Greek and Roman Military Influences in Modern Warfare

Current militaries have benefitted from the principles of ancient Greek and Roman warfare by studying the ancient battles, tactics, and use of supplies to develop effective military plans. Current militaries study and debate historical turning points of the ancient battles to understand how the leaders planned and executed battles. The empires’ growth was due in part to the might and successes of their military. The strength of their militaries came from many factors including their use of armor, weapons, and military tactics. The empires’ leaders used these three advantages to create the superior armies of their time. An important contributing factor to an armys success is armor for defense. An army can have skilled soldiers, but cannot be successful without the right armor. Roman and Greek armies wore similar types of armor. The Roman and Greek foot soldiers wore a square breastplate on their torso. While the Romans only wore one greave on their left leg, Greeks wore greaves on both legs. A greave was a sheet of metal worn to protect the legs (Horsepower: Harnessed†¦). Soldiers wear greaves even in current day. Recently, the greaves have been upgraded to protect the legs from ‘Improvised explosive devices,’ such as those in Iraq (Frost, Quad Guard). Roman soldiers wore a helmet that protected the neck, and came around to protect their face. The Greek’s helmets were more full and protective than the Roman helmets. Greek helmets covered their entire head and only left smallShow MoreRelatedThe Civilization Of Ancient Rome1366 Words   |  6 Pages The Civilization of Ancient Rome and The Time of the Kings, From Republic to Empire: Romulus and Remus, the Etruscans, the Greeks and early influences HST 101 Spring 2015 Lance Raebel Pima Community College West Campus Tucson, Arizona Table of Contents Introduction I. Romulus And Remus founding story a. Twin brothers i. 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