[Question about Latin slogan]

What is the meaning of the Slogan, "Initium Dimidium Facti?" Any help will be appreciated.

[What To Bring With You?]

Hmmm:

1. Of course I' already wearing my clothes on right? So I'll bring A LOT water first

2. A HUGE supply of nutritious food

3. A Camera for taking pictures

4. A book on Roman Language

5. A rifle with a lot of ammo for fighting off those pesky barbarians

[Contributions Of Roman Warfare]

Ok, point taken. Thanks for correcting me.

[What Would The Romans Think?]

Perhaps the Romans will become obese from all those McDonalds and their burgers and fries

[The Life Of A Roman Soldier....]

And I get to see places, get some badly needed discipline and kill some barbarians! It's a pity my eyesight is not 20/20. I cant serve in the army.

[A Roman-ish Empire Today]

I'm glad you agree with me. You're referring to the Huns as "the pressure from the east", right?

[Soldier's Life Outside Of Battle]

Great. I'd rather be in combat. If were a legionjary on garrsion duty, chances are I won't get promoted quickly, right?

[Contributions Of Roman Warfare]

I think these are the crucial contibutions of the Roman Warfare.

 

1. Emphasis on drill, uniformity of weapons, equipment, and training

2. Europe's first civil service

3. Roads and other infrastructure

4. The spread of the Roman Legal system to much Europe and some parts of Asia.

 

No I don't think so. Only the last has any real lasting significance. Roads almost went out of service as soon as the roman legions left. The roman civil service vanished and wasn't replaced for centuries. The emphasis on drill, weaponry, equipment, and training comes when an army (any army) is constantly in the field and must improve to gain the upper hand.

 

 

Hey, but it gave us the idea, right? The Roman Roads in the East were maintained by the Byzantines, and they continued the Roman tradition of building roads and aqueducts, and other infrastructures of civilization. Other armies had the emphasis on drill, uniformity of weapons, equipment and training, but only Rome succeeded in doing it perfectly for 500 years, and the Byzantines until 1453.

[Which Cultures Would You Like To See Discussed?]

The Carthaginians. I've been always interested in what were they like.

[Where Is Every One From?]

I'm from the Philippines, a country in Asia that's often called the texting capital of the world.

[The Life Of A Roman Soldier....]

I would have joined the Roman Army if I had the chance. It was one of my dreams in childhood. Surely, soldiering is a difficult life, but it holds meaning for me.

[A Roman-ish Empire Today]

The European Union comes to mind.

 

Sometimes I think they just made this Union to oppose the USA. Remember Chirac's vision of a "Multi polar world"?

[Welcome and Introduce Yourself Here]

Hello there. I'm Ovidius from the Philippines. I'm became very interested in Roman History, especially in the Roman Military System, in my junior year at high school.

 

I'm sorry I posted in other topics before introducing myself here.

[Rome: Total War]

How in the world do you play that game?

[Soldier's Life Outside Of Battle]

Hmm, but it means that it's less exciting, right?

[Romans Lend Me Your Ears]

Augustus' daughter Julia might have been a wonderful person to meet...

 

Unless you were named Tiberius

 

Or Ovid...

 

Hey, Ovid's actually my REAL NAME.

 

Hmmm, I would have liked to meet Virgil and Ovid. Maybe they could teach me Latin poetry.

[How Did Rome Do It]

I think that they managed to find out the trick that no other civilization before or since has done: how to absorb your defeated neighbors and incorporate them in your next round of wars. The enemies of today are the willing Roman soldiers of tomorrow.

[If You Could Be A Roman Emperor,]

"Publius Ovidius Lloratorius" - sounds too long, right?

[Soldier's Life Outside Of Battle]

Hmmm, I guess Garrison duty is quite boring, right?

[Contributions Of Roman Warfare]

I think these are the crucial contibutions of the Roman Warfare.

 

1. Emphasis on drill, uniformity of weapons, equipment, and training

2. Europe's first civil service

3. Roads and other infrastructure

4. The spread of the Roman Legal system to much Europe and some parts of Asia.

[Roman Army]

Thanks for providing the info. Much appreciated.

[Weapons]

Impractical? No I don't think so, it was more likely that the gradual erosion of standards was beginning to show. If you're not trained to use pilum correctly, then its an odd spear with a bendy tip. Wouldn't it be easier to make and use a simple spear? It seems they thought so.

 

 

It became impractical because their military doctrine changed in the waning days of the empire. Enemy infantry now were usually met at the halt. They sacrificed the morale lift given by a charge for order in their lines. Besides, the plumbatae or mattiobarbuli (lead weighted darts), combined with a barrage of missile weapons had longer range than the pilum.

 

Perhaps with the eventual weakening of the romans, they lost the resources to mass produce the pilum, and so abandoned its use. What do you think?

[Testudo Formation]

I heard at one siege (I think ti was against the Dacians) the defenders of a fortress toppled a catapult over a wall to crush the testudo.

[Some Questions About Ancient (and Medieval) Warfare]

Perhaps the Romans, with their wider-than-normal-gaps, had a system like this. The centurion signals, the we have a small gap in the front, then the fresh troops pour in, with the spent troops, moving out the fray, like the caracole formation. I Think I sa that in "Rome", the original HBO production.

[Legion Standards]

Cool!