how they marched etc
I did not know about the use of the sling! Everything was done in order. First traps like burning bales of hay down an incline, then the catapult, then the archers, then the sling, then the pilum and what was left was slain by sword. The enemy were lucky to have bare chest and sword. How could they lose? It is a formula for success!
That training routine was all about mental toughness. A quality that makes for success any where.
The tactics makes a lot too. Alone a legionaire is really weak because of his heavy equipment
@@kasrkin5488 Yeah but that's what made Rome terrifying, it wasn't about the strength of the induvial legionnaire like the tribal warriors to the north. It was just about the unstoppable war machine they made that nothing else could compete with.
The food was good too. Loads of Spaghetti and Pizza.
The sling is one of the most underestimated weapons of history and by today's Co-Sims and Strategy Games.
Lets not forget, It helped little David kill Mighty Goliath!
Firm That's a favor with no evidence it happened outside of a religious book and myths. But I see your point slings were used to kill bulls.
2s stun, 50% damage of a normal attack. 5s cooldown.
@@Sernival You missed the chance for an insta casualty - one unlucky hit on an unprotected side of roman helmet can chatter your jaw bone taking you out of the battle and other hits might just outright kill you. I would say about 10% insta kill chance. ;-)
@@hainleysimpson1507 human giants did and in small part do exist. Some if their remains have been dug up by archaeologists. One even lives in Ukraine right now. Wether or not the David vs goliath battle took place is whats debatable.
Thank you for this random suggestion KRplus ... This was amazing to watch and I subbed due to the awesomeness of the info and visuals matched with great narration and accurate sound effects and of course excellent music
Glad you enjoyed, welcome aboard!
ive watched like 4 of your videos in a row, so good
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying the content :)
Same here lol.
As a roman coin collector, Im just SO EXCITED about this channel!
Thank you for the enthusiasm! You have a great channel by the way!
for a moment i thought you meant you're a tax collector
@@namekman01
he’s a time traveler, don’t mind him
@@Lucidopherus lol
Man the legion was no joke! That training, tactics, and selection process pure quality at it's inception. It's wild they wound up being defeated by the NCR and some random package delivery person. Lol. In all seriousness though this was great! I'm glad I found this channel.
Those thugs are just using the name. The NCR was professional and more like the actual legions.
You have lost me.
@@bighands69 It's from Fallout New Vegas. Lol
I’ve watched this video over 10 times in the last month or two and I can’t seem to stop
Hi and thanks for the video! Lots of things to learn here.
You made it very clear that the Roman army had experience and expertise in using all sorts of skills to prevail over their enemies. This also very likely extended to psychological warfare, intimidation etc. There also was a need to maintain an incentive for the Roman population to support this significant pressure of military drafts/recruitment on families and the productive economy.
Therefore I am tempted to ask: do we have any reason to believe that some of the written sources you have quoted may have overemphasised some aspects of Roman military power, in order to look good both to enemies outside and to inside political forces? (C.Julius Caesar may apparently have done this in his account of the Gallic Wars). Have we seen discrepancies between descriptions and archaeological findings? Or non-Roman sources?
I realise this may well exceed the format or scope of your video!
Thanks
Damn, youtube finally recommending me something that is actually worth the watch and not some 11 year old video recorded with a toaster.
Hoping to see more from you, really interesting stuff.
9:07 😂 😂😂
The soldier looking over his shoulder
“Hey Bob, got any plans this weekend?”
Bob “uh, training and more training - just like you”
“Oh yeah”
Imagine being in a time where dudes had cool names like Thaddicus or Agustus and you got friggin Bob 🥺
@@timberd1513 Bobdicus
@@nhandinh7404 Biggus Dickus
@@goro123451 😭
Facts I needed to know TODAY!
Marvelous video. Thank you
For anyone who's curious of the game footage, it's Rome II Total war.
A surprise for sure, but a welcome one!
Definitely looking forward to the river crossings video now, keep up the good work!
Glad to hear it. Thanks you!
Those gameplay videos are awesome) It really fits the narrative so cool
Great content, did 4 years in the Marines plenty enough couldn't imagine 20 years.
Sense of humour was a desirable feat - Immediately Monty Python and the deadly joke comes to my mind :D
Montius Pythonus, Legato Legio Humero
incontinentia buttocks
The "constant Improvement" philosophy of the Roman military has been emulated ever since. And remains the standard for modern military to this day.
The video is so profound, your English is very beautiful and rich. It was inspiring to watch it.