ROME and Greece

KEY POINT: BOTH CULTURES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED THE WORLD.

Ancient Rome was one of the most powerful civilizations in history. It began as a small city on the Italian Peninsula around 753 BCE and grew into a huge empire that controlled most of Europe, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East.

At first, Rome was a monarchy (ruled by kings), but later it became a republic where citizens elected leaders to make decisions. Eventually, Rome turned into an empire ruled by emperors, starting with Augustus in 27 BCE.

Roman society was divided into classes: wealthy patricians, common plebeians, enslaved people, and freedmen. Romans built impressive roads, aqueducts, theaters, and arenas like the Colosseum, where gladiators fought. They also created strong armies that helped them expand and protect their empire.

Romans spoke Latin, which influenced many modern languages, and their ideas about law, government, and engineering still shape our world today. The empire lasted for hundreds of years but eventually weakened due to invasions, economic troubles, and corruption. In 476 CE, the Western Roman Empire fell, although the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) continued for nearly another 1,000 years.

At it's peak, Rome conquered land on three different continents, from England to Egypt.

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Ancient Greece was a famous civilization that grew on the rocky islands and mountains of southeastern Europe, starting around 2000 BCE. Because the land was divided by mountains and the sea, Greece was not one big empire at first—it was made up of many independent city-states like Athens, Sparta, and Corinth. Each city-state had its own government, army, and traditions.

Athens is known as the birthplace of democracy, where citizens could vote on laws and leaders. Sparta, on the other hand, focused on having a strong military and trained boys from a young age to be soldiers.

The Greeks made important achievements in philosophy, science, math, art, and literature. Famous thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle asked big questions about life and government. Greek writers created epic stories like the Iliad and Odyssey. They also built beautiful temples, like the Parthenon, and invented the Olympic Games.

Greek culture spread widely, especially after Alexander the Great built a vast empire in the 300s BCE. Even after Greece was later conquered by Rome, Greek ideas about democracy, art, and learning continued to influence the world.

Ancient Greece

Independent city-states (Athens, Sparta)
Athens created direct democracy
Focused on philosophy, art, drama, and science
Famous thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
Architecture: columns, Parthenon
Sparta: strong military society
Olympic Games began here

Both Greece & Rome

Important to Western civilization
Strong military traditions
Built impressive architecture
Valued citizenship and government
Contributions in art, literature, and learning
Influenced future laws and cultures

Ancient Rome

Began as a republic, became an empire
Ruled by emperors (Augustus, Julius Caesar)
Famous for law, government, and engineering
Architecture: arches, domes, Colosseum, aqueducts
Huge, organized armies that conquered lands
Latin language influenced modern languages
Spread Greek ideas across Europe

THE ROMAN MILITARY -- FROM DUCKSTERS

The Roman army was the backbone of the Roman Empire and one of the most successful armies in world history. It was well-trained, well-equipped, and well-organized. In order to guard such a large empire, the army took advantage of well built Roman roads to move about the empire quickly.

Who were the soldiers?

The soldiers in the Roman Legionary were all Roman citizens. They signed up to fight for 20 years. At the end of the 20 years they were generally awarded land and/or a large sum of money. This way the army was made up of trained and experienced soldiers. It also put land in the hands of loyal soldiers.

There were also non-citizen soldiers called auxiliaries. They joined for 25 years and were awarded Roman citizenship at the end of the 25 years. Roman citizenship was a big deal and came with lots of privileges.

How was the Roman Army organized?

The army was divided up into Legions of around 5400 soldiers. Legions were led by a Legate who was usually a Senator or a Governor. Legions were made up of ten groups of soldiers called cohorts. Cohorts were then further divided into groups of 80 men called centuries. The officers, or leaders, of each century were called centurions.

Armor

The government knew the importance of the Roman army and provided them with good armor and weapons. Roman soldiers had armor made of strips of strong iron. The iron made the armor strong and the strips made it flexible. They also had iron helmets which protected their heads and neck, but still let them have good vision for fighting. All of this iron armor was heavy, so they needed to be strong and in good shape. They also carried tall shields in some cases.

