The combat in the Roman Republic: an approach to the general characteristics of the Ancient Battle

Abstract

In this paper we will make an approach to the most important elements that defined the development of a battle in Ancient Times, especially in the roman case. We will consider such factors as the length of such confrontations or the low number of casualties from the victorious army. This paper is based on the critical study of classical literary sources. Our goal is to provide a different approach to the Ancient Combat. The movies and the literature have shown us the battles as a chaotic and frantic thing, where the combatants are mixed and where the fight comes down to individual duel. The truth is that the classic texts describe the battles as an organized struggle, prolonged and collective.

Keywords

• Batalla antigua
• ejército romano republicano
• legionario
• combate tentativo
• autores clásicos