historical question...

[Goffredo85]

It is several days that this question is bugging me, and i can't think of a better place to submit it than the EBII forums!
What happened to the socii legions in the period between the marian reforms (circa 107 B.C.) and the end of the social war (88 B.C.)? As far as i know they were all but gone with the reform, yet the socii didn't gain roman citizenship until the end of the social war, so they were not eligible for service in the legions (citizenship being the only requisite, now that propertyless volunteers were accepted). So which was their contribution to the roman military in this 19 years period, until they gained full roman citizenship?
Cheers!

[Goffredo85]

Nothing?

[Leonnatos]

I think the real importance of the Marian reforms is lower than thought. He just did what generals like Scipio Aemilianus had done the last 50 years in the Spanish Wars.
The socii were still required to rise their own legions on the orders of Rome. Marius recruited his soldiers from all the Italian Peninsula and granted some of his Italian Allies after Vercellae the Roman Citizenship.

[QuintusSertorius]

The socii were still required to provide soldiers, but weren't granted any additional rights - that's one of the grievances that led to the Social War. By this time there wasn't much difference between the (Italian) socii and the Roman troops anyway.