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Queen Boudicca - Write an account, from the point of view of a Roman solider, of the final battle against Boudicca The final battle against Queen Boudicca’s rebel army will determine the future for Britain. I didn’t want to go but it is one of the most decisive battles in Britain's history even though most people thought that Boudicca would have victory, and we would be driven out of Britain for good. The Battle of Watling Street begun and yet everyone already seemed dead, not a single bit of confidence lingered in us as our victory did not look likely. We gathered in the Midlands along the road of Watling Street. Around 10,000 of us under the force of Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, we were heavily outnumbered but he chose a good position to …show more content…
As all of us, Romans stared at the Britains in the distance, I almost felt a huge stone lift off our shoulders as though we were outnumbered we had better weapons and armour, the chance of victory suddenly became more fair. As we both prepared for the battle, Suetonius gave us a speech to inspire us, "Disregard the clamours and empty threats of the natives! In their ranks there are more women than fighting men! Unwarlike, unarmed, when they see the arms and the courage of the conquerors who have driven them to flight so often, they will break immediately. Even when a force contains many legions, few among them win battles - what special glory for your few numbers to win the renown of a whole army! Just keep in close order. Throw your javelin, and then carry on. Fell them with shield-bosses, kill them with swords. Do not think of plunder. When you have won, you will have everything." His words of wisdom and encouragement almost gave light in this war. They made me determined to fight for Romans and pride but most of my family, knowing that once we have won, all will be ours. Queen Boudicca struck first and launched a massive frontal attack on us, but we advanced and and hailed javelins. Remember Suetonius’ wise words; we then pushed forward in small units with our superior armour and weapons. We acquired the advantage of the hand to hand fight which followed against the
Boudicca was and still is in the eyes of many a national hero. Boudicca is an extremely important part of English and Roman history as she led the only revolt that actually threatened the Roman rule in Britain. Boudicca’s attitude was a true reflection of the way all Celtic people felt about the Roman rule. It is because of this that she was able to unit many Celts on a common cause, during a time of a great cultural and national change. Yet, like all humans Boudicca had her flaws, and though rare on occasions she made irrational choices.
Boudica, having been treated and indeed flogged as a slave, decided to rebel. She joined forces with the Trinovantes, who had their own reasons to hate the Romans. Some of their land had been taken from them to form part of Camulodunum (now Colchester). One of buildings in it was the Temple Of Claudius, it was hated by the oppressed masses and became the first target of Boudica’s attack. The colonists appealed for help and troops were sent from Londinium, but these amounted to just 200 and were ill equipped for the task. The veterans and the troops took cover in the Temple but were soundly beaten after two days, the temple was destroyed and the town sacked. Petillius Cerialis, camped with Legio IX eight miles away at Longthorpe heard of the revolt and set off for the town, but he was ambushed and at length defeated. Boudica heartened by this success now marched on Londinium.
Due to biased Roman sources, the way in which modern society views both Cleopatra and Boudicca is far removed from the entire truth. Cleopatra is portrayed today as a physically beautiful harlot and the fact that her story is impossibly intertwined with both Julius Caesar’s and Marc Antony’s provide a source for gossip. She is also misrepresented through various plays and films including William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor’s portrayal of Cleopatra in Cleopatra (INCLUDE A PIC ON MY POWERPOINT!!! ALSO DESCRIBE THIS). Many of the false claims surrounding Cleopatra stem from Octavian’s propaganda during his civil war with Marc Antony. Octavian’s campaign of slander was successful as by the end of the civil war, the Roman’s viewed “Cleopatra as a woman whose beauty clouded men’s minds” (Roberts, R 1999:82).
Livy begins early in establishing the basic characteristics of Romulus, arguably the most notable Roman in history. Romulus and his brother Remus were “energetic young men, who [were]… strengthened… in body and spirit.” (Livy 9). Livy then describes the clash of these attributes between the two brothers, as Romulus and Remus battle for supremacy. “From a war of words, anger turned them to bloodshed. In the heat of the melee, Remus met his death.” (Livy 11). Livy wastes no time in establishing the brutal tradition of war that helped to extend the Roman Empire. Romulus came to power because of force, and furthered his rule by the same means: “By brute force and without strategy the Roman king prevailed, using the might of his veteran army alone.” (Livy 20). This overwhelm...
