How were ancient armies so large?
In the Ancient Era, empires like Rome and Persia had control of vast swaths of land, and with them, large populations. These ancient empires were also more centralized than most pre-Renaissance states, meaning that they had the capability to assemble, supply, and equip very large armies.
Why did the Romans have such a successful military?
This training combined with having the most advanced equipment at the time made the Roman army really powerful. The Roman army had many weapons and tactics that other armies hadn’t even heard of before! They would use huge catapults which were able to fling rocks over distances of several hundred meters.
How did the Romans Organise their army?
Organization of the Roman Army The army was organised in a very simple way: 5000 Legionaries (Roman Citizens who were in the army) would form a Legion. The Legion would be split into centuries (80 men) controlled by a Centurion. The centuries would then be divided into smaller groups with different jobs to perform.
How were the Romans able to control such a huge area?
Rome was able to gain its empire in large part by extending some form of citizenship to many of the people it conquered. Military expansion drove economic development, bringing enslaved people and loot back to Rome, which in turn transformed the city of Rome and Roman culture.
How big were armies in Roman times?
In total, for most of the Imperial period, Rome had a military force of around 350,000, taking into consideration there were 28 legions of around 5,500, and then 160,00 divided amongst the auxilia, the troops in Rome, and the fleet.
What was the largest ancient army?
According to Megasthenes, Chandragupta Maurya built an army consisting of 30,000 cavalry, 9000 war elephants, and 600,000 infantry, which was the largest army known in the ancient world.
How large was the Roman Empire army?
What were the main reasons for Romans success in controlling such a large empire?
The fact that the Romans were able to control and obtain an empire of this size was due to plenty of factors, but the main ones are the Roman army, the Roman roads, Pax Romana, the borders of the empire, and the benefits of the barbarians who became ruled by the empire.