DECIMATION IN ROMAN LEGIONS

______The Roman Empire at its height was the "superpower" of its time. It directly controlled western Europe, most of the Balkans, Asia Minor, and the North African coast. It maintained domestic peace. It dominated its neighbors. And it did all this through the military might of its legions.
______The legion was the basic unit of the Roman Army. In the Republic's time they were temporary, raised from the citizenry for the conduct of war. After the establishment of the Empire, however, the legions were professionalized.
______The legions of ancient Rome were well-equipped, well-led (most of the time) and well-motivated, but it was Roman discipline that allowed the legions to march from one end of the known world to the other, bringing order, Latin, certain hygienic innovations and pasta dishes with them. One aspect of Roman discipline was a mass punishment known as "decimation."
______Decimation was the selection of every tenth man in a legion for death, through clubbing or stoning. The selection was done by lottery... imagine getting the winning number for THAT one!

______Decimation was rarely done, at least partially because it was such a serious punishment that only exceptional lapses in discipline merited it. A legion had to show cowardice, or disobey orders in the face of the enemy. In one well-documented case a legion that retreated during the Spartacist Uprising was subjected to decimation. Even today, the word "decimation" has survived to indicate massive losses, but it is usually used in the context of combat and not punishment.

WHERE WAS THE FIRST TANK ATTACK?

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