08-12-2016, 12:16 PM
and lets not forget military aspect.. what would be the point exactly EXCLUDING your best equipped (and by some ) most experienced men from battle, and leave your young guys bleed in battle??? Because that's exactly how Triarii were used in battle.. they were waiting in the back, letting others fight..
What a contrast to older deployment with Class I in a front row... practically a total reverse... except, even back then, when they fought in hoplite phalanx, it would make no sense putting your old guys (your Class I) in a front row, because they have the least amount of stamina.. while Greeks actually put their best men in the front row, as those were the guys deciding the outcome of the battle..
So no, i have a hard time believing that Romans would introduce a new system, where rich Class I (the largest per your numbers) would only send 600 men as Triarii + 300 as Equites, and would make remaining men of classes below (who again per your numbers, were together less numerous than Class I+Cavalry) to fight in a front rank..
To me, Class I is the group the most motivated to defend the Rome, because they are the ones who would lose the most... so they would be the main force behind the legion... And members of those families, would not enlist all the same year, every year, but would most likely take turns, so there is still some male population tending the farms.. which also means that members who went to war, would use whatever equipment that family actually had, because their prime interest is to see their sons return from war.
What a contrast to older deployment with Class I in a front row... practically a total reverse... except, even back then, when they fought in hoplite phalanx, it would make no sense putting your old guys (your Class I) in a front row, because they have the least amount of stamina.. while Greeks actually put their best men in the front row, as those were the guys deciding the outcome of the battle..
So no, i have a hard time believing that Romans would introduce a new system, where rich Class I (the largest per your numbers) would only send 600 men as Triarii + 300 as Equites, and would make remaining men of classes below (who again per your numbers, were together less numerous than Class I+Cavalry) to fight in a front rank..
To me, Class I is the group the most motivated to defend the Rome, because they are the ones who would lose the most... so they would be the main force behind the legion... And members of those families, would not enlist all the same year, every year, but would most likely take turns, so there is still some male population tending the farms.. which also means that members who went to war, would use whatever equipment that family actually had, because their prime interest is to see their sons return from war.
Jaroslav Jakubov
