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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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Roman LegionEvolution of the Roman Legion from the Republic to the Early Empire
By: Robert Willcutt
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The Phalanx
The Manipular Legion
The Marian Reforms
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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
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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.
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Velite and HastatiVelite Hastati
•Leather-armoured infantry 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.
•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.
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Principe and TriariiPrincipe 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 armoured like principes, except they carried a pike rather than two pila.
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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.
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Marian Legion•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.
