Logistics is not a modern invention. While today we associate it with packages, automated warehouses, or e-commerce platforms, its roots reach deep into the earliest chapters of human history. At its core, logistics is the art of moving resources where they are needed, when they are needed, and in the most efficient way possible.
The word logistics comes from the Greek logistikos, and was later adopted by the Romans with a clearly military application. In the Roman legions, the logista was responsible for managing supplies, transportation, roads, and camps. Without logistics, no empire could stand.
Even earlier, civilizations such as the Egyptians had already developed advanced transportation and storage systems —moving massive stone blocks to build the pyramids or managing crops along the Nile. The Phoenicians, meanwhile, were pioneers in maritime logistics, establishing trade routes that connected the entire Mediterranean.
For centuries, logistics adapted to caravans, pilgrimage routes, and commercial travel. The Silk Road, the Way of St. James, or Marco Polo’s expeditions all relied on complex systems of provisioning and planning—though they weren’t called “logistics” back then.
It wasn’t until the 19th century that modern armies began using the term logistics to describe the organization of transport, supply chains, and troop support. In 1917, the U.S. Army was the first to give it an official definition.
Did you know?
Napoleon Bonaparte famously said, “An army marches on its stomach,” acknowledging the critical role of logistics in any military campaign.
This is just the beginning. In the next chapters, we’ll explore the industrial revolution, the arrival of the railway, the impact of the world wars, the birth of the shipping container… and the rise of the digital age.
In the meantime, explore the logistics solutions STM offers today. Click the link below to learn more:
https://stmlogistica.com/servicios-logisticos/
