Brennus attacked the reserves first and the Roman army panicked. The Romans spread their line thinly to avoid being surrounded and they positioned a reserve force on a hill on their right flank. Brennus had previously defeated two Roman legions (each with between 4,000 and 5,000 men) at the Battle of Allia.Īlthough no accurate numbers are known for the battle, the Romans probably had fewer than 10,000 soldiers and the Senones probably had between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. One of the most famous defeats for early Rome occurred in 387 BCE when Brennus, leader of the Senones (a Celtic tribe), sacked Rome itself. The Romans suffered many setbacks and lost many battles. During this period Rome fought wars with its many neighbors, first uniting the tribes of Latium (central Italy) and then conquering Greek colonies in the south and Celtic tribes (Gauls) who settled in northern Italy. The early Republic period lasted from about 509 BCE to about 264 BCE. Hence, fewer and fewer men as a percentage of population took up arms as the centuries passed. All male citizens were required to fight for the republic but as Rome’s population grew they only raised as many soldiers as they needed for a campaign. When the Romans were threatened or when they wanted to wage war against their neighbors, they raised temporary armies. The senate appointed some bureaucrats to help run the government but the people elected leaders every year to lead the administration of the republic. They established an Oligarchic Republic in which the wealthiest citizens formed a senate and established laws.
In 509 BCE the Romans rebelled against the last Etruscan king, expelling his people from their city.
GERMANIC TRIBES DEFEATED ROMANS AT BATTLE OF ARAUSIO PROFESSIONAL
Early Rome did not have a standing, professional army. The earliest period of Roman history lasted about 244 years and is sometimes called the Monarchical period. They are believed to have migrated to Italy from Asia Minor, although the details of their origins have also been lost. In fact, the Etruscans were not Italians. The Etruscans were more civilized than their Latin neighbors and they probably did maintain small standing armies like the city states of Greece. The early Romans were for a time conquered by the neighboring Etruscan people. They were essentially barbarians by the standards of later Roman culture. What we know is that these ancient tribes, around the time Rome was founded, did not maintain standing armies. These ancient tribal groups were all closely related to each other but their origins have been lost in the mists of time. Romulus was a leader of the Latins, a group of small tribes or clans living in central Italy amidst other peoples including the Sabines and Volsci and other Italic tribes. That is the year when Romulus is said to have founded the ancient city that still bears a form of his name. Roman history is traditionally dated from the year 753 BCE. There Were Many Roman Armies Soldiers of a Roman Legion re-enactment group march along a road. Let’s sort out some of the facts from the myths. The Roman legions were far from invincible but nonetheless they managed to achieve unparalleled success in human history. The truth is much more complicated than the myth of the invincible Roman army. In fact, the concept of the Roman Empire and its incredibly powerful army is also misleading. Hence, these numbers imply a very close approximation in relative military power. The estimated Imperial Roman Army comprised an estimated 0.7% of the total empire’s population. The US active duty and reserve military population comprises about 0.62% of the total US population. Another half million or so serve in the reserves and National Guard. In 2016 the United States of America has about 1.4 million active military personnel, most of them in the army. This is considered to be remarkable even by modern standards.
In fact, at the height of the empire the army numbered about 360,000 men and yet they protected and maintained order among 50 million to 60 million people. The Roman Empire is considered to have been one of the greatest civilizations in history for a variety of reasons, but one of the most important criteria that historians always mention is that the Roman Army was the most successful military force in history.
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