Why did the Romans win the Second Punic war?

Rome won this long seesaw war because of three advantages. Firstly, the geography helped Rome. Secondly, Rome had a much larger population. Thirdly and finally, Rome had three excellent commanders: Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus, and Scipio Africanus.

How many soldiers were in the Roman Army in the 2nd century AD?

Imperial Roman army (30 BC–AD 284) Under Augustus, there were 28 legions, consisting almost entirely of heavy infantry, with about 5,000 men each (total 125,000). This had increased to a peak of 33 legions of about 5,500 men each (c. 180,000 men in total) by 200 AD under Septimius Severus.

How was the Roman army organized?

Organization of the Roman Army The army was organised in a very simple way: 5000 Legionaries (Roman Citizens who were in the army) would form a Legion. The Legion would be split into centuries (80 men) controlled by a Centurion. The centuries would then be divided into smaller groups with different jobs to perform.

How was Rome able to defeat Hannibal in the Second Punic War?

Unlike most battles of the Second Punic War, the Romans had superiority in cavalry and the Carthaginians in infantry. Hannibal attempted to use 80 elephants to break into the Roman infantry formation, but the Romans countered them effectively and they routed back through the Carthaginian ranks.

How did Rome pay for its army?

Although early in its history, troops were expected to provide much of their equipment, eventually, the Roman military became almost entirely funded by the state. Since soldiers of the early republican armies were also unpaid citizens, the financial burden of the army on the state was minimal.

How many Roman soldiers died in the First Punic War?

To the 300,000 Roman battle deaths recorded by the Roman historian Appian (Pun. 20.134), Dodge adds 100,000 disease deaths for the Italian front, and the same again for Spain. His final estimate is 500,000 Roman and 270,000 Carthaginian soldiers dead of all causes.

What was the military like in ancient Rome?

Roman Soldiers. Ancient Roman Soldiers. A martial culture, the ancient Romans trained for warfare from a young age; perhaps, more importantly, politial success was linked to military sucess. Early Roman Soldiers. The Roman army was first and for most a heavy infantry army.

What was the size of the Roman army at its peak?

Historian Edward Gibbon estimated that the size of the Roman army “most probably formed a standing force of three hundred and seventy-five thousand men” at the Empire’s territorial peak in the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117 − 138CE).

What happened to the Roman military after the fall of Rome?

The role and structure of the military was then altered during the empire. It became less Roman, the duties of border protection and territorial administration being more and more taken by foreign mercenaries officered by Romans. When they divided at last into warring factions the empire fell, unable to keep out invading armies.