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The phalanx was a tight square formation of heavy infantrymen (hoplites) invented by the Greeks. It was adopted by the Roman army in the 6th century BC and they used it until they were defeated by the Samnites who used a different military formation, the maniple, in 321 BC. At that point the Romans adopted the mainipular formation of the Samnites. This formation was used to fight the Pyrrhic War v(280-275 BC) against Pyrrhus the king of Epirus in Greece who wanted to take over southern Italy and used the phalanx. The two sides fought three battles and Pyrrhus was the first two. The use of a larger cavalry and of war elephants (for the first time in Italy) played an improtant part in these victories. However, Pyrrhus suffered high levels of heavy causualties which made it impossible for him to win the war. This led to the term Pyrrhic victory, which refers to a victory which comes at such a devastating cost which it amounts to a defeat. By the end of the war he lost 2/3 of his army. The Romans won the final battle because they learnt how to deal with elephants.
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Why did ancient Rome decide to abandon the Greek phalanx battle formation?
Ancient Rome had originally fought as part of a phalanx similar to the Greek version. A evolution of change began when the Roams found out at the River Allia, this formation could be subject to an envelope tactic which enabled the attackers to penetrate the Roman flanks. In time the phalanx was therefore discarded into the legion.
What was the advantage of roman legion?
Phalanxes facing the legion were more vulnerable to the more flexible Roman "checkboard" deployment. The checkboard deployment allowed the Romans more room to maneuver and let them apply steady combat pressure on the enemy, when one line was exhausted they would easily withdraw and let the next line carry on the fight till they were refreshed. The phalanx on the other hand had very little space to maneuver and each line fought its own lonely battle and ultimately perished under continuous Roman attacks. In the Battle of Cynoscephalae, The Roman legionaires were trained to actually duck under the spears of the oncoming phalanx, crawl up to the Macedonian soldiers, thrust up with their pilum, and voila, Greece became a Roman province. ANSWER The question is not as precise as it should be as one cannot realy compare a phalanx to a legion. They were quite different size combat units and while the phalanx consisted only in a body of soldiers of a few hundred at most and only weilding long spears, the legion was constructed somewhat similar to a modern army group, and numbered upwards of 5000. One roman legion included a main corp of infantrymen, a corp of auxilliares that manned the heavy weapons and siege machines, spearmen to counter cavalery charges, skirmishers and archers plus a unit of heavy cavalery and one of scout cavalery and "legati". The phalanx was, as I said just a body of infantrymen armed with 6-7 m long spears and small shields that was meant to slowly crush through another rigid unit of infantery and was thus utterly useless and completely vulnerable against all of the other units forming a Roman legion. Unsupported by cavalery and the hoplite heavy infantery the phalanx cannot be pinned against a legion. At least successfully, that is.
Who controls the wedge in the roman army?
The legatus legionis (legion commander) would order a legion to create a wedge formation. The centurions were responsible for its operation.
What name was given to the Roman legion's shield formation used mainly against fortified positions?
Testudo
What did the quaestor wear in the roman army?
A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.A quaestor in the Roman army could loosely be called an assistant to the legate of the legion. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the men.
Why did ancient Rome decide to abandon the Greek phalanx battle formation?
Ancient Rome had originally fought as part of a phalanx similar to the Greek version. A evolution of change began when the Roams found out at the River Allia, this formation could be subject to an envelope tactic which enabled the attackers to penetrate the Roman flanks. In time the phalanx was therefore discarded into the legion.
Why did the Roman army phalanx system change into the legion system?
The phalanx did not morph into the legion - the phalanx was a tactical formation, the legion was a body of around 5000 men who were used in tactical formations which varied over time - early on the phalanx.The Romans switched from the unwieldy phalanx of tightly packed, locked in spearmen to spaced ranks in order to gain flexibility and rely on a more open method of fighting, with differing layers of differently armed troops. This flexibility was supported by adopting the Spanish short sword as basic weapon, and the pilum throwing javelin. The protection of the tight phalanx was replaced by the oblong shield.The open formation which replaced the phalanx gave the individual Roman infantryman room to fight in. It worked. The hitherto unstoppable Greek phalanxes were tactically outmanoeuvred and decisively beaten by the Romans in the first half of the Second Century BCE in Macedonia.This system of different troops having different weapons and the manipular formation it was based on (which the Romans adopted from the Samnites, a people who lived to the south of Rome) was abandoned with the Marian reforms of the army of 107 BC. The legions were reformed again and became organised into cohorts with soldiers who had the same weapons and equipment.
What ancient civilization first used the phalanx over any other type army formation?
It is believed that the Macedonian civilization first used the military formation known as the plalanx. The armies of Alexander the Great used this formation and later on the Greek city states and kingdoms that resulted from the death of Alexander also used the phalanx. Certainly by the early 8th century BC BCE ancient pottery displays the hoplite phalanx. By the 7th century BC BCE it was in use by Greek city states and it was likely spread into the Greek colonies in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Sometime in 6th century BC BCE it was used by the ancient Roman republic.This often successful formation was also used by Hannibal in the Second Punic War.The early Romans found that the phalanx was slow to move in bad terrain and lacked a certain amount of flexibility. The Roman legion infantry formation made the phalanx obsolete as far as the Romans were concerned.
What was the advantage of roman legion?
