The Romans, the Largest of the Ancient World, but Not Quite the Greatest
Everybody knows who the Romans were, and what they did. From the nurturing of Romulus and Remus by a she-wolf to the final sack of Rome, one of the greatest military adventures in the history of mankind played out. When an empire can claim ownership of generals as historically brilliant as Julius Caesar, then it certainly is owed a place in the higher pantheon of military cultures.
By the death of Trajan in 117 AD, Rome controlled the largest empire of the ancient world, stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to Syria, and from Hadrian’s Wall to the Pyramids of Egypt. None of this was achieved by an effete military culture. If an armed nation can be judged by the quality of its enemies, then Rome at one time or another fought them all, and won. Quite an achievement for a race that began as a corps of cattle rustlers camping out in the shadow of the Seven Hills.
The catalyst that made it happen was, of course, the ancient, codified and professionalized Roman military system, based on organization, discipline and great logistical depth. Standardized weapons, well-developed tactics, a professional corps and devasting use of engineering all gave the Romans a significant edge, in particular against the tribes of Europe still deploying the impressive, but fundamentally brawling tactics of enraged barbarians.
The greatest Roman attribute, however, was the ability of the army, and Roman society as a whole, to absorb, learn and adapt from regions it conquered. An essential element of Roman imperial conquest was to advance the potential for Roman citizenship to those societies that fell under the Pax Romana, and this extended to the recruitment of conquered armies into Roman service.
To try and articulate the Roman military story in a few paragraphs is, of course, impossible, so we won’t even try, other than to salute a race of soldiers who changed the nature of warfare forever, who introduced modern concepts of military organization, weapons and tactics, and who conquered the known world as a consequence.