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Roman Legions<br />
A common feature of the Roman army was the training. The soldiers practised constantly as<br />
individuals with different types of weapons such as the javelin (pilum) and a short cut-andthrust<br />
sword (gladius), which was a legionary’s main weapon. A soldier carried two javelins, a<br />
light one and a heavy one, which could pierce shields up to 2.5 cm thick. It had a long metal<br />
sheath which prevented an opponent breaking the shaft. Javelins, which were thrown, were designed to bend<br />
on impact so they could not be thrown back by enemy soldiers. The sword blade was about 50 cm long and<br />
used to stab and slash an enemy at short range.<br />
A soldier’s armour consisted of small plates of bronze linked together and sewn onto leather padding. Later,<br />
armour was linked at the top and bottom as well as the sides so that upward thrusts couldn’t pierce the<br />
armour as they did when the plates were only linked horizontally. This type of armour was easier to produce<br />
than chain mail but movement was more restricted.<br />
Though the Romans can’t be credited with mixing other metals and carbon with iron to make steel, they<br />
were the first to use the harder metal. Their steel-bladed sword helped their legions to conquer much of the<br />
known world.<br />
The kingdoms they conquered were allowed to rule themselves as Roman provinces, but if they rebelled<br />
against <strong>Rome</strong> at a later time they would then be destroyed.<br />
TEACHERS<br />
N OTE<br />
Viewing Sample<br />
– 14 – <strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>Rome</strong> Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com.
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