ROMAN UNTITS

MELEE UNITS INFANTRY:

Hastati: compact blocks of men, arranged in a checkerboard formation. This allowed flexibility when moving across the battlefield, particularly when compared to the sluggish movements of a solid pike phalanx. Like most sophisticated city-states of the ancient world, Rome expected its men to fight, and supply their own war gear when they did so. A cynical observer might be tempted to note that the manipular Legion also made sure that the hierarchy of Rome was preserved. The youngest and least wealthy became hastati, the first line of battle in a Roman Legion.

Principes: compact blocks of men, arranged in a checkerboard formation. This allowed flexibility when moving across the battlefield, particularly when compared to the sluggish movements of a solid pike phalanx. Like most sophisticated city-states of the ancient world, Rome expected its men to fight, and supply their own war gear. principes, older and richer men, and more wealthy family.

Gladiators: Gladiators were usually slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners of war but others did enter the arena. Those with debts or a lust for glory could sell themselves as gladiators, and soldiers who had given ground might be sent to the arena as punishment. A gladiator's life was arduous and brutal, even before fighting in the games. Trainees could, and would, be killed in practice if they fought beneath their abilities, as a way of encouraging the others. The ludus, the training ground and home of gladiators, was run by a lanista, and within its walls his word was law. Outside the arena he was considered to be on the bottom rung of society; some Roman cemeteries did not allow the bodies of lanistas to be buried inside their walls, even. Having said that, there was also a peculiar glamour about their business and some were famed amongst games fans as the men who owned and trained gladiators - the sports stars of the Roman world.

Gladiatrices: There are no documented examples of female gladiators prior to Nero’s rule, but they are hinted at; in AD19, Tiberius passed the Larinum Decree, specifically forbidding daughters of those in high office from becoming gladiators. From Nero’s until the rule of Septimus Severus, who banned the practice outright, female gladiatorial contests became a regular feature of the circuses. Their existence wasn’t restricted to the Italian peninsula either; the Credenhill dig at Herefordshire in the United Kingdom unearthed a female skeleton bearing bone formation consistent with gladiatorial training. Gladiatrices were armed and armoured as their male counterparts: with swords or spears, shields, and if they could afford them, galea helmets and manica arm-guards.

Legionaries: The military reforms of Gaius Marius in 104BC transformed the Roman army into a professional fighting force. Recruits were no longer required to own land in order to be soldiers: Roman citizenship was enough. Without farms to return to, men were willing to make the army their career, fighting lengthy campaigns in return for the pay, glory and retirement benefits. The Legions were equipped at the expense of the state, and each man carried a pilum, a gladius and a large 'scutum' shield, emblazoned with their Legion’s insignia. Under Marius men were expected to carry their own equipment, removing the need for large baggage trains manned by non-combatants. Unfortunately for the men this meant that they were carrying kit that weighed around 45 kilos.

Veteran Legionaries: After a Roman legionary had finished up to 25 years in the army, he could be asked back to join the 'evocati', the ranks of 'those who are called'. Usually affiliated to their old commander or re-enlisting at the bequest of a particular Consul in times of need, veterans were afforded great respect and honour because of their previous service. As examples to the common soldier, they were often immediately promoted to centurion and given a pay rise. Crucially, veterans were exempt from the mundane and laborious tasks of legionary life such as digging latrines, building roads or making camp. During the civil war all sides called on old soldiers to swell their ranks and provide much needed experience, Pompey persuading a large number of evocati to join him against Julius Caesar by promising them promotion and more money to return. The veteran 'Praetorians of the Evocati Augusti' were held in especially high regard.

Praetorians: The word 'praetorian' comes from the elite guards of the Praetor, the commanding general. Founded in the 6th century BC, the cohors praetoria consisted of the hand-picked infantry or cavalry who guarded their general and his command tent. At first, they were recruited exclusively from among Roman citizens, but later other Latin peoples were allowed to join. The praetorians enjoyed prestigious status in the Roman army and, when Augustus came to power, they were the only soldiers allowed inside Rome. Augustus anticipated that they could be used politically as well as militarily, something of a gamble for the new Emperor, as he was keen to assert the Republican nature of his regime. Barracked just outside Rome, the praetorians were charged with keeping order during all public events. Later, as the Imperial bodyguard, they served in military campaigns only when the Emperor himself was present. This happened frequently as later Emperors emerged from the ranks of the army.

Praetorian Guard: The word 'praetorian' comes from the elite guards of the Praetor, the commanding general. Founded in the 6th century BC, the cohors praetoria consisted of the hand-picked infantry or cavalry who guarded their general and his command tent. At first, they were recruited exclusively from among Roman citizens, but later other Latin peoples were allowed to join. The praetorians enjoyed prestigious status in the Roman army and, when Augustus came to power, they were the only soldiers allowed inside Rome. Augustus anticipated that they could be used politically as well as militarily, something of a gamble for the new Emperor, as he was keen to assert the Republican nature of his regime. Barracked just outside Rome, the praetorians were charged with keeping order during all public events. Later, as the Imperial bodyguard, they served in military campaigns only when the Emperor himself was present. This happened frequently as later Emperors emerged from the ranks of the army.

