10-23-2006, 10:21 PM
I agree with Ms./Mrs. Gilliver. The process is not that clear.
There are a few major points which can be used to kind of structure the whole thing a bit.
We have Polybios discription of the 2nd Punic war and the manipular legion and we have the description of the battles of Scipio.
Scipio's deployment and use of the different types of troops might be seen as a first important tactical development in the process of transforming the army from one system to another(Scipio might not have been the first one to do something like this but the first we know about who did this on purpose). What he did is use principes, hastati and triarii all in the same way at Zama when he expanded his line. This is a rather big change in tactics imho. If you decide to change the use of your troops like that, meaning being more flexible in their use it is the next step to have the majority of your troops equipped the same way so you can use any unit from the 3rd line for example anywhere on the battlefield or position your troops in duplex acies quickly if the situation requires without having the problem of considering that the troops are equipped differently.
This is a decision up to the commander of course and it doesn't mean because Scipio was successful with that at Zama that everyone followed his idea. So we can only guess but it seems that Roman commanders started to deploy their troops more freely during the next say 100 years.
then we have a change in the social structure of the time caused by wars, population movement and other factors.would take too long to go into detail here.
I don't believe Marius invented something completely new. He saw the changes in tactics and society and reformed the army.
The equipment and structure of the army during late republican times was pretty much up to the commander. Some of the finds of the Caesarian periode and some literary evidence show that the troops were equipped as the situation and finances allowed.Just take Caesar's troops recruited in Gaul for an example, or the types of helmets used from the "standard" montefortinos, the coolus to the very cheap Mannheim type which doesn't even have cheekpieces. The real big step and major reform took place under Augustus.
sidenote: there are quite some discussions about the "segmentata wearing" imperial legionaries here. maybe you are interested and might want to read some of the very interesting threads on the forum about that topic. My personal opinion is that the majority of the legionaries always used chainmail but that's just mine. just thought you might be interested in that as well.
oh and the names hastati, principes and triarii continued to be used in the imperial army even if there was no real difference in equipment anymore
There are a few major points which can be used to kind of structure the whole thing a bit.
We have Polybios discription of the 2nd Punic war and the manipular legion and we have the description of the battles of Scipio.
Scipio's deployment and use of the different types of troops might be seen as a first important tactical development in the process of transforming the army from one system to another(Scipio might not have been the first one to do something like this but the first we know about who did this on purpose). What he did is use principes, hastati and triarii all in the same way at Zama when he expanded his line. This is a rather big change in tactics imho. If you decide to change the use of your troops like that, meaning being more flexible in their use it is the next step to have the majority of your troops equipped the same way so you can use any unit from the 3rd line for example anywhere on the battlefield or position your troops in duplex acies quickly if the situation requires without having the problem of considering that the troops are equipped differently.
This is a decision up to the commander of course and it doesn't mean because Scipio was successful with that at Zama that everyone followed his idea. So we can only guess but it seems that Roman commanders started to deploy their troops more freely during the next say 100 years.
then we have a change in the social structure of the time caused by wars, population movement and other factors.would take too long to go into detail here.
I don't believe Marius invented something completely new. He saw the changes in tactics and society and reformed the army.
The equipment and structure of the army during late republican times was pretty much up to the commander. Some of the finds of the Caesarian periode and some literary evidence show that the troops were equipped as the situation and finances allowed.Just take Caesar's troops recruited in Gaul for an example, or the types of helmets used from the "standard" montefortinos, the coolus to the very cheap Mannheim type which doesn't even have cheekpieces. The real big step and major reform took place under Augustus.
sidenote: there are quite some discussions about the "segmentata wearing" imperial legionaries here. maybe you are interested and might want to read some of the very interesting threads on the forum about that topic. My personal opinion is that the majority of the legionaries always used chainmail but that's just mine. just thought you might be interested in that as well.
oh and the names hastati, principes and triarii continued to be used in the imperial army even if there was no real difference in equipment anymore
RESTITVTOR LIBERTATIS ET ROMANAE RELIGIONIS
DEDITICIVS MINERVAE ET MVSARVM
[Micha F.]
DEDITICIVS MINERVAE ET MVSARVM
[Micha F.]
