How ancient armies, such as the Roman Legions, able to feed themselves during wartime campaigns?
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Since you’re asking about the Romans, here’s one of the earliest published treatises on the subject.
De re militari, by Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus
>CARE TO PROVIDE FORAGE AND PROVISIONS
>…An exact calculation must therefore be made before the commencement of the war as to the number of troops and the expenses incident thereto, so that the provinces may in plenty of time furnish the forage, corn, and all other kinds of provisions demanded of them to be transported. They must be in more than sufficient quantity, and gathered into the strongest and most convenient cities before the opening of the campaign. If the provinces cannot raise their quotas in kind, they must commute for them in money to be employed in procuring all things requisite for the service. For the possessions of the subjects cannot be kept secure otherwise than by the defense of arms.
>… But a faithful management of the magazines and a frugal distribution of the provisions, with proper precautions taken at first, will insure sufficient plenty. When provisions once begin to fail, parsimony is ill-timed and comes too late.
>On difficult expeditions the ancients distributed the provisions at a fixed allowance to each man without distinction of rank; and when the emergency was past, the government accounted for the full proportions. The troops should never want wood and forage in winter or water in summer. They should have corn, wine, vinegar, and even salt, in plenty at all times. Cities and fortresses are garrisoned by such men as are least fit for the service of the field… By observing the foregoing precautions, the besieged may have it in their power to ruin the enemy by famine, if he keeps his troops together, and if he divides.them, by frequent sallies and surprises.
Edit:. Thank you for the silver, if you’re interested in reading more, I can’t recommend [The Roots of Strategy Book 1](https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Strategy-Thomas-R-Phillips/dp/0811721949/) enough. It has all of the classics and useful forwards.
An even bigger question is how did they transport a reliable source of water? Did they just depend on rain? In a documentary that I’ve seen recently it was stated that in those times alcoholic drinks would be more reliable than water. So were the soldiers drunk most of the time?
Listen…..
They all are lying to you….
They eat their own poop when they go to war
Armies on the move were supplied by supply trains. These aren’t trains as we know them today, but routes to and from the army that would restock what was needed, usually iron, bandages, food, glue, hay, and other consumable supplies that couldn’t be easily sourced. Which is why one of the ancient battle tactics was to cut off your enemies supply train to supplement your own needs.
In history there are stories of war after war being settled by logistics. In Bohemond’s final attack on the Romans in 11-something he was basically locked into a valley and the emperor blocked mountain passes, fortified dyrrachium and had his allies cut the sea lanes, hit his foraging parties and just chilled till the normans had to surrender
does anyone have book recommendations regarding logistics in ancient times?
Not just the ancients. Literally every general / leader has hinged his entire campaign on his soldiers’ bellies. Churchill was up a creek until the Lend-Lease Act. Hitler lost because of gas and grub. Simple as that.
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