Samnite Army

[Mythos_Ruler]

What kind of troop-types did the Samnites use in their battles against the Romans during the 3 Samnian Wars?

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

Surely heavy an light infantry plus cavalry commanded by the "Meddix Tuticus" (the equivalent of the roman Consul). Titus Liuius in his Ab Urbe Condita - X, 38 and in his Annales IX, 40 tells that in the second half of the third samnitic war (294 b.c.) were formed two different armies: the 16.000 men elite army of "Legio Linteata" with shining gilded equipment and multicolored tunics, through a sacred and ancient ceremony of oath, a devotio to the samnitic Gods within a sacred and canvas covered enclosure; plus another 20.000 men elite army with shining silvered equipment and white linen tunics. Both were annihilated during the battle/siege of Aquilionia in the Aesernia area by the roman Consul Papirius Cursor's army.

The Legio Linteata was organized on manipular basis: 10 x 1.600 manipulares, maybe subdivided in four 400 men sub-units that Liuius call "cohortes", again subdivided in two manipuli and then in two centuriae, commanded by a Centurio Prior an one Posterior. The division of the Cohors in two Manipuli could explain why the Romans adopted just in that period the same formation. That could drive to think that the Samnites front was organized in two lines: the light one equipped with javelins and shields; the heavy one equipped in the hoplitic way, as seen in the frescoes. Moreover were their allies.

See at [url:uj4sup23]http://xoomer.alice.it/davmonac/sanniti/smarm01.html[/url] a very fine site about the samnite warriors and wars equipment (click on "continua" or on the gladii for next pages).
In italian, but with many fine images, then you can always babelfish it...




samnitic standard bearer and warrior



samnitic light infantry

Vale,

[Robert Vermaat]

Another:

[Dan Diffendale]

samnitic standard bearer and warrior

That painting comes from a tomb-painting at Nola in Campania, 330-320 BC. I'd hesitate to call the man on the left a "standard-bearer." What looks like a flag hanging off his javelins is actually the tunic and bronze belt of a defeated enemy.
I recently posted a German article from 1909 having to do with these types of tomb-paintings -- see the thread here

The first picture that Robert posted, "Army of Lars Porsenna," is based on equipment from earlier (5th century BC) and farther northwest in Italy (Etruria), so isn't precisely Samnite.

The second picture is a watercolor of a triple-disc cuirass (see more about the picture itself here), an apparently typical Samnite armor type. For distribution of pieces with known provenance, see this article by Mike Burns, "The Homogenisation of Military Equipment Under the Roman Republic", p. 84, map 5. For other examples see my page on Italic body armor; I have helmets here.

Definitely check out Davide Monaco's site, which Daniele posted above. There are some pages of it available in English, e.g. on the Legio Linteata (English Index)

What kind of troop-types did the Samnites use in their battles against the Romans during the 3 Samnian Wars?

I think you'll find "Samnite Wars" is the more usual term for the conflicts. Can you be more specific in your question?

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

i thought Lars Porcenna was an Etruscan king?

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

I'd hesitate to call the man on the left a "standard-bearer." What looks like a flag hanging off his javelins is actually the tunic and bronze belt of a defeated enemy.

True! It also looks like a sort of lorica with micro-pteryges on the shoulders. Any findings/sources to understand what enemy that cuirass or tunic belonged to?

Vale

[Dan Diffendale]

True! It also looks like a sort of lorica with micro-pteryges on the shoulders. Any findings/sources to understand what enemy that cuirass or tunic belonged to?

I think the "pteruges" you're seeing are either the throw-loops for the javelins or the cord to attach the tunic to the javelins. Also at the bottom you can see small weights to keep the tunic down -- I believe there was a thread here earlier about such things on Roman cloaks?

As for the identity of the defeated, there haven't been any concerted efforts to study tunic patterns that I know of -- it's a project I'm just getting started with. I'll let you know if/when I have something presentable.

i thought Lars Porcenna was an Etruscan king?

Yep! King of Clusium/Clevsin, he led an Etruscan army against Rome after the recently-deposed Tarquinus Superbus appealed for help. According to Livy (2.10) Horatius held them off long enough for the bridge across the Tiber to be cut. Other sources indicate that he did indeed occupy the city.

[Mythos_Ruler]

I think you'll find "Samnite Wars" is the more usual term for the conflicts. Can you be more specific in your question?

More specifically, the names of the troops types (Greek example: hoplite, akontistes, peltast, hyppikon, hypaspistai) and what their weaponry and functions were.

[varistus]

How come much is not known about the Samnites. The Romans wrote much about them with fear it seems and not much else. However, the Romans always seemingly did this to their enemies. Think it was more than just political propaganda perhaps but part of who they were.(cultural makeup)Example: British downplaying of a serious issue.
In actuality it seems that the Romans really did not have fear looking at their battles as a whole. It amazes me that the Romans did not surrender as much as any of their foes and were willing to die quite easily. Being outnumbered throughout most of their campaigns was not a factor. They just wrote about fear and the amazing ability of their foes but I suspect they did not feel fear anybody, military training was just that superb. (or dumb,whatever way you want to look at it)