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Why did Rome conquer the world? Why did Rome maintain its empire for centuries? There were probably many contributing factors but the biggest one was the Roman Army. It was one of the best-organized armies in history, including in modern times, and was victorious across the Empire. A legion, about 6000 soldiers and commanded by a legate, was organized into about sixty smaller groups, called centuries, each commanded by a centurion, something like a company commander today. There were specialized centuries for horseman and artillery (using sophisticated stone and iron bolt throwers called ballistae). Like a modern army, there was a medical section attached to each legion, with doctors skilled with treating injuries and able to do surgery as needed. When a legion was marching and had to stop for the night in enemy territory, the soldiers were trained in constructing a fort. Each soldier had a combined shovel-pick for digging, and wagons carried standard wooden pieces for the walls and gates of the fort. The men would dig a trench, piling up the dirt in tamped-earth walls that would support the wooden walls. In the morning, if they were moving out, they would take the fort apart and fill in the trench so that their enemies could not make use of the fort. It was really hard to surprise a Roman army!
A Roman Fort, written by Fiona Macdonald and illustrated by Gerald Wood, tells about how this kind of fort was organized. The colored illustrations are clear, the book is well-written, and text and pictures work well together, cooperatively telling the story. When the Roman Army would build more permanent forts, using stone for the walls, they still followed the same plan. Each Roman fort was standardized. Hadrian’s Wall in England had permanent major forts every five miles or so, made out of stone, with smaller guard posts every mile. I have toured an active archaeological dig at the wall fort of Vindolanda in northern England. There is a museum there to display all that has been recovered.
An upper elementary to middle school reader could enjoy A Roman Fort, though it would still be quite readable by an older student. There are a detailed glossary and index for reference use, along with many details about the life of the Roman soldiers who built the forts. A Roman Fort would be great to use as a supplement when studying the Roman Empire and would be especially attractive to those children who are highly interested in military details. This book is part of the Inside Story series published by Peter Bedrick Books. Other books in the series cover many other kinds of historically important structures.