The Roman Empire was certainly one of the strongest regimes in history. This happens because of the advancements in the discovery, invention and use of new technology many years before other societies took on technology. The period AD 476-1640 saw the technology of the Roman military experience significant growth making Rome as major reference when it comes to military power and control. The technological history of the Roman military at this phase of history involves the development and use of technologies in the armies and navies of Rome from the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. In view of the issues of Roman Military in the period AD 476-1640, the period begins from the end of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean. At this time, Romans began working with iron to make military tools. In addition, the military iron working was further enhanced through the carburization technology that was discovered at the time. The Romans engaged in the use of better properties in making their armaments (Cuomo, 2007).
Notably, the 1300 years saw the Roman military technology go through radical changes. The changes made the early empire better equipped than the case was with the early republican armies. Significant developments in regards to the deployment of metals that were used for making arms and armor made key progress in boosting the military strength of the Romans in the period. The metals that were primarily used included iron, bronze, and brass, which were used for construction of military buildings. The army also used wood, earth, and stone in creating strong buildings. Later, the use of concrete in architecture was widely adopted as a key milestone for the Roman military technology. This was critical not only for the construction of the military homes but also other projects where the military workforce was engaged to do (Coulston, 2006).
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The development of the Roman Military technology in AD 476-1640 has it origins directly from the Etruscan civilization, which was thriving to the North when Rome was just a small kingdom. At the time, Etruscans had invented the stone arch that was widely used in bridges and the construction of buildings. Some other Roman military technologies were borrowed directly from Greek civilization. The success in the development of the Roman military technology was further advanced by the development of new materials by Romans. For instance, within this period, the Romans made significant technological advances such as inventing the hydraulic cement and concrete. The use of new materials to advance their structures made them stand apart. In fact, many of these structures still stand to this day. They include masonry aqueducts, such as the Pont du Gard. Buildings such as the Pantheon and Baths of Diocletian still stand to this day in Rome (Coulston, 2016).
Conclusively, the success of using these new technologies methods were captured by luminaries including Vitruvius and Frontinus. These engineers of the early days wrote handbooks that advised fellow engineers and architects on the way to go in embracing new military technology in tools and equipment’s. The success of the Romans in making significant strides in military technology development happened because the Romans knew enough history and acknowledged the widespread technological change of the past as a stepping-stone to bring benefits to the military. The tradition of learning from past breakthroughs in technology became a culture in Rome that paid off.
References
Coulston, M. (2016). Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, second edition. New York: Oxbow Books.
Coulston, K. (2006). Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, second edition. New York: Oxbow Books.
Cuomo, S. (2007). Technology and Culture in Greek and Roman Antiquity. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Oleson, J. (2003). Greek and Roman Technology. London: Routledge.
