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The Roman Army. The Roman Army. The earliest soldiers had to provide their own arms and equipment. They were divided into classes based on wealth. Wealthy equestrians could go into war on horseback, while the poorest plebeians might have only a spear.
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The Roman Army • The earliest soldiers had to provide their own arms and equipment. • They were divided into classes based on wealth. • Wealthy equestrians could go into war on horseback, while the poorest plebeians might have only a spear. • Each class of soldier was organised into centuries. • Military power also brought political power. Men of each class would gather in their centuries to vote on key issues of war and peace.
The Maniple • Second century BC • A legion of 3600 infantry and 900 cavalry had 30 maniples. • The maniples worked as individual units within the legion, so when the army was advancing over rough land, each maniple preserved its shape although the advancing line as a whole might be bent. • The maniples were arranged in three rows, with the first two made up of the fittest fighting men.
1. The hastati were the younger soldiers and their maniples formed the front line. • 2. The more experienced principes formed the line behind them. They wore full armour and were armed with a sword and two javelins. • 3. Behind them were the veteran triarii, who carried a long spear instead of a javelin. Each maniple also had a group of more lightly-armed skirmishers called velites. These would move around the battlefield to give support where needed or carry out mopping-up operations. • There were also 900 cavalry. These were arranged in groups of 90, called turmae. They were divided into three squadrons of 30 each. There were 10 turmae in the legion.
Reforms of Marius • Marius, the son of a peasant, worked his way up from soldier to consul. • Made extensive changes in the recruitment, organisation and supply of the armies. He did away with the divisions of hastati, principes and triarii and gave every man a short stabbing sword and a light and heavy javelin. • These changes had important results for the future of Rome. Marius made being in the army a profession. Volunteers from the proletariat were signed for an extended period. They were paid but they also relied on their leaders to provide them with booty and land for their retirement. • Soldiers were dependent on their leader. As a result, they became more loyal to him than to the state as a whole.
Civil War and Empire • Beginning in 50 BC, there was a struggle for power in the Republic between Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. • Pompey’s soldiers had fought with him in the Middle East in the years 66–62 BC, while Caesar’s armies fought in Gaul (modern-day France and Belgium) in the years 58–50 BC. • After Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC, a similar series of wars took place until the final victory of Augustus in December, 31 BC. Under Augustus, the army became defensive rather than offensive. • Augustus reduced the number of legions from 70 to less than 30, and all troops took an oath of loyalty to Augustus as commander- in-chief. • Half of the army of 300 000 was made up of auxiliaries — non-Roman soldiers from the provinces. However, these soldiers were never employed in their own province.
Questions • Describe the following units of the Roman army: a) infantry — centuries, maniples b) cavalry — turmae, squadrons. • Copy the army diagram and describe the four groups of infantry soldiers • Explain why the hastati, principes and triarii were arranged in that order. • What improvements to did the Army experience in weaponry and tactics. • Why do you think the Romans insisted that auxiliaries should fight in a different province from the one in which they were born?
