Tyler

L.A. 

2/12/02 

    Did you know that every male citizen of Rome worked part time at being a solider?  Rome didn't have an emperor in the beginning, they were a republic. The government decided  and controlled  everything.  When you see this solid information about the  government, you will find information on  the armies.   Being more specific, you will know about the backup army that Romans had. 

    The first code of law was made in 450 B.C.  The code was called the twelve tablets.  The codes didn't apply to slaves and non-citizens.  Punishments were written down with the codes. The laws Rome made are still being used today.   The senate and consuls decided every law.

   The structure of the Roman government was like the government we have today. There were two consuls, they were like the presidents.  One  of the consuls was minister of justice and the other controlled the armies. The consuls could veto anything, they could even veto each other.  The senate had 300 members. The senate gave ideas to the consuls.  The patricians held the voting privileges.  The  tribunes could veto too but they had to talk to the consuls to veto.  The generals were powerful, but they weren't as powerful as the senate.  They could not be voted into the office or be in the office. The emperor was the most important citizen of Rome.  The emperor replaced the government in 27 B.C. 

   All citizens worked part time as soldiers.  The part time soldiers also had to provide there own armor. When all the soldiers weren't fighting they were building roads and bridges.  The soldiers aged from seventeen to forty-six. Most soldiers served for twenty years. The Roman armies mostly won their battles.  

    Rome was called Rhome, in Greece it meant brute forces.  Some soldiers threw rocks with a sling.  The soldiers started using daggers in around 100 A.D. When the Romans were training they used wooden swords so no one would get hurt. In 264 B.C. the Romans started to use ships for battle.  The Romans had a grappling hook on the bow so soldiers  could attack enemies ships.  In one battle at least 600 warships and 1,000 transports sunk.     

    In conclusion the Roman government was very smart and loyal.  The armies conquered  Italy, Spain, northern Africa, Britain, and some of Germany from their great army.  They conquered all that land because they had the best training ever.    

Resources: 

http://www.romanempire.net/romepage/ArtGallery/battle_pics_1.htm

 http://www.legion-fourteen.com/romans.htm

ENCARTA'98