The True Size and Organization of a Roman Legion (3D Documentary)

📚 The Roman legions were organized with a strong leadership structure and a large logistics train.

⚔️ The foundation of the Roman legion was the legionary, who had to meet certain criteria and undergo training.

🏕️ Each legionary was assigned to a Contubernium, a self-sustaining unit within the legion's camp.

🔑 A contubernium consisted of 10 soldiers who carried approximately 20 kg of gear each, including weapons, armor, and personal items.

🚩 10 contubernia formed a century with a total of 80 legionaries, officers, slaves, mules, and tents, functioning as a cohesive military unit.

⚔️ The centurion and his officers played crucial roles in discipline, training, and command within the Roman legion, ensuring a well-drilled and organized unit.

🛡️ The prestigious First cohort of every legion was made of 5 double strength Centuries for a total of 800 legionaries.

🦅 The Aquilifer carried the Legionary Eagle, which represented the soul of the army.

🏰 Legions were rarely seen in their entirety outside of major campaigns, with Cohorts being the typical operational sub-group.

🏛️ A Roman legion required a substantial siege train for crewing, maintaining, and transporting gear such as rams and large onagers.

⚕️ The Legion had a medical staff consisting of 10 doctors and 20 assistants, along with ambulance carts and medical tents.

📝 The scribes played a crucial role in maintaining the records and institutional integrity of the legion.

🐎 The legion relied heavily on mules and livestock for transportation and a ready source of food.

👥 The legion had a hierarchical structure including high ranking officers, centurions, and sub-officers.

🗿 The role of the Primus Pilus in the 1st Cohort was a highly coveted post.

👥 Legions were commanded by non-professional Legates selected from the Senatorial class, with Tribunes serving beneath them.

📏 A legion, including its gear, covered 25 square kilometers and had about 9,000 individuals, with a majority being infantry or cavalry.

🏰 The home base of a legion, known as Castra Legiononis, served as a staging point for offensive action with various facilities.

💡 A Roman legion occupied an area of approximately 55 acres, equivalent to 23 soccer fields.

💡 Legions were not always fully assembled, with soldiers often on leave, watch duty, or other missions.

💡 The deployment and formation of legions varied depending on the situation, but generally followed the triplex acies structure.

📏 A Roman legion occupies a space of approximately 16 by 13.5 meters with multiple centuries maintaining 2-3 meters of separation.

⚔️ The total formation of a Roman legion is about 609 meters across and 138 meters deep, with a soldier taking around 4.5 minutes to walk across the front and a rider taking around half a minute to gallop across.

🏹 An archer with an upper bow range of 200 meters can only fire across 33% of the legion's frontage, making it difficult to discern a human-sized figure at that distance.