THE MILITARY REFORMS OF MARIUS

1. THE MILITARY REFORMS OF MARIUS 107 BC

2. The Evolution of the Roman Military • Prior to Marius, Roman soldiers • Consisted mostly of small landowners • Had to supply their own arms and armor • Were drafted from time to time when soldiers were needed • What changed • The landowning class had dwindled by 107 BC • There were masses of unemployed in the Republic • Rome was threatened by Germanic tribes

3. Marius Reforms the Military • In 107 BC, Marius implemented many reforms out of necessity • Army was now all volunteer • Paid well, including $$$, war loot, land • Served enlistments of 20-25 years • Service appealed to the unemployed masses in Rome

4. Pre-Marius: Maniple Structure • Consisted of several rows • Each row armed differently • Soldiers supplied own weapons • Rookies up front, veterans in the back • Rows based on class of citizen

5. Post-Marius: Cohort Structure • MANIPLE structure replaced with COHORT • Each cohort consisted of six identical centuries of 80 men • 10 cohorts made up a LEGION • Cohort allowed greater flexibility • Soldiers armed identically, no longer supplied own weapons • State & generals standardized equipment

6. Maniple vs. Cohort MANIPLE COHORT LEGION (4800 men) COHORT (480 men) CENTURY (80 men) All soldiers armed identically (excludes combined arms) • LEGION (5000 men) • Maniples of 120 men drawn from different social classes. • Each maniple had three different lines • Each line armed differently

7. The Cohort System in Combat • Long lines of maniple system replaced by a tiered, 3 cohort deep battle line • Allowed for quicker support and rotation of troops in battle

8. “Marius’ Mules” & Other Changes • Soldiers now carried all their equipment with them, including weapons, armor, tools, food, tents, etc. • Not as weighed down by slow, cumbersome baggage trains • All Legions adopted the eagle as their standard • Represented Jupiter (Zeus)

9. Consequences of Marian Reforms • Pros • Army became efficient and viable • Provided opportunity to lower classes • Army not as divided by class • Cons • Generals gained influence with soldiers • Soldiers became fiercely loyal to generals • Generals split loot with them, equipped them, etc. • Led to endless civil wars and the rise of the Empire Above: a general who benefitted from Marius’ reforms…his nephew J. Caesar!