The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History - Karatunov.net

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The Roman A rmy
P robably in the mid-fourth century, an unknown
author, conventionally labelled in modern works as
“The Anonymous,” wrote a treatise advocating reforms
to the financial system, the law, and the administration
of the provinces and the army. The text
has been preserved along with the Notitia Dignitat
u m , a list of Imperial officials, governors, and
army commanders of the later Roman Empire.
With regard to the army, The Anonymous recommends
that various types of machinery should be
used, some of which are illustrated in the surviving
manuscript. They range from the common sense to
the fantastic, including a protective scre e n
mounted on wheels to allow soldiers to move in
close to the walls of a besieged city or stronghold
THE ANONYMOUS, DE REBUS BELLICIS
and engines to hurl projectiles from the walls at a
besieging army. He was very appreciative of the effects
of artillery and strongly recommended its use
in battle. He also advocated the use of scythed
chariots which would slice through barbarian
hordes when used in battle on the plains. His mac
h i n e ry is re g a rded by many modern scholars as
highly impracticable if not eccentric, but there may
have been some value in his temporary bridge
made from inflated hides or his ship powered by
oxen walking around a central shaft connected to
paddle wheels on either side. There is no evidence
that any of his technological improvements were
ever adopted by the emperors to whom he addressed
his work.
rary camps for the army to halt overnight or for a few days, stone fortresses to
house a legi on , or bri d ges ac ross rivers and gor ge s . Th ey were excell ent water
engineers; their aqueducts are legendary, and the study of the water supply of
Roman forts reveals much about their expertise. Lead pipes have been found at
the legionary fortress of Chester in England and at several German forts. Roman
engineers could drain water-logged marshes and mines, build efficient water
pumps, and operate huge overshot and undershot water wheels. They could
build cranes and hoists, as illustrated by the tread wheel crane depicted in great
detail on the Haterii relief of the second century ad, now in the Vatican, which
shows remarkably modern-looking block-and-tackle and pulley systems.
For the army, Roman technological progress was not restricted by the economic
constraints that affected other manufactures (White, 1984). With regard
to weaponry and defensive equipment, the army could not afford to remain in
s t a s i s , as their en emies devel oped , h owever slowly, and however mu ch they
copied the Romans themselves. The army itself probably produced most of its
own needs in their workshops (fabricae) in the fortresses and the smaller forts,
t h o u gh not many of these bu i l d i n gs have been iden ti f i ed and fewer sti ll have
been studied in depth (Bishop and Coulston, 1993). The Romans were capable
metal workers and collected scrap for reworking in their forts. The legions had
the trained manpower to manufacture everything, including shields, body arm
or, and we a pon s , and as Bi s h op and Co u l s ton point out , p a pyro l ogical eviden
ce makes it clear that the f a b ri c a e could accom m od a te a large work force ,
i nvo lving legi on a ri e s , prob a bly auxiliari e s , camp serva n t s , and civi l i a n s , wi t h