Army and Highly Organized Institution

Yes, indeed throughout history, Rome ultimately exhibited a readiness to adapt its military tactics and strategy to successfully confront particular challenges. The Roman military was a highly organized institution. There was a straightforward system of rank, and a number of different splitting up of the basic unit. The entire basis of Roman infantry tactics was the idea that by keeping troops in arranges, one could fight more successfully. Most military commanders of the day simply had their troops rush passionately at the enemy, relying on better numbers, better soldiers, or luck to hold the day. The Romans realized that they could not always rely on these, so they turned to strategy. Each situation was wrapped up differently, taking into account land, the type and strength of the opponent's troops, and the type and strength of the Roman's troops. The Romans also thought that the best tactic would be the one that had the most effect without exposing the troops to unnecessary risk. One of them was to cut off their opponent from his resources. Armies run on their stomachs and equipment, and both require regular supplies. Without a stable supply of food and water, an army will starve or dehydrate killing or uncomforting the troops and they would fall apart. The Roman Soldiers would attack the resources themselves. When they conquered territory, they took as much as they could. This not only gave them more food, it prevented it from falling into their opponent's hands and they would also try to cut off the transportation so the amount of supplies that could reach the enemy was severely reduced. One of the most famous tactics that the Romans used was called “siege”. Siege was a military operation in which troops surround a place and cut off all outside access to force surrender. The Romans would typically build a wall around the existing city to help control the enemy. This wall would be built to prevent the enemy from escaping. The ongoing siege would eventually