Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mini Catapult (Onager)


Romans had to develop good methods of breaking into walled forts and cities. the Romans developed a mini catapult which they called, a Onager. . The onager was type of catapult used for hurling large rocks up to one thousand feet (three hundred meters).

Ballista


The ballista was a type of
high-powered crossbows
which hurled missiles long
distances or pierce armor.
The Romans are known to
have built movable towers
to capture walled cities.
Itwas like a giant crossbow.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Phalanx Formation


The phalanx formation is a very strong formation. The soldiers in the front line would put their spears pointing in front with their shields protecting their whole body and the second row until the last row would put their spears pointing upwards and their shields to their sides.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Tortoise


When laying siege to a fort, they used a formation called the tortoise. The soldiers in front and sides interlocked their shields. The soldiers in the back lines placed their shields over their heads to form a protective "shell" over top of the soldiers. This was very useful against arrows. Add Image


Repel Calvary!


The order to repel cavalry by Roman army officers brought about a defensive formation, in which the front rank formed a tight wall of shields with their pila protruding to form a line of spearheads ahead of the wall. This formation was used to defend against attacking Calvary and infantry.

The Scutum


The scutum, or shield, was the
main form of body protection of
the Roman soldier. The arms and
legs were commonly left unprotected.
It could absorb or deflect arrows,
sling stones, and javelins. The scutum
allowed the Romans soldiers to form the
testudo or shield wall that could
protect the ranks of soldiers
from missiles during an advance.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Hasta


HASTA

Hasta is a Latin word meaning spear. Hastae were carried by early Roman Legionaries, in particular they were carried by and gave their name to those Roman soldiers known as Hastati. The hasta was used for thrusting.The Hasta pura was a silver spear without the iron head used in combat.


This is a Gladius a roman sword. Gladius is the Latin word for "sword". The Roman Gladius was generally double edged. Soldiers use the Gladius for thrusting. During the Empire the Gladius was part of the Emperor's insignia.