Roman Camp

Contrary to all the ancient armies, when the legions of the ancient Rome in shift leave the completely sure zone, they build each evening a camp strengthened ( castrum in Latin), plural: castrated . Perhaps this practice is very old, and goes back to the reforms of Camille (Marius codified these practices later).

Construction

A camp of stage of four legions (16 000 with 20 000 men: for example False-Vésigneul in the Marne) has a rectangular form, of 655 out of 610 meters of with dimensions approximately (either a surface of 40 hectares). A camp of wintering or permanent would be 2 times larger.

Choice of the site

For reasons Tactical S, the place is preferably selected in height. But essential criteria sont :

the sure and easy access (because the camp is established in end-of-day, therefore the troops are tired);
the presence of a water point;
of the meadows sufficient for the fodder of the horses and the beasts of burden used by the train;
the most plain possible ground, with enough of slope for the drainage: neither wood, neither rocks, nor gullies.

Plan

The plan is always the same one, which allows a very fast construction. The powerful orator and the centurions in charge of the establishment of the camp survey the ground and fix the site of the prætorium (the tent of the general), square of 60 side meters. The white flag planted at this place is used as reference mark around whose all the camp is organized: ways, tents, forum , and enclosure. Behind the enclosure, a release of almost sixty meters is let free in order to allow movements of the units, and put the first lines of tents at the shelter of the unfavourable jets.

Two main roads, the via principalis and the decumanus , are cut to right angle in front of the prætorium . If the number of legions which the camp shelters is raised more, a via quintana parallel with the via principalis is also traced.

The troops of elites camp on both sides of the prætorium , formed infantrymen and riders.

The valetudinaria are medical zones incorporated in the camp starting from the professionnalsation of the armies of Auguste at least, and are the military versions of the aesculapia .

Course of construction

The soldiers start to arrange the camp only when the plan is entirely materialized on the ground by flags of color. The ditch is dug so that a slope is formed ( agger ). It is stabilized by turfs. The hollow heavy infantry (3000 men), while the light troops and the cavalry assemble the guard between the enemy and the camp These guards also clear of undergrowth the glacis, in order to prevent a masked approach of the enemy. The branches are used to make of them cervis , piles of stop laid out on the glacis, the ditch or the slope. Only the train of luggage between whereas the ditch is not dug; then progressively, the heavy infantry enters, followed cavalry when the palisade ( vallum ) with dimensions enemy is posed. This is the traditional speech. A scenario closer to archeology and texts would like that each evening, the troops repeat the emergency operation. The column (agmen) is divided into two columns which deviate in form from rectangle (agmen quadrata). The convoy of the mules enters the rectangle and the rear-guard gives an opinion on line on the last side. Once immobilized and rectified alignments, the troops pass to the work of cutting off, while the muleteers install the tents. That is included/understood with two indices: the sides of the camps are in general right, but their angles are always approximate. Their perimeter, and often each side, are a multiple of 94m, which must be a length of handles.

The enclosure

Even for only one night, this one is always built, in spite of the considerable efforts which she asks. A triangular ditch of cut is dug around, deep of 2,25 m and broad of 4,5 Mr. the ground is rejected towards the interior of the camp in order to form a slope ( agger ) of trapezoidal cut (5,25 m broad at the base, 2,75 m in top, for a 1,25 m height). This slope, whose top forming a Covered way is enough broad to let pass several men of face, is surmounted by a palisade, formed of piles carried by the legionaries. These piles are high approximately 1,7 m, and pointed with the two ends (to facilitate the depression and to improve the defensive aspect). Inserted of thirty cm, they still raise the escarpe of 1,4 m (either a total of almost 4 m).

The doors are simple openings in this ditch, four. In front of this opening, a ditch and a slope block the passage, in order to spare a baffle which slows down possible attackers. These baffles can have various forms ( clavicula ), most current was the tutulus .

Defense of the camp

The plan with reduced perimeter makes it possible to occupy only one weak part of the legion to the guard: for a perimeter of 1000 m, with a guard all the 10 to 15 m, only 70 to 100 men are held waked up (more stations at the entries and rounds) that is to say less one thirtieth of the troop. The legion which sets out again the following day is thus fresh and lays out, having profited from a quiet sleep.

Organization of the guard

The velites (light troops under the Republic) formed outposts in-outside camp, close to the doors of which they ensured the guard.

Each sentinel indicated by a warrant officer of sound handles is seen giving by a powerful orator a terra cotta shelf ( will tessera ) carrying a registered sign.

During the night, four riders carry out four rounds together. At the beginning of each turn of day before, the bugle sounds, and the rounds start. The riders require of each sentinel its will tessera . When a sentinel is deadened or deserted its station, the thing is noted and the round continues. The tesseræ are carried the morning with the powerful orator, who finds the culprit, immediately condemned to died and carried out by Lapidation.

In the event of attack

Every 50 m, of the stations of men sleeping out of weapons are ready to intervene. The immutable plan allows, in the event of attack, which is never done completely by surprise, because of the glacis cleared of undergrowth at least 50 m, with all the legionaries to go at the point envisaged without order, according to the repeated plan and exercises. This provision makes it possible to push back a sudden and limited attack.

In the event of attack in force, the weak perimeter (1000 m) makes it possible to align 3 men with the meter, and while making enter the light infantry, to preserve 1500 men reserves some to reinforce such or such point in difficulty. These manpower are there too quickly places from there, the provision of the camp and the place of each one being known in advance, an order not needing to be explained. In all the history of Rome, no camp defended by its whole legion was taken, by attack of day or night, by surprised or in rule.

Home base

Such camps can completely be used as a basis for an exit armed to fight the enemy, the legion having then a point of sure fold. Important manpower of guard are left, at the same time to keep the camp and the luggage. The advantage, even with reduced manpower, is that the legion is expeditus : removed from its gear (moving, it is impeditus , embarrassed by the impedimenta : personal loading of each legionary, mules of the train of the crews, etc)

Semi-permanent or permanent camps

The plan is identical, with a wall out of stone and a ditch a little deeper. For the whole of the enclosure, four turns of duty are planned.

Many cities draw their origin, even their name, of these Roman camps, mainly in the old provinces borders of the Empire, where were established the most important forts: Castrate or Strasbourg in France; Barcelona or Tarragone in Spain; Chester, Lancaster, Linclon or Manchester in England; Cologne, Bonn or Mainz in Germany; Nimègue with the Netherlands; etc

The castrum with the Early middle ages

The Germanic people installed in Occident build castrated on this model, fascinating support on zones raised in the landscape (the mounds castrales).

One finds of it in Aquitanique during the establishment of the Gothic fatherland, in the plain of Drill crossed by the Loire, until the plains of Large-Poland in which Polanes are organized at the 8th century.

See too

Castellum , Roman fort
Military camp
Vindonissa
Of munitionibus castrorum , source allotted to Pseudo-Hyginus.

External bonds

the war at the time Roman on the site Stratisc
Site on the Roman Legion (part 5 draft of the Roman camp)

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