ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Structural history of the Roman military

Ok kiddo, let's talk about the history of the Roman military's structure.

Imagine you're playing with some toy soldiers, right? And you want to make sure they can all work together to win a battle. That's kind of what the Romans did with their real soldiers!

Back when the Romans were just a small town, they had a kind of army called the "levy." This meant that when there was a war, all the men in the town had to go fight. But as Rome grew bigger, they needed a more organized army.

So the Romans came up with a plan: they would divide their army into different groups, or "legions." Each legion had about 5,000-6,000 soldiers, who were all trained to work closely together. And they had special jobs within the legion, like the "centurion" who was in charge of 100 soldiers.

The Romans also made sure their soldiers had really good weapons and armor. They wore special helmets, shields, and "lorica" which was kind of like a metal shirt. They even had special weapons like the "pilum" which was a kind of spear.

But one of the most important things about the Roman army was their strategy for fighting. They had formations like the "testudo" which meant "tortoise" because the soldiers would huddle together with their shields over their heads like a tortoise shell. And they had tactics like the "double envelopment" where they would attack their enemy from both sides.

Overall, the Romans built a really strong and organized military. They used their legions, weapons, and tactics to conquer many other lands and become a powerful empire. And that's the story of the structural history of the Roman military, simplified for you!