There are contested views when one tries to interpret the meaning and reality of what is known as the People’s War. Undeniably, the people of England made it through the Battle of Britain, or the ‘Blitz’, with an air of unrelenting morale. With that being said, the idea of the People’s War as representative of the cohesiveness of the social classes in England, and a strong front all around, is an ideology that some argue to be contestable. To show that the People’s War generates class cohesiveness, this paper will examine both sides of the argument, and determine that the People’s War did not actually unify the whole nation. Throughout the paper, memoirs and testimonies will be used to give a representation of the acceptance of the People’s War. There is a vast amount of information to support this, such as propaganda and speeches made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. However, the goal of this paper is to determine that the People’s War did not unify everyone in Britain, and it did not hold the theme that ‘everyone was in it together’, as seen majorly through class and gender. There are a few select groups that would disagree with the idea of the People’s War, and claim that they did not fit into this niche that is presented so popularly today.
Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.
On that first fateful day, when Romulus struck down his own brother Remus, the cauldron of Rome was forged in blood and betrayal. The seeds on the Palatine hill cultured one of the most potent and stretching empires of human history. Though this civilization seemingly wielded the bolts of Zeus, they were infested with violence, vanity, and deception. Yet, one man—or seemingly “un”-man—outshone and out-graced his surroundings and everyone within it. He brought Rome several victories and rescued his beloved country from an early exodus, thus providing her a second beginning. This man was Marcus Furius Camillus, and against a logical and emotional mind, he was oft less than loved and celebrated. At times he was disregarded, insulted and even exiled—irrevocably an unwarranted method to reward Rome’s “Second Founder.” This contrast of character between hero and people was perhaps too drastic and too grand. The people were not yet ready to see Marcus Furius Camillus as a model of behavior to be emulated—to be reproduced. Hence, much of Livy’s Book 5 provides a foundation for the Roman people to imitate and assimilate a contrasting, honest, and strong behavior and temperament
Matyszak, Philip the enemies of Rome: from Hannibal to Attila the Hun, London, Thames & Hudson,
Brand argues that the Roman military system was successful due to the fact that there was an internal hierarchy, as well as laws and rules that were in place. Based on laws, and ancient Roman historians and leaders, like Polybius, Brand solely argues the Roman army’s power was based off the political leadership and strict organization. He analyzes the oath each soldier was required to take, no matter their rank, and how even the leader of each legion “...swore ‘to be obedient and to execute the orders of his officer to the best of his ability’” (Brand 47). Brand discusses the legions and how each was broken down into four lines of specific troops, while having a set hierarchy and specific code to follow, but only touches on the idea that success of these legions was due to their sheer size. He asserts that discipline, used by the higher ranks such as the commanding general, was strong and a major motivating factor for each soldier. He agrees with Theodor Mommsen and the idea that politics was the main factor to why the Roman army was victorious. Brand shortsightedly focuses solely on the political aspects of why the Roman armies were successful, arguing the leaders were responsible for the empire’s
Terry Jones might be most familiar to readers as one of the leading actors, for lack of a better word, of the Monty Python troop, but he is also a historian. Fortunately, all of his books, including this one, are easy to read, provocative, and excellent works of accessible scholarship worthy of a large and appreciative audience. Terry Jones’ Barbarians takes a completely fresh approach to Roman history. Not only does it offer us the chance to see the Romans from a non-Roman perspective, it also reveals that most groups of people that were not Roman were written off by the Romans as uncivilized, savage and barbaric, but they were in fact organized, motivated and intelligent groups of people, with no intentions of overthrowing Rome and plundering its Empire. A short introduction makes the book's aim clear: centuries of pro-roman and anti-'pagan' bias have presented a wholly misleading view of the so-called barbarians which Rome fought, and a corrective is needed, and as the Romans considered everyone who wasn't Roman a barbarian, there are a lot of misrepresented people for the book to cover.
