
The Roman Army was constantly on the march,
sometimes going at unheard of speeds. Could you imagine marching all day carrying
over 50 pounds of extra weight on your back? Keep up! You might want to stop walking and start jogging,
the Roman Army was expecting its soldiers to march 25 miles a day. An example of
this would be the Magna Iterna. This marching mode set a pace that forced entire
legions to travel 25 miles a day. While marching, each soldier had to carry his own
sarcina, a soldier's pack carried over the shoulder, along with other baggage. Fast
moving groups like scouts would be considered Expeditus, because they are light armed
soldiers that can move quickly.
When
marching, the line would be set up in a box fashion. The strongest legions would
march in the center. The strongest of the strongest soldiers marched at the head of
the center line. The legions were called Agmen. The strongest legion was
the Vanguard, going by the name Primum agmen. Surrounding the strongest legions
would be the Novissimum Agmen. These were the weakest soldiers, they acted as
padding in case of a surprise attack. |