Subscribe –
2000 years ago the Roman army is the best equipped army in the world. While architects have mastered the art of manipulating stone and concrete, military engineers have fashioned metal and wood to create devastating weapons of war.
The Roman foot soldiers main weapon is a fearsome sword called the Gladius, a double edged blade with a sharp point used for stabbing and thrusting, rather than slashing. When not fighting at close quarters, their spear, called a pilum, could kill from a distance with lethal accuracy.
Protecting soldiers from injury is just as important as arming them for attack. Early Roman soldiers wear chainmail, but armourers come up with a far superior form of protection. Articulated plate armour called lorica segmentata, made from overlapping iron plates joined together by leather straps, as flexible as chainmail, but one third lighter.
If the romans weaponry has a modern feel, then so does the tactics they use. The Roman legions know exactly how to fight heavily armed foes. They use the testudo, Latin for tortoise. Legionaries bunch together and lock their shields in formation to create a protective screen, a formation as effective in attack, as it is in defence.
Few examples of Roman artillery survive, but they left detailed clues as to how to recreate them. The Ermine Street Guard Roman Reenactment Society is dedicated to research into the Roman Army and the reconstruction of Roman armour and equipment.
The scorpion fires iron tipped bolts, used in the first stages of attack and during sieges. It fires arrows at incredible speeds, pierces armour, and kills instantly, a bit like a giant crossbow. Although an effective anti-personnel weapon, the scorpion is of little use when attacking a building.
For that the Romans need something with a bit more punch, the onager and the ballista. These pieces of artillery fire large stones at the enemy. During sieges they propel projectiles so high into the air that they can break down enemy walls. The whizzing noise of the stones strikes terror into Rome’s enemies. To increase the fear factor they’re painted black so harder to see.
The ballista works like the scorpion, but is bigger and more powerful. It can fire a 60 pound stone or a 3 foot bolt around 15,000 feet allowing the soldiers to stand well away from enemy archers. The speed of the missile is phenomenal hitting its target at about 115 mph, anyone sustaining a direct hit would be killed instantly.
The onager uses a different principle, it catapults basketball sized stones nearly 100 feet using a single arm and sling. The vertical arm is powered by a large horizontal skein of rope, coiled and twisted to create a rotational force, the skein acts like a spring storing energy to be released on firing.
The combination of technology and tactics makes the Roman army the premier fighting force in Europe for 500 years and influences military tactics for the next 1,500.
Clip taken from our documentary “How Did Roman Tech Work?”
Watch it here –
5 views
589
177
1 month ago 01:19:47 1
Memmingen, Germany Walking tour [4K].
1 month ago 00:44:31 1
Vatican Secrets Revealed - Forbidden History - S04 EP02 - History Documentary
1 month ago 00:25:50 1
CasaDelSoleTG - BRICS centro del mondo
1 month ago 00:36:18 1
ЕЖИ СЕМЕНОВ, “ЕХАЛИ ЦЫГАНЕ“. Эмигрантские песни, цыганские романсы. ВАРШАВА, 1930.
1 month ago 02:29:41 1
History To Sleep To: The Story Of The Normans
1 month ago 00:03:05 1
The Tragic Reign of Cleopatra: Egypt’s Last Pharaoh
1 month ago 00:08:13 1
What Motivated Soldiers to Be the First to Climb the Siege Ladder?
1 month ago 00:17:22 1
Extraordinary Roman artifacts found recently
1 month ago 00:29:10 1
The Entire History of England
1 month ago 00:04:04 1
Sons of Mars - Epic Roman Music
2 months ago 01:38:17 1
21+| ОПУЩЕННЫЕ в АРМИИ РФ/ РАССКАЗАЛ, КОГО СЕЙЧАС НАБИРАЮТ В АРМИЮ рОССИИ/
2 months ago 00:06:44 1
Can Zelenskyy’s Europe tour help sell allies on his victory plan? | DW News
2 months ago 02:55:50 1
Берёзовая Роща 2 (2022) Детективная мелодрама. Все серии Full HD
2 months ago 00:23:03 1
2nd Battle of Nola, 215 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 19) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:16:58 1
Battle of Cumae, 215 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 18) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:16:54 1
Battle of Hibera, 215 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 17) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:22:29 1
Battle of Cornus, 216 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 16) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:15:30 1
Battle of Nola, 216 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 15) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:14:13 1
Battle of Silva Litana, 216 BC ⚔️ Hannibal (Part 14) ⚔️ Second Punic War
2 months ago 00:49:42 1
Enormous Roman Excavation Reveals New Secrets About Ancient Life
2 months ago 01:28:07 1
William The Conqueror: From Bastard Son To King Of England
2 months ago 00:03:42 1
Legio XIV Gemina - Epic Roman Music
2 months ago 00:03:35 1
Mars The Roman God of War and the Embodiment of Martial Valor
2 months ago 05:25:42 1
Синдром Дракона (2012) Детективный триллер. 1-6 серии Full HD