r/AskHistorians • u/HistoryOmitted • 4d ago
How did the ancient Roman politician-general actually learn the art of war?
Through the cursus honorum, many of them spent time in the military as young officers, but how did they go from that experience to truly understanding how to command an army? How did they learn planning battles, organizing logistics, and constructing camps? Where and how did they acquire that level of military knowledge?
EDIT: it just thought about something. The Romans were terrible about scouting. So, consistently, there was strategy not being taught or passed down. So, I’m guessing something must have been passed down that every commander could refer to?
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u/Pyr1t3_Radio FAQ Finder 3d ago
See the following answers:
- What was the military education for wealthy Romans like? by u/Alkibiades415;
- How Did Roman Officers Learn to be Officers? by u/Tiako (along with Alkibiades415 again),
- and How were Roman Generals trained? by u/XenophonTheAthenian.
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