Each legionnaire (or 'miles') carried a short sword, called a gladius. This was his main weapon. He also carried a 'pilum' (javelin), a helmet, armor, shield and a pack with supplies. Soldiers were rigorously trained to march long distances, fight in precise formations, and use all the weapons they carried.
Typically in battle, Roman soldiers would throw their javelins before they charged. This was particularity effective because their javelins were designed to bend after their first use so they could not be thrown back. They could also be used as spears to defend against cavalry.
The Romans also had a relief system where centurions could signal the front line would move to the rear, allowing them to rest while the enemy was slowly worn down. This made the traditional Roman strategy of engaging head on with infantry and fighting until victory far more effective as a Roman army could fight for longer than their rivals.
The Romans were trained to fight as a unit, forming a wall with their shields and defeating their enemies with quick stabs. This was far more effective than the traditional tactics of the tribes of Gaul and Iberia of fighting as individuals as the tight Roman formation did not give them the space they needed to use their larger weapons and one on one experience.
Their models were also effective against the main Hellenistic fighting style of the day, the phalanx, as they could throw their javelins before charging to disrupt their enemies careful formations then keep fighting and wear their enemies down as they could be relieved periodically while the careful phalanx formation allowed little movement.
Typically in battle, Roman soldiers would throw their javelins before they charged. This was particularity effective because their javelins were designed to bend after their first use so they could not be thrown back. They could also be used as spears to defend against cavalry.
The Romans also had a relief system where centurions could signal the front line would move to the rear, allowing them to rest while the enemy was slowly worn down. This made the traditional Roman strategy of engaging head on with infantry and fighting until victory far more effective as a Roman army could fight for longer than their rivals.
The Romans were trained to fight as a unit, forming a wall with their shields and defeating their enemies with quick stabs. This was far more effective than the traditional tactics of the tribes of Gaul and Iberia of fighting as individuals as the tight Roman formation did not give them the space they needed to use their larger weapons and one on one experience.
Their models were also effective against the main Hellenistic fighting style of the day, the phalanx, as they could throw their javelins before charging to disrupt their enemies careful formations then keep fighting and wear their enemies down as they could be relieved periodically while the careful phalanx formation allowed little movement.
Roman infantry on campaign could expect to march as far as twenty miles a day. They had to carry much of their own equipment including all of their weapons and armor, a small shovel for making the nightly fort, their daily rations, water, a cooking pot, all of their clothes, any personal possessions they had and two stakes to build the daily palisade. Modern estimates are that this may have weighed upwards of ninety pounds, compared to the usual modern weight limit for infantry of about 60 pounds. However, carrying all this weight conferred some important advantages. By having the soldiers carry most of their own equipment they freed up men who would normally have had to be devoted towards supplying the army. It also made it far harder to cut off the army from its supplies and allowed the army to move quicker as the limiting factor for most armies of the time was its supply train. A final advantage was that it ensured soldiers were in peak condition and weeded out the weaker recruits before the started fighting.