Research thread: Marian Roman Army
This was done on AAW, so thought it would be good to share it here:
Late Republican Roman army:
The Marian Reforms
The Marian reforms made by Gauis Marus was to be the stepping stone in the evolution of the Roman army. After countless decades of wars, Rome was now the absouelte power in the medertinan, her forces victorious, her enemies suspicious and cunning behind her. Rome was the dominant power at this time. The decades of wars helped create thousands of war professionals/veterans which were the building blocks for the Marian Army. The Army of the Roman Princpiate/Republic was born.
Osprey images removed due to copyright issues - Maximinus Thrax
The Marian reforms came as an principle need of the fact that the three maniples formations which seems to have been used since the 2nd Samnite War was now beginning to become obsolete. While achieving stunning success at Zama and Pdyna against the Macedonian Phalanx and the mighty war Elephants of Carthage, further Roman expansion into Germania and Gaul saw the need for an overhaul because of the fact that the three maniple formations did not and could not work against an Germanic and Gaul whose tactics were to rush and attack with their long two edged swords , depending everything on an vigorious onslaught, beating their shields and breaking into their formation. The three maniple formations had been better suited against the civilized formation armies of Macedon and Carthage. Against the Germans and Gauls however, they were fighting a new enemy, since it was proved that:
A) The Three Maniples formation was too small and too compact, therefore making it easy to for the Gauls and Germans to destroy the formations very quickly.
B) That the men in the Mid Republican Army consisted of very wealthy middle class people. Marius changed this as he wanted all citizens from all ranks in order to not only boost the army’s power, but in order to create legions where citizens could treat it professionally as an career. Not as something civilian life interrupting. It therefore reduced the burden of the Senate, which would have had to keep on financing the Mid Republican Army which was very wealthy. This would eventually help Caesar conquer Gaul as he had the available man power and the strength to fight on the Gaulish tribes.
C) That the formations would be easily flanked, and if attacked strongly, the three maniples wouldn’t have had much of a chance. In an battle against the Celtic Tribe, Insurbes (225 bc) the hastatii of the front line attempted to counter this by swapping their pila for the thrusting spears of the tiraii
D) A major weakness in the style of fighting, Marius decided to increase his strength of the front line by increasing the size of the indivuial units. The cohort soon replaces the three maniples, and thus is organized into 10 equal cohorts. With the lowering of the property qualification and abolishment, the cost of the legions were now at the public expense equipped by the state. Varaitions that existed in buying armour before the Marian reforms therefore ceased.
E) The legions were created to give an sense of professionalism and to get rid of the class system that had existed during the time of the Senate. Now every solider was the same, and felt a sense of tradition towards it legion as it wouldn’t be replaced, this was most commonly discussed in Rome II where CA wanted to create an army tradition. So in a sense each legion had its own traditions and glories and defeats. Another interesting comparison can be made with the Napoleonic corps system. There are countless and hundreds of sources and books detailing the brave regiments of the French, Austrian, British, Russian army, and how they fought each against each other and what they endured. So in this sense being, Marius used his common sense to create an professional army, much like the Macedonians had done before the rise of Rome, especially when they destroyed the Greek League forces from Athens, Thebes and Sparta at Chaeronea.
The Marian’s army size and strength:
It is a debate of controversy regarding the size of the cohorts and legions. Historical sources confuse this by multiplying and giving insane figures such as 5000 or 6000. Some estimate says there were between 3000 and 4000. While these figures can be said to be debatable, our best bet would be to go with:
• Roman cohort is now 480
• Roman army lost many men during its wars against the Germans and Gauls, so it is not really safe to say how many men would have had existed, we can assume around 10,000 to 15,000.
However we can also go with this:
Legions:
• Total number of men in a legion was about 6000, of whom 4,800 were actual soldiers, the rest are non-combatants.
• Legions consists of 10 cohorts and 6 centuries
• Century: 100 men, 80 legionaries, 20 non-combatants.
