50 Insane Facts About the Roman Legion

The Roman military is considered one of the greatest militaries of all time. With an empire that stretched across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, the Roman empire’s strength largely came from its famous legions. Here are fifty insane facts about Roman legions you never knew!

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[D-ok]

"so what made you join the legionnaires?"
"To get away from my wife"

[LillyRose.creates]

“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?”
Well I’m glad you asked-

[NathanielsAutisticShorts]

Teacher: How do you know about the Punic War?

Me: Oversimplified

[vladtheimpala]

12:59 The so called “blood groove” on a knife or sword has nothing to do with blood or with letting air into a wound so you can withdraw the blade.

[efraim]

12:57 there is no such thing as "blood grooves". It's called a Fullen and it was made into the swords to reduce weight and helps maintain flexibility without compromising strength

[jazzingpanda]

Would love a video on Roman Cavalry. Showing their equipment, training and requirements etc.

Seeing how they differed to a legionary “standard foot soldier” would be really interesting.

[Cosmic.Burrito]

Really want to see a video about Mt. St. Helens. Love your Videos!

[PoisonelleMisty]

Incredible insights into the rigorous recruitment process and training regimen of Roman legionnaires. Your detailed breakdown sheds light on the remarkable dedication and discipline required to serve in one of history's most formidable military forces. Kudos!

[SNP-]

A highly accurate and researched documentary - very well presented and explained !

[Thor]

There were 3 types of Roman armor.

Lorica Hamata, chain mail
Lorica Squamata, scale mail
Lorica Segmenta, segmented armor that is called lobster armor on this video.

Each type had several variations.

[Sowhat]

I don’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that no one figured out, until the Huns, using stirrups made it a heck of a lot easier to stay on a horse.

[edwardmiessner]

No mention of the penalty for desertion to the enemy (of course the enemy has to be defeated first): foreign auxiliaries lost their heads, but the legionnairies were crucified and/or impaled. But outside the dodgy Augustan Histories the last recorded instance was at the end of the Second Punic War by Scipio Africanus:

_hos enim tamquam patriae fugitiuos crucibus adfixit, illos tamquam perfidos socios securi percussit._ "Namely those from the fatherland who fled he afixed to a _crux, _ those from the allies who proved perfidious he chopped their heads off."

Valerius Maximus 2.7.12, following Livy 30.43.13

[JT-styj]

It's called a Fuller it is NOT a blood groove, that is a myth, it is for the strength and weight it helps with the rigidness of the weapon. Oh and the average height of a Roman soldier was around 5'5" not 5'8". Most were between 5'4" and 5'7". Anyone can easily research this, the info is everywhere.

[andrewcollins]

Basiclly not a single narcissistic individual could ever survive or make it in the roman army. They would remain in the lowest positions and eventually be killed or removed.

[rcarlson]

I was just thinking about the roman empire!

[fangslore]

um, you fell into a misconception, the grove through the middle of most swords aren't for air or blood, the arch shape is specifically designed to strengthen the blade's centeral area without adding additional weight and the reason roman swords got stuck was due to the roman swords thickness the Gladious was a thick sword

[williamyates]

blood grooves or blood-lets had nothing to do with bleeding the enemy, they exist to lighten the weight of the blade for balancing purposes

[CorkyRosebud]

Roman soldiers marched in “Roman miles” measured by “summer hours.” It works out to 18 miles in about 6 modern hours, or a 3 MPH pace.

[michaeltelson]

Cavalry at the time didn’t have stirrups. This made striking at a foe while mounted a difficult task. Stirrups became common by 1000 CE.
Chain mail WAS used by Legionnaires in the Republican and early Imperial eras, but was replaced by segmented armor later, the swords were changed as well. Technology in war always advances and the Roman Army certainly did evolve.
One of the primary effects of a pilium is to make an enemy’s shield harder to use. It was similar if not the same as a javelin. A strike against a shield would weigh it down and the enemy soldier couldn’t just pull it out of the shield. Piliums could be passed up to forward ranks to increase the missile’s use.

[CJ-dwdr]

50 not-at-all insane facts - better title