Elite forces/units in the Pre-Marian army (early- middle republic)

[Corvus]

Hello, 

I couldn't find any information if such units existed, therefore I decided to ask here. 
Were there elite units, similar to Alexanders Hypaspists/ Silver shields in the roman republican army?

[Bryan]

No, there was no long standing unit of professional elite soldiers. However, a Republican period Consul (pre-Social War) had not only two Roman legions but he also had two equivalent sized units of Latin and Italian Socii, armed and organized identically to how the Romans themselves were used. Out of the total, 1/5 of the Socii infantry were organized into a force of elite units that reported directly to the Consul, these were the Extraordinaire. They held the far right of the infantry line, the position of honor. They marched in the vanguard. I think the point was to throw a bone to the Socii to show that Romans appreciated their commitment and loyalty, because it seems that for the entire mid-Late Republic the Roman generals would have put more trust in Socii than their own countrymen. However, these Extraordinaire were not units that were long standing, they came and went with every army that was levied and then discharged.

Though many will say that the long standing, professional armies were a reform by Marius, that simply wasn't true. He commanded three separate armies during his day:

- The army initially raised to fight the Jugurthine War was levied by the consul L. Calpurnius Bestia in 111 BC. That army was reinforced by a supplementum by the consul Caecilius Metellus in 109 BC, and then reinforced again by another supplementum by Marius in 107 BC. It finished the war in 105 BC, marched in the Triumph on the New Year of 104 BC, and then was discharged. Its veterans received land grants in Africa and some offshore islands of Africa in 103 BC through a plebicide enacted by a tribune allied to Marius.

- The army that Marius would use to crush the Cimbri and Teutones was levied in 105 BC by P. Rutilius Rufus. Marius became consul in 104 BC and took command of it, it was better trained than his own African army, more highly disciplined. In addition Marius appears to have added another legion, maybe two, of the survivors of Arausio, but its unclear exactly how that worked, only one source mentions them. This army staged in Transalpine Gaul from 104-102 BC waiting for the Cimbri Horde to return and then defeated the Ambrone and Teutones in 102 BC, then defeated (in junction with Q. Lutatius Catulus' army) the Cimbri in 101 BC. They marched in a Triumph in late 101 BC and then were discharged. The veterans of which were heavily involved in the political turmoil of 100 BC, which culminated in the Saturninus Affair. Prior to his death the tribune was able to pass a law bestowing land grants on Marius' veterans in Italian Gaul and elsewhere (though these might have later been revoked, along with all laws of Saturninus, deemed nul).

- During the Social War Marius initially served as legate to an army raised by the Consul P. Rutilius Lupus. Lupus and part of his army were killed at the battle of the River Tolenus in 88 BC. Marius saved the army, defeated the Marsi in a brilliant counterstroke, then himself fell from some serious illness immediately after. This army would later be given to Gn. Pompeius Strabo and then discharged after the Social War ended.

The same would have applied to Socii cohorts raised during this period, they too would have been discharged when the Romans were too. They just didn't get the land grants the Roman soldiers did under Marius. As you can see, no long standing legions.

It appears that the legions became more professionalized and long standing not in active war theaters (those were usually consular legions that would be levied and often discharged after victory) but instead during arduous and long term garrison duties. Garrison legions in spain, in Sicily, in Macedonia (fighting Thracian invaders and putting down local rebellions), Greece, and Asia would have likely seen consular and praetorian legions initially levied with supplementums ordered every few years to keep them at full strength for a six year period (which seems to have been the longest a legion would typically serve during the Late Republic, besides national emergencies).

Sulla's legions were pretty long standing. They were initially raised during the Social War, he used them at Nola, then were kept under the standards (probably because he got along well with him) and used during the Mithridatic Wars, then used after during the Civil War, before Sulla discharged them with land grants during his dictatorship. Pompey's later armies would have been similar. He raised numerous legions of clients, inherited other legions from Sulla or other commanders, and then used them in Spain against Sertorius and later in his campaign against the pirates and then while conquering the East. In the end, he discharged this army when he became Consul (with Crassus) and set them up with land grants largely in the East.

Caesar's initial four legions were likely recruited by a previous consul of Transalpine Gaul, Caesar definitely didn't do it himself. They fought for ten years under him and were likely supposed to be discharged but the Civil War interceded and that was delayed. The massive bonuses that Caesar gave to his soldiers was in my opinion the result of keeping the legions together after their 16 year service obligation was up (it wasn't 20 years until Augustus). If you actually look at the time period many of his legions mutinied it coincides with when the legion itself would have hit their 16 year mark under the standards. Minus MAJOR donatives they no longer had any obligation to serve.

[Corvus]

So there never has been an roman extraordinaire unit? Did such units had any special weapons, different to the weapons of hastati and principes? Were there an light infantry unit?

[Bryan]

So there never has been an roman extraordinaire unit? Did such units had any special weapons, different to the weapons of hastati and principes? Were there an light infantry unit?

By the time of the 2nd Punic War, Roman light infantry skirmishers were called velites, they possessed their own version of the pila, shortened and thinner, lighter, so they could carry many of them. They weren't elite, though they could be employed in novel ways (like riding pillion with cavalry) that could make them magnificent force multipliers. 

There appears in the Mid to Late Republic Praetorian Guards, which likely were Roman, but not of official units within the army. More of a consul, who being an extremely powerful Senator would have literal armies of clients, who would take many of these clients from his army and form a cohort or so of trusted bodyguards, mainly to protect them against threat of mutineers or assassins and the like. Scipio Aemilianus used one of these in Numantia I believe, made up of friends and supporters. And considering the draconian level of discipline that Scipio the Younger imposed on his army (he was the epitome of a Martinet) there actually might have been a need to be surrounded by actual loyal Romans. Other generals went a different route. 