• First Cohort is irregular and consisted of 5 double strength centuries( containing 160 men)
- · Contubernium contained 8 legionaries and 2 non combatant servants who tented and worked together.
· Century fort as a unit, marched as a unit and camped as unit. It carried all the arms and the resources required to feed and maintain as a fighting unit. Each man was responsible for carrying his own supplies/weapons, seven days’ worth of rations.
· Change drastically reduces the size of the baggage train required as support. His men were than called Marius mules for the stuff they carried on their back.
· Between 2 and 6 legions clubbed together constituted an army. The legions were kept in peak physical condition and discipline by constant training, one of the best in the ancient world.- Social class:
· Removal of the old class system that existed in the Maniuplar legion
· Open to all ranks, now is considered a professional career
· Legislation offered retirement benefits in the form of land grants
· Removal of the Senate trying to impress the legions into promising them slaves and booty and not giving them.
· Members of the head count who had completed their term of service would be given a pension by their general and a plot of land in the conquered region on which to retire
· Officers and commanders were given monetary rewards that were 10–25 times greater than that of a common foot soldier.
· Army tradition created in the sense for a legion
· No longer having to buy equiqment since everything is standerised, and is equipped by the state at public expense.
· Same recruitment/training for the Roman army, no longer different class getting different treatment.
· Grants citizens of the Italian allies( Eturia) full Roman citizenship if they fought for Rome and completed a period of service in the Roman army.
Diagram:
Another diagram explains how the Roman army of this time was formed.
So as before:
The cohorts consisted of 6 centuriae having 80 legionnaires armed with pilum and gladius. Each centuria was commanded by an centurio supported by an optio, a signifier, a conciern, and a tessruarus. Within each cohors, the order of senority amongst the six centuraie were pilus piror, pilus prosterior, princeps prior, princeps posterior, hastatus prior who left his optio in charge of his centuria.
Units that were removed since the Marian Reforms/Mercenaries.
The Cohort abolished the need for the light infantry Velities, since they were an relic from the old Servian system, were now all being assembled into regular structure of the centuries, which all made the same sizes, and armed in fashion like other legionnaires. They were last used in the Roman General's Metellus campagin in North Africa, ( Bellum Jugruthinum, 46.7). Now with the mercenaries, the Roman army provided the same function through the use of non Italian auxiliares. These were mercenaries or levied from the local provinces of the Roman Empire or client states. You could name it from Spain, Gaul, Germania, Greece. Rulers of native provinces were obliged to send their troops to aid the Roman army, or otherwise they would be either squashed underneath the might of the Roman army. So you had native princes/chieftans bringing their troops such as:
Numidian javelinners
Numidian slingers
Cretan archers
Baleric slingers
Germanic cavarly
Germanic light cavarly
Germanic warriors
Gaulish warband
Gaulish oathsworn
Warbands
Gaulish/Germanic skirmishers
Iberian Swordsmen.
Gallic Cavarly
Numidian mercenaries were extensively employed around Iberia, and since their famous use in the Roman- Carthaginian wars, they were some of the best light infantry you could depend on. Citizen cavarly were also removed, and gradually withdrawn from the legion. It becomes more easy for the Romans to then employ foregin cavarly instead as they are more cheaper and efficient.Rome also accepted Italics into their legions, giving them the same rights, that demovilized most of them, after the wars, all legions were now Roman. No more Italic or Roman. Ceaser himself made use of cavalry levied from from Germania, Gaul and Iberia,.
Testudo:
The testudo formation was mainly used for Siege battles, not the typical hollywood legends of them marching into the field unless they came under fire. It was used by Mark Antony against the Parthians, and Crassus as well. This is where it evolved from being a defensive formation to an almost all-rounder defensive/attack formation.
Armor and Weapons:
All legionnaires were now equipped with the famous bronze montefero helmet, a mail shirt, ( lorica sementa) scutum, two pila, one heavy and one light, and gladius Hispaneius, plus a dagger ( puigo)greaves disappered except on Centurions.
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Originally Posted by ipwnu678
