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The Roman Legion

The Roman Legion. Evolution of the Roman Legion from the Republic to the Early Empire. By: Robert Willcutt. The Phalanx. Invented by Greeks in 8 th century BC. Consisted of heavily armored soldiers known as hoplites. Hoplites massed into tight blocks and form nearly impenetrable front.

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The Roman Legion

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  1. The Roman Legion Evolution of the Roman Legion from the Republic to the Early Empire By: Robert Willcutt

  2. The Phalanx • Invented by Greeks in 8th century BC. • Consisted of heavily armored soldiers known as hoplites. • Hoplites massed into tight blocks and form nearly impenetrable front. • Back ranks leaned on soldiers in front. Front ranks stabbed overhand at opposing line. • Reenactment

  3. The Manipular Legion • Adopted in 4th century BC from Samnites. • Consisted of four parts: vellites, hastati, principes, and triarii. • Much more maneuverable than phalanx and allowed for easier rotation of front line soldiers.

  4. Velite and Hastati Velite Hastati • Consisted of unarmoured skirmishing troops drawn from the youngest and lower social classes. • Armed with a sword and buckler (90 cm diameter), as well as several light javelins. • Leather-armouredinfantry soldiers who wore a brass cuirass and brass helmet adorned with three feathers approximately 30 cm in height and carried an iron-clad wooden shield. • Armed with a sword known as a gladius and two throwing spears known as pila.

  5. PrincipeandTriarii Principe Triarii • Were heavy infantry soldiers armed like the hastati, except that they wore a lighter coat of mail. • Each principes maniple was formed 12 men across by 10 men deep. • Typically formed the third rank of a Legion. • The last remnant of hoplite-style troops in the Roman army. • They were armed and armouredlike principes, except they carried a pike rather than two pila.

  6. Marian Reforms • Roman consul Gaius Marius (see right) carried out a programme of reform of the Roman military. In 107 BC, all citizens, regardless of their wealth or social class, were made eligible for entry into the Roman army. • Legionary infantry formed a homogeneous force of heavy infantry. These legionaries were drawn from citizen stock. • Lighter citizen infantry, such as the velites and equites, were replaced by non-citizen auxilia that could consist of foreign mercenaries.

  7. MarianLegion Due to the concentration of the citizen legions into a force of heavy infantry Rome's armies depended on auxiliary cavalry attachments for support. As a tactical necessity Unlike earlier in the Republic, legionaries were no longer fighting on a seasonal basis to protect their land. They received standard pay, and were employed by the state on a fixed-term basis. Professionalization of the military was necessary to provide permanent garrisons for newly acquired and distant territories.

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