The Pre-Marius Armies

The early Roman armies operated within certain limitations that curbed the overall effectiveness of the fighting force. While the initial state of the army was enough to make Rome into a Mediterranean superpower, cracks did appear in the structure. The Punic Wars in particular exposed certain weaknesses in the army, as evidenced by several catastrophic defeats.

The first Roman armies were organized based on the wealth and standing of the individual Roman (1). Only landowners were eligible to join the army, and the role any Roman filled depended on what equipment he could afford and bring to the battlefield (2). Several main roles existed within the Roman army:

The equites filled the role of cavalry. This was a fairly select group, again not based off of any measure of individual skill or training. The defining factor was whether or not the Roman could afford a horse, which meant that this group of soldiers was generally made up of the very wealthy (1).

 

The next groups can be essentially divided into Heavy and Light infantry, and formed the maintstay of the Roman army. The original Roman battle formation was referred to as the "triplex acies" or "triple battle order" (2). The front line was made up of Velites. They were typically the poorest of the army, and could only afford light armor and weapons (2). Their combat mostly included skirmishing with javelines, as they could not afford the armor and weapons necessary to engage in close combat (1).

(Velites were famously recognizable for their wolf skin headware!)

The next two battlelines were made up of hastati and principes (2). These two groups were roughly of the same economic status, with hastati being the youngest soldiers and principes the more experienced (2). They were both armed with the same weapons and gear: short spears, swords and shields (2). Hastati would typically take on the brunt of the battle, with principes positioned directly behind to support as needed.

The final group was made up of Triarii, older soldiers who were near the end of their fighting days (2). Typically, they would not be needed in a battle, as the army would have to be a severe state of disarray for them to enter the fight (1).

(A typical battle formation, courtesy of vassar.edu.)

With this system, the Romans enjoyed many years of success in the Mediterranean region.