08-02-2016, 10:48 PM
thats all nice, but there is not a single mention that Triarii were only from higher class, or Velites from the lowest.. on contrary, it says exactly what I wrote - Triarii were seniors, Velites juniors from the whole eligible group. and as such, there is no indication that those Velites would be poor, just because they are teenagers.. plenty of them were from well suited families, that sent their sons to war, yet, because they were still teenagers, they were not supposed to be in the front line when main fighting starts.
"They divide them so that the senior men known as triarii number six hundred, the principes twelve hundred, the hastati twelve hundred, the rest, consisting of the youngest, being velites." - as you can see, no mention of wealth here... just age
Roman society was not oriented towards age. Just because somebody is 40 years old, it doesn't automatically give him more wealth, than another who has just let say 25 years.. I repeat, there were well suited middle class Hastati using best armor they could afford, and there were low-middle class Triarii with no armor at all, just the helmet and shield..
"They divide them so that the senior men known as triarii number six hundred, the principes twelve hundred, the hastati twelve hundred, the rest, consisting of the youngest, being velites." - as you can see, no mention of wealth here... just age
Roman society was not oriented towards age. Just because somebody is 40 years old, it doesn't automatically give him more wealth, than another who has just let say 25 years.. I repeat, there were well suited middle class Hastati using best armor they could afford, and there were low-middle class Triarii with no armor at all, just the helmet and shield..