Phalanxes facing the legion were more vulnerable to the more flexible Roman "checkboard" deployment. The checkboard deployment allowed the Romans more room to maneuver and let them apply steady combat pressure on the enemy, when one line was exhausted they would easily withdraw and let the next line carry on the fight till they were refreshed. The phalanx on the other hand had very little space to maneuver and each line fought its own lonely battle and ultimately perished under continuous Roman attacks. In the Battle of Cynoscephalae, The Roman legionaires were trained to actually duck under the spears of the oncoming phalanx, crawl up to the Macedonian soldiers, thrust up with their pilum, and voila, Greece became a Roman province. ANSWER The question is not as precise as it should be as one cannot realy compare a phalanx to a legion. They were quite different size combat units and while the phalanx consisted only in a body of soldiers of a few hundred at most and only weilding long spears, the legion was constructed somewhat similar to a modern army group, and numbered upwards of 5000. One roman legion included a main corp of infantrymen, a corp of auxilliares that manned the heavy weapons and siege machines, spearmen to counter cavalery charges, skirmishers and archers plus a unit of heavy cavalery and one of scout cavalery and "legati". The phalanx was, as I said just a body of infantrymen armed with 6-7 m long spears and small shields that was meant to slowly crush through another rigid unit of infantery and was thus utterly useless and completely vulnerable against all of the other units forming a Roman legion. Unsupported by cavalery and the hoplite heavy infantery the phalanx cannot be pinned against a legion. At least successfully, that is.
What was legion according to Romans?
A Legion was a Type of military formation where people fight in groups
What is the leader of the legion called?
The leader of a Roman legion was called a "legatus".
What was ancient Rome's conquest and battle formation?
Originally the Romans adopted a new and revolutionary type of formation introduced by the Greeks: hoplite phalanx (wing) formation. Hoplites were soldiers with heavy armour which fought in tight formations. The Roman phalanx was supported by light infantry men (velites) who acted as skirmisher at the beginning of the battle.During the second Samnite War (326-304 BC) the Romans abandoned the phalanx. They adopted the Samnite formation of the maniples. This was because the maniples were more flexible and better suited to mountain warfare. The Samnites lived on the Apennine Mountains. Instead of having a tight formation of heavy infantry, this infantry was lined up into smaller square formations arrayed in a chessboard pattern. This system provided much greater flexibility in battle.In 107 BC the Roman army was reformed. The heavy and light infantry were abolished and all soldier had the same equipment. The legions (army corps) were organised into cohorts (similar to battalions). A legion had 10 cohorts. Cohorts 2 to 10 had six centuries (the equivalent of a company) of 80 men each. The first cohort was larger and had 5 double size centuries (with 160 men each). This made a total of 59 centuries. It also gave a total of 4,230 men in the standard cohorts and 800 men in the 1st cohort. The entire legion had 5,120 infantrymen. These are loose numbers, as a Roman legion was rarely at full strength.The smallest unit of the legion was the contubernium, which was a bit like a platoon and had 8 soldiers who shared a tent. A legion also had a turma, a cavalry squadron of 120 horsemen.
Who controls the wedge in the roman army?
The legatus legionis (legion commander) would order a legion to create a wedge formation. The centurions were responsible for its operation.
How are the Romans and Greek armies different?
Originally the Romans adopted the new Greek hoplite phalanx (wing) formation. Hoplites were soldiers with heavy armour which fought in tight formations. The Roman phalanx was supported by light infantry men (velites) who acted as skirmisher at the beginning of the battle. During the second Samnite War (326-304 BC) the Romans abandoned the phalanx. They adopted the Samnite formation of the maniples. This was because the maniples were more flexible and better suited to mountain warfare. The Samnites lived on the Apennine Mountains. Instead of having a tight formation of heavy infantry, this infantry was lined up into smaller square formations arrayed in a chessboard pattern. This system provided much greater flexibility in battle. In 107 BC the Roman army was reformed. The heavy and light infantry were abolished and all soldier had the same equipment. The legions (army corps) were organised into cohorts (similar to battalions). A legion had 10 cohorts. Cohorts 2 to 10 had six centuries (the equivalent of a company) of 80 men each. The first cohort was larger and had 5 double size centuries (with 160 men each). This made a total of 59 centuries. It also gave a total of 4,230 men in the standard cohorts and 800 men in the 1st cohort. The entire legion had 5,120 infantrymen. These are loose numbers, as a Roman legion was rarely at full strength. The smallest unit of the legion was the contubernium, which was a bit like a platoon and had 8 soldiers who shared a tent. A legion also had a turma, a cavalry squadron of 120 horsemen. The Greek army also changed over time. Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC) developed the Macedonian phalanx. It was not very different from the Hoplite phalanx. It was better trained, and it was armed with the sarissa, a 4 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long pike, which enabled it to outreach its competitors and stave off enemy cavalry. The soldiers wore far lighter armour which allowed longer endurance and longer fast marches. It also gave them the ability to sprint to close and overwhelm enemy positions. Philip conducted mixed operations. He used the phalanx to hold the enemy in place while the heavy cavalry broke through their ranks. The cavalry fought in wedge formation and was stationed on the far right. After it broke through the enemy lines it was followed by the hypaspists, elite infantrymen. The phalanx proper attacked last. The left flank was covered by a cavalry of allies which fought in rhomboid formation and served as a defence
Which country has a milutary force called the foreigin Legion?
France has a Foriegn Legion that allows foriegners to serve.
What name is given to the flag carried into battle by every roman legion?
It's called a legion standard.
What where 6000 roman soldiers called?
A Legion