Armoured Legionaries: Tough Roman legionaries, given improved armour for battle, The military reforms of Gaius Marius in 104BC transformed the Roman army into a professional fighting force. Recruits were no longer required to own land in order to be soldiers: Roman citizenship was enough. Without farms to return to, men were willing to make the army their career, fighting lengthy campaigns in return for the pay, glory and retirement benefits. The Legions were equipped at the expense of the state, and each man carried a pilum, a gladius and a large 'scutum' shield, emblazoned with their Legion’s insignia. Under Marius men were expected to carry their own equipment, removing the need for large baggage trains manned by non-combatants. Unfortunately for the men this meant that they were carrying kit that weighed around 45 kilos

Eagle Cohort: The Eagle is the heart and soul of its Legion.

First Cohort: Legionaries of the First Cohort are the best of their kind veterans with years of experience often train new Legionaries.

SPEAR INFANTRY:

Vigiles: spear-armed garrison troops are also the town watch, riot squad and firemen. Vigiles were stationed around Rome and were responsible for dealing with any unrest that occurred after dark. Keeping the peace was just one part of their work as they also acted as Rome’s fire department. They were equipped with pumps to douse small fires, but a blaze could spread quickly through tight-packed streets, so often buildings were torn down to make fire breaks. Vigiles did this with impressive speed, and men were specially trained to remove roofs and knock down walls. In extreme cases they used onagers to knock down buildings in a matter of seconds.

Rorarii: The spear-armed Rorarii can quickly reach a crisis point in battle. The veteran triarii were the third line of battle behind the hastati and principes, and only fought when defeat looked likely. However, this saying excludes the supernumerary ranks of the rorarii, who stood even behind the triarii and were, when deployed, the very, very last line of defence. There is much debate over their actual role because historical detail is limited but the rorarii were light infantry armed with spears and shields. They are likely to have been a skirmisher reserve, missile support for the heavier infantry or perhaps rushed to fill any gaps that appeared in the line of triarii.

Triarii: Wealth, experience and age make these battle-hardened veterans a fearsome force. These were deployed in maniples: compact blocks of men, arranged in a checkerboard formation. This allowed flexibility when moving across the battlefield, particularly when compared to the sluggish movements of a solid pike phalanx. Like most sophisticated city-states of the ancient world, Rome expected its men to fight, and supply their own war gear when they did so. A cynical observer might be tempted to note that the manipular Legion also made sure that the hierarchy of Rome was preserved. The youngest and least wealthy became hastati, the first line of battle in a Roman Legion. Behind them came the second line of principes, older and richer men, and finally came the triarii, the most experienced warriors. “Going to the triarii” was a Roman saying that came to be used in all kinds of situations, implying that everything else had been tried and found wanting.

MELEE CAVALLERY:

Equites: The cavalry elite of Roman society can be among its most effective defenders. Recruited from the gentry and lower aristocratic classes of Roman society, the equites were the cavalrymen of the royal and early Republican Roman armies. To be a member of the equestrian class meant that a man was rich enough to keep a horse, and provide his own armour, shield and spearOne of these men would be the praefectus, or commander, of the squadron. Mostly drawn from the young sons of elite society, these were men keen to show their courage. Showing prowess on the battlefield was an important step towards gaining political office and prestige for their families.

Legionary Cavalry: Cavalry support is vital to all infantry work, even in the Legion. Developing throughout the Republic, from to the recruitment of allied horsemen from Iberia, Gaul, Numidia and Thrace, Roman legionary cavalry adapted to meet changing needs and resources. The cavalry of each Legion originally included 300 Equites and 600-900 Socii, giving a typical consular army of two Legions around 1,800-2,400 cavalry. During the Samnite, Pyrrhic, Punic and Jugurthine Wars, and with the demands of a growing empire, there was a gradual move away to using allied cavalry. As the equites became legionary officers and then the Socii became citizens, cavalry recruits from Italy became scarce: by the time of Caesar’s Gallic campaigns the Legions relied almost exclusively on allied cavalry. Equipment changed little during this period. The spear and chainmail adopted by the equites, probably influenced by the Celts, came full-circle with the recruitment of later Gallic cavalry. Helmet and shield styles did change and the small round shield of the equites became the versatile thureos.

MISSILE INFANTRY:

Leves: Even a poor man can throw a javelin with skill. Under the early Roman army’s Camillan system, if you were poor or low born then you might well have found yourself in battle with little more than a spear in your hand. Typically the poorest members of a Roman Legion, leves were attached to the hastati and faced the full enemy onslaught. They were used as a screen and to skirmish with the enemy’s front line. Un able to afford much armour, the leves used javelins in support of their richer compatriots. Historically, there were 300 leves alongside 900 hastati: 20 leves in front of each of the 60 maniples. They were replaced by velites, who were deployed across the three main lines of a maniple.

Velites: These javelin-armed skirmishers are fast moving and lightly armoured. Recruited from amongst Rome's poor and those too young to fight as hastati, the velites were the Roman army’s light infantry. They wore wolf skin head-dresses which are thought to have some totemic significance, although they were also worn to induce fear in their enemies. At the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, when Scipio Africanus confronted the Carthaginian general, Hannibal, it was the velites who helped fend off his initial elephant charge, utilising their light armour and weapons to move quickly around them. They harassed the elephants to a frenzy while the cavalry blew horns to disorientate the beasts. Hannibal had hoped to break the Roman lines with his elephants; instead, many of the frightened beasts turned on the Carthaginians. Those elephants who didn’t crash through their own lines were caught in a cleverly orchestrated manoeuvre, whereby the Romans carefully channelled them through gaps made in the cohorts' formation.