Ancient Rome’s adaption of technology and preservation of advantages against enemies


Jens H Johansson
3 min readJan 1, 2022The Romans didn´t have the most advanced military technology but rather the best methods, and the best methods applied on an industrial scale combined with the capability to quickly learn any methods and technologies used by Rome’s enemies.

Below is an image of a reenactment of Roman legionnaires

The average legion until the decline of the Roman empire was a bunch of mostly “conscripted” guys who had been trained both as individuals and as military units in an industrial training machine and all legionnaires used similar effective methods and similar tools, equipment, and training.

The Roman military mastermind and scholar, Vegetius explained Rome’s success this way:

”We find that the Romans owed the conquest of the world to no other cause than continual military training, exact observance of discipline in their camps, and unwearied cultivation of the other arts of war. Without these, what chance would the inconsiderable numbers of the Roman armies have had against the multitudes of the Gauls? Or with what success would their small size have been opposed to the prodigious stature of the Germans? The Spaniards surpassed us not only in numbers but in physical strength. We were always inferior to the Africans in wealth and unequal to them in deception and stratagem. And the Greeks, indisputably, were far superior to us in skill in arts and all kinds of knowledge.”

Most of Rome’s enemies had more advanced technology but failed to use their technology properly against the Roman Legions. Only in the aspects of training, education, engineering, and medicine did Rome have considerable advantages over its enemies.

Some areas, where Rome’s enemies are described as more developed, are:

Cavalry, armor, chemical weapons, biological weapons, ranged weapons such as bows and slings, and navies.

Rome copied its enemies’ tactics, methods, and sometimes weapons. Rome’s enemies failed to copy Rome’s industrial and training methods.

Shipbuilding appears to be another Roman advantage although the history books describe Rome’s enemies’ navies as being better. Rome likely had an advantage in logistics, infrastructure, industrial shipbuilding, labor health, and methods.

Below is an image of a Roman warship

Rome also frequently used foreign troops to fight their wars. Some sources allege that 50% of Rome’s armies consisted of foreign auxiliary or mercenary troops. Defeated enemies often are alleged to have to contribute auxiliary troops to Rome’s military might.

Below is an image of Roman foreign auxiliaries giving chase to Rome’s enemies

The use of foreign troops made Rome’s military responses unpredictable to its enemies and created fertile soil for military development.

Jens H Johansson

Written by Jens H Johansson

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Consultant, Human Rights Investigator, Leader, Data Scientist, etc. Male and Heterosexual. Interested in the Future and History.


https://medium.com/@jens.h.johansson/

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