During the Cimbri War, Marius brought with him a menagerie of strange camp followers, including a female southsayer who was carried everywhere he went on a padded litter wrapped in royal purple clothing. Marius appears to also employ slave gladiators as bodyguards, he is said to have rebuked a challenge in single combat with a Teutonic barbarian chieftain by offering to have his gladiator fight in his stead, if the barbarian won Marius "might" fight him. 

Other generals went similar route, slaves were highly trusted in Roman society, free citizens were less trustful (since they might have conflicting goals). Many men went willingly into "bondage" and were fanatically loyal to their owners. A gladiator employed by Marius could go from a simple entertainer during funeral games to later becoming a freeman, rich, and the privileged client of one of the most powerful men in Roman society. Many scoff at the idea of arming slaves but we must remember that the slave's place to sleep was at his master's feet or door to protect them at their most vulnerable.

[Timus]

I was wondering reading this thread, what would be the earliest reference to an ad-hoc picked force of legionaries ? Something along the lines of what "Caesar" describes a few times in the de Bello Civili.

[Bryan]

I was wondering reading this thread, what would be the earliest reference to an ad-hoc picked force of legionaries ? Something along the lines of what "Caesar" describes a few times in the de Bello Civili.

By Caesar, do you mean him favoring the 10th and using them as his "bodyguard"? Or do you mean Crastinus' picked men (uncertain what type of unit that was)? Or Caesar's favoring of cohorts of evocatii?

In the 5th Cent. BC the Patrician Fabii raised an army made up solely of their own clan to fight Etruscans, they ended up nearly completely wiped out leaving only a single Fabius male to carry on the family. 

Scipio Aemilianus brought with him a supplementum of 4,000 volunteers made up purely of client-supporters when he took command of the army laying siege to Numantia (the previous consuls having completely bungled the job). Some of these ended up as bodyguards in their own unit. They would probably be classified as the first true cohort of Praetorians.

[Timus]

I was wondering reading this thread, what would be the earliest reference to an ad-hoc picked force of legionaries ? Something along the lines of what "Caesar" describes a few times in the de Bello Civili.

By Caesar, do you mean him favoring the 10th and using them as his "bodyguard"? Or do you mean Crastinus' picked men (uncertain what type of unit that was)? Or Caesar's favoring of cohorts of evocatii?
[...]

I was thinking more like those examples here :

BC 1:57
Brutus was far inferior in number of ships, but Caesar had assigned to his fleet the bravest men, front-line men and centurions, picked from all the legions, who had demanded this charge for themselves.

 Erat multo inferior numero navium Brutus; sed electos ex omnibus legionibus fortissimos viros, antesignanos, centuriones, Caesar ei classi attribuerat, qui sibi id muneris depoposcerant.

Or BC 1:64
So he orders the weaker men, whose spirit or strength seemed unequal to the effort, to be set aside from all the centuries. These he leaves with one legion to guard the camp. The rest of the legions he leads out lightly equipped, and after placing a great number of pack-horses in the river above and below leads across his force.

Itaque infirmiores milites ex omnibus centuriis deligi iubet, quorum aut animus aut vires videbantur sustinere non posse. Hos cum legione una praesidio castris relinquit; reliquas legiones expeditas educit magnoque numero iumentorum in flumine supra atque infra constituto traducit exercitum.

Or BC 3:84
But in the case of his cavalry he retained his previous custom which we have explained above: since they were many times inferior in number, he gave orders that lightly equipped youths from among the first-rank men, with arms selected with a view to fleetness, should go into battle among the cavalry, so that by daily practice they might win experience in this kind of fighting also. The result of these measures was that one thousand horsemen, even in the more open ground, ventured, with the experience they had gained, to sustain the attack of seven thousand Pompeian horse, and were not greatly terrified by their multitude.

Superius tamen institutum in equitibus, quod demonstravimus, servabat, ut, quoniam numero multis partibus esset inferior, adulescentes atque expeditos ex antesignanis electis ad pernicitatem armis inter equites proeliari iuberet, qui cotidiana consuetudine usum quoque eius generis proeliorum perciperent.

And I guess you could indeed add that one to the list though it's unclear whether those men where evocati like Crastinus or simply volunteers currently serving in the army and possibly in Crastinus former cohort (The 1st) 
BC 3:91
Having said this, he ran forward first from the right wing, and about one hundred and twenty picked men of the same cohort, serving as volunteers, followed him.

Haec cum dixisset, primus ex dextro cornu procucurrit, atque eum electi milites circiter CXX voluntarii eiusdem cohortis sunt prosecuti.

I have a vague recollection of reading that Catilina used "picked men" to fill its first rank but I can't remember the source. I wouldn't be surprised if there were similar references regarding Marius' or Sulla's armies and I'm wondering what would be the earliest one and if any dates back to before the late republic.

[Bryan]

Not enough is known about antesignani to really make a call of who they were, if they were established into actual cohorts within a legion, if they were within a century of normal milites, or if they were just normal infantry who took their armor off and left their packs with the baggage train to make them very very mobile.

Catalina's first rank were evocatii too, made up of Sulla's discharged veterans of the Mithridatic and Civil War who'd joined up with Catalina over his call for debt relief and because he'd been a loyal lieutenant of Sulla and admired officer in his own right. Those of the latter ranks were poorly armed supporters, escaped slaves, farmers who answered his call, more a mob than actual soldiers. Marius and Sulla had actual armies, levied legions properly organized, supplied, and led.