1001 Space Earth Nature History First Civilisations Ancient Egypt Biblical Times Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Chinese, Japanese Civilisations Indian Civilisation African Civilisation The Early Americas The Rise of Islam The Middle Ages The Renaissance Civil War and Revolution The Industrial Revolution Two World Wars 20th-century Achievements Human World Science and Technology

How big was the Roman army? A foot soldier in a Roman legion, dressed in a helmet and breastplate and holding a spear and shield When the Roman Empire was at its biggest there were 450,000 soldiers in the army. For hundreds of years it was one of the strongest armies in the world. It was organised into groups of different sizes. The smallest group had eight soldiers and was called a contubernium. Eight of these formed a century. Centuries were grouped into cohorts, and eight of these made a legion. A centurion was in charge of a century and a legatus was in charge of a legion.   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: History Chapter: Ancient Rome