Portal:Ancient warfare/Selected article/5

The structural history of the Roman military describes the major chronological transformations in the organization and constitution of ancient Rome's armed forces, "the most effective and long-lived military institution known to history". From its origins around 800 BC to its final dissolution in 476 AD with the demise of the Western Roman Empire, Rome's military underwent substantial structural change. At the highest level of structure, Rome's forces were split into the Roman army and the Roman navy, although these two branches were less distinct than in a modern national defence force. The earliest Roman army mentioned in writing is ascribed by our much later sources, Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, to the 8th century BC; and is often referred to as Rome's curiate army, named for the subdivisions of the army based upon the three founding tribes (Latin: curiae) of Rome. This army was a relatively small force, and its activities were limited "mainly [to] raiding and cattle rustling with the occasional skirmish-like battle". It lacked much of the professionalism and organisation of later Roman armies, with individual units or regiments probably being formed upon divisions by tribe, or gens. During this period Rome was probably fortified as a hill-top village and its army of the time can be compared loosely to a typical Bronze-Age warrior band led by a warrior chieftain. Much of the arms and armour of this period was very similar to the rest of the Villanovan culture that was predominant in the region.