In this essay I will argue that the ultimate failure of Pompey in his struggle with Julius Caesar was due to Pompey’s lack of risk-taking and his inability to predict Caesar’s strategies. I will then contrast this to Caesar’s riskier strategies which would eventually lead to his triumph over Pompey. I shall cover the major battles, Ilerda, Dyrrhacchium and Pharsalus in order to assess how and why Pompey eventually lost against Caesar.
(1901). Outlines of Roman History. Chapter X: The Conquest of Latium. Section II: The Great Latin War. Demands of the Latins. Retrieved from: http://www.forumromanum.org/history/morey10.html
1, Lines 9-12). This depiction of the Helvetians as brave and surpassing other Gauls in valor was an attempt at heightening the prestige of his victory. Caesar goes on to change his attitude and perception of the Gauls in a negative manner in an attempt to justify his first battle with the Helvetians. Here he nearly completely eliminated the people of the Helvetian district of Tigurini, which was responsible for the defeat of Lucius Cassius and went as far to say, “Qua in re Caesar non solum publicas, sed etiam privatas iniurias ultus es, quod eius soceri L. Pisonis avum, L. Pisonem legatum, Tigurini eodem proelio, quo Cassium, interfecerant” (p. 15, Lines 13-16). Although this in itself is not an exaggeration of the characteristics of the Helvetians, Caesar’s use of both a positive and negative perceptions of the group is an excellent example of Caesar’s conscious effort to use card stacking to positively influence the notion of his victory in the minds of the Roman Senate and the Roman people as a
Brian May and Roger Taylor, in 1970, set the wheels in motion for Queen when they decided to form a band during their college years. Queen started out as a band called Smile who signed with Mercury Records, and included: Tim Staffell, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. Once Tim Staffell left, the group added Freddie Mercury (lead singer) and bassist John Deacon. Freddie Mercury, Farrokh Bulsara, was a fan of Smile and was added on as the lead vocalist. John Deacon began as a young guitarist who was a member of the group called The Opposition. This band was composed of a group of friends, and they were influenced by groups such as The Hollies and Herman’s Hermits. Eventually, Deacon was added to the group that already included Mercury, Taylor, and May. Over time, the group changed their name to Queen. The name Queen was selected by Mercury, and this name is symbolic of power and regality. The addition of Mercury proved to be an essential aspect to the history of Queen’s success. In Queen: The Early Years, Hodkinson writes, “much of what made Freddie also defined Queen: without him they were merely a model rock band with a bent for a commercial tune” (2). The group became well known for their theatrical performances and costumes that were often over the top. “From their international breakthrough in 1976, Queen continually remained one of the best-selling rock acts worldwide beyond Mercury's death in 1991. Their total record sales are estimated at up to 300 million records” (Desler 391). This group was important to the evolution of music and music performance in bands that were to follow them.
In 1949, Motion picture director Vincente Minnelli carefully crafted a film adaptation of author Gustave Flaubert’s 1854 novel Madame Bovary. Minnelli was able to portray various literary metaphors from Flaubert’s novel in his film to capture the image of the story. Through Minnelli’s own use of cinematic metaphors, with the help of the camera movement, editing, lighting, and music. Though Minnelli’s creation was brilliant there are times that he fails to fully express Flaubert’s imagery. This paper will be a critical analysis of a scene in the film, (1:50:15-1:51:33) and a passage from the novel, (Part III, chapter eight page 288-289). It will review the ways the film, properly portrayed the novel in its use of dialogue, the adaptation of the literary metaphors into cinematic metaphors. In the scene in discussion, the central character Madame Bovary is on her deathbed. She had eaten a handful of arsenic, and is dying a very painful death. By her side are her husband Charles Bovary, and the town priest Abbe Bournisie, who has come to give the women a blessing sacrament of holy unction before she passes.