Weapons

The Roman soldiers used a variety of weapons including a pugio (dagger), gladius (sword, see picture to the right), hasta (spear), javelin, and bows and arrows. The soldiers were trained to fight with their weapons and practiced on a regular basis. They would sometimes spar with each other using wooden swords.

Interesting Facts about the Roman Army

Officers, such as centurions, wore large crests on their helmets. This allowed the soldiers to see them better in battle.
The average legionary carried at least 90 pounds of weight and often had to march 20 miles a day.
At its largest, the Roman army was made up of 30 legions, or over 150,000 soldiers. Counting the auxiliary soldiers, some estimate there were well over 1 million soldiers in the Roman army.
Gaius Marius, Roman consul and general, is largely credited with transforming the Roman army into the powerful group that conquered much of the civilized world.
The Romans used catapults to throw huge rocks which could knock down walls. They also used large crossbows called ballistas to fire arrows that were more the size of spears.

THE GREEK MILITARY -- FROM DUCKSTERS

The Ancient Greek city-states often fought each other. Sometimes groups of city-states would unite to fight other groups of city-states in large wars. Rarely, the Greek city-states would unite together to fight a common enemy such as the Persians in the Persian Wars.

Who were the soldiers?

All the men living in a Greek city-state were expected to fight in the army. In most cases, these weren't full time soldiers, but men who owned land or businesses who were fighting to defend their property.

What weapons and armor did they have?

Each Greek warrior had to provide his own armor and weapons. Typically, the wealthier the soldier the better armor and weapons he had. A full set of armor included a shield, a bronze breastplate, a helmet, and greaves that protected the shins. Most soldiers carried a long spear called a doru and a short sword called a xiphos.

A full set of armor and weapons could be very heavy and weigh well over 60 pounds. The shield alone could weigh 30 pounds. The shield was considered the most important part of a soldier's armor. It was considered a disgrace to lose your shield in battle. Legend has it that Spartan mothers told their sons to return home from battle "with their shield or on it." By "on it" they meant dead because dead soldiers were often carried on their shields.

Hoplites

The main Greek soldier was the foot soldier called a "hoplite." Hoplites carried large shields and long spears. The name "hoplite" comes from their shield which they called the "hoplon."

Phalanx

The hoplites fought in a battle formation called the "phalanx." In the phalanx, soldiers would stand side by side overlapping their shields to make a wall of protection. Then they would march forward using their spears to attack their opponents. There were generally several rows of soldiers. The soldiers in the back rows would brace the soldiers in front of them and also keep them moving forward.

The Army of Sparta

The most famous and fiercest warriors of Ancient Greece were the Spartans. The Spartans were a warrior society. Every man trained to be a soldier from the time he was a boy. Each soldier went through a rigorous boot camp training. Spartan men were expected to train as soldiers and fight until they were sixty years old.

Fighting at Sea

Living along the coast of the Aegean Sea, the Greeks became experts at building ships. One of the main ships used for battle was called the trireme. The trireme had three banks of oars on each side allowing up to 170 rowers to power the ship. This made the trireme very fast in battle.

The main weapon on a Greek ship was a bronze prow at the front of the ship. It was used like a battering ram. Sailors would ram the prow into the side of an enemy ship causing it to sink.

Interesting Facts About the Soldiers and War of Ancient Greece

Greek soldiers sometimes decorated their shields. A common symbol put on the shields of the soldiers of Athens was a little owl which represented the goddess Athena.
The Greeks also used archers and javelin throwers (called "peltasts").
When two phalanxes came together in battle, the goal was to break up the enemy's phalanx. The battle became somewhat of a pushing match where the first phalanx to break generally lost the battle.
Philip II of Macedon introduced a longer spear called the "sarissa." It was up to 20 feet long and weighed around 14 pounds.

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