Julius Caesar Strengths And Weaknesses

Although the Roman Army had many strengths they also had many weaknesses. That didn’t stop the Roman Army from conquering and overthrowing other civilizations that they saw as a threat. The Roman Army was a projections of Roman power. Infact that was just the beginning of them marking their territory and the start of a new era.

The Roman Army divided their troops into social classes. They were aligned based on their age, specialties and importance there was six major divisions. the Velites- they were made up of the juvenile and poorest of the male population of the Roman Republic. Hastati- they were wealthier than the Velites they made up the first line of the melee in the army. The Principe’s which were typically located on the second line of the infantry in the Roman Republic these men were strong and healthy.The Triarii was a group of men who were on the third

and most experienced line of the Roman Republic they were the wealthiest members on the infantry. The Equites was Rome’s most wealthiest citizens. Finally the Auxilia’s made up the last group these were the non- citizens of Rome. This was a way of controlling and organizing not only the Roman troops but also to establish laws.

In order to be in the Roman Army you needed to qualify. Males who were between the ages of 17- 46 qualified to be in the Roman Army. If you were in the Army you were liable to serve 16 years but normally 6 years consecutively. Males at a young age usually started training for the military. In order to be placed into a category they belonged, Levy’s were usually held. Moreover When in war those whom were captured became slaves on that property. A lot of people who owned land were forced to give them up because of long term military service, as an outcome they were forced out of their own land and into poverty. Because only property owners could serve in the military, and those without land were unavailable for military service. This is what mainly prevented soldiers from participating in the Army. This wasn’t a disadvantage to the Roman Army because that didn’t stop them for succeeding. The Roman Army was organized in a unique manner. Roman Armies were actually organized by legions; a total of four legions. Each of the four legions had the strength of roughly about 4,200 infantry men.

Although there were many other leaders, Caesar came to be the most successful general.

“Caesar was born in 100 BCE to a noble family who believed deeply into political power.” His aunt Julia was the wife of Marius. Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He held the office of consul. Growing up, Caesar's family didn't really get a taste of what wealth really was. At the time of his childhood, it was the time where Rome was falling, democracy was breaking down in the Roman Republic. Rome had a lot of violence involved all the time. As Caesar grew up in this environment, this motivated him to change the lifestyle--he wanted to give his family power and wealth. The ruse of Sula happened after Marius’ death and this is where Julius Caesar rapidly knew his life was in total danger. At a young age, Julius served for the military. He launched his own triumphant political and military career. Rapidly rising to the fame, Caesar declared himself dictatorship.“In the era just prior to the time of Caesar the Roman republic was experiencing problems to corruption and governance. This is what built Caesars

career.

The Roman Army was organized in a unique manner. Roman Armies were actually organized by legions; a total of four legions. Each of the four legions had the Aside from the four legions, there were three lines called for the infantrymen The three lines were called Hastati; were a class of infantry employed in the armies of the Roman Army who originally fought as spearmen, there were also the Principes who were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the Roman Army and finally, the Triarii who were one of the elements of the early Roman army. “The legions were consisted of 120 hastatis, 120 principles, 60 triarii.”

Soldiers in the Roman Army were assigned weapons based on their economical position. As the velites, they usually wore a small round shaped shield; wore a small amount of armor (protection). The small round shaped shield was called by the name of “Parma”. They also wore a protective cap on their heads which went by the name of “Galea”. Their primary weapon was a throwing spear otherwise called a “Verutum”. The verutum was 6 ft long made of iron. The velites were unable to afford expensive equipment, therefore; they got cheaper gear more appropriate for ranged combat or wars. The hastati used a curved rectangular shield called a “scutum”. The scutum was about four feet tall and was made by gluing two large pieces of wood together. Their main weapon was a short sword used for stabbing and thrusting called a “gladius”. The Principe’s were initially spearmen armed with a long stabbing spear called a “hasta”. The triarii were also spearsmen , but sometimes they would fall back on the third line of the infantry if the first two lines weren’t didn’t defeat their enemies they would rise to the position. Finally the auxilia were usually equipped by the state which meant they didn’t get a specific weapon. This shows that the Hastiti’s, principes, velites, triarii, and auxilia all used different types of weapons, shield. It also explains how each of these groups were very different, such as some groups being stronger than others, wealthier than others or they might have more powerful weapons.

The Roman Armies were a projection of roman power. The size of the Roman army grew as the empire expanded. Its massive size is what led them to success.