Since Rome was at peace more often than it was at war, many Roman troops saw little or no action during their careers. And even when an army was in the field (on campaign in wartime), the soldiers spent most of their time marching and making and breaking camp. The distances they had to cover to reach the enemy were often large. And because the Romans rarely used ships to transport land armies long distances, walking was the chief mode of travel. Therefore, several days of marching might be required if the battlefront was in Italy (as it often was in the Second Punic War) and several weeks if the front was in a distant province or foreign land.

The highly practical, regimented Romans developed systematic and efficient methods and rules for moving armies from place to place early on...