See also List of Roman legions for details of notable late Republican legions The final form of the legion originated with the elite legiones palatinae created by Diocletian and the Tetrarchs. The last great example of maniple and phalanx battle is found at the battle of Pydna during the third Macedonian war between Rome and Perseus. With three lines, one behind the other the Romans deployed in separate maniples with each line having a maniple-sized gap between units, with those gaps covered by the next line back creating a checkerboard formation. Immediately subordinate to the legate would be six elected military tribunes – five would be staff officers and the remaining one would be a noble heading for the Senate (originally this tribune commanded the legion). Except for Legio I to IV, which were the consular armies (two per consul), other units were levied by campaign. Some descriptions of the testudo discriminate betw… The pliability of the Roman maniple allowed them to fight in any size group from whole legion advances to the individual soldier, ready for any occasion on the battlefield with two javelins, a large shield, and an effective gladius. The Roman empire developed much later than the Greek empire thus the Romans copied almost everything that the Greeks had developed over time, such as art, literature and Gods. The Roman manipular formation was quite a unique layout. The role of allied legions would eventually be taken up by contingents of allied auxiliary troops, called Auxilia. Formations of the Legion. A Roman legion was more flexible, because it had manacles that could split up and form shapes to trap the enemy. The Roman manipular legion and the Macedonian phalanx were each pivotal factors in the successes of their states, but was one formation actually better than the other? Governors were not allowed to leave their provinces with their legions. In the first years of the Republic, when warfare was mostly concentrated on raiding, it is uncertain if the full manpower of the legions was summoned at any one time. Is this tiny island really the lost home of the Aztecs? In terms of organisation and function, the Republican era legion may have been influenced by the ancient Greek and Macedonian phalanx.[2]. Examples of ideas that were copied and adapted include weapons like the gladius (Iberians) and warship design (cf. Most military commanders of the day simply had their troops rush wildly at the enemy, relying on superior numbers, better soldiers, or luck to carry the day. The Greek Phalanx. Regulations were strictly enforced, and a broad array of punishments could be inflicted upon a legionary who broke them. Although both implemented strong organization, they organized their soldiers in a different manner. In Rome Polybius studied Roman warfare and so had experience with both phalanx and maniple style warfare. Prior to this, cohorts had been temporary administrative units or tactical task forces of several maniples, even more transitory than the legions themselves. The organization from Homeric style hero warfare to tightly packed hoplite warfare was world changing. The Notitia Dignitatum lists 25 legiones palatinae, 70 legiones comitatenses, 47 legiones pseudocomitatenses and 111 auxilia palatina in the field armies, and a further 47 legiones in the frontier armies. Only Roman citizens could possibly serve at this time, as well. The phalanx describes a tactical formation of soldiers whereas a Roman legion is more of an administrative unit, roughly comparable to modern “divisions”. Ranking within the legion was based on length of service, with the senior Centurion commanding the first century of the first cohort; he was called the primus pilus (First Spear), and reported directly to the superior officers (legates and tribuni). (1995): The Beginnings of Rome. The Roman army, for most of the Imperial period, consisted mostly of auxiliaries rather than legions.[3]. Montesquieu wrote that "the main reason for the Romans becoming masters of the world was that, having fought successively against all peoples, they always gave up their own practices as soon as they found better ones."[16]. Spetzofai is a rustic spicy Greek dish that is made with thick sausages and long green and red peppers in a rich tomato sauce. Not purely a defensive formation, the phalanx could advance forward with pikes churning through virtually any opponent with ease. In the early years of the Roman Republic, the army was a volunteer, citizen army. A typical legion of this period had 5,120 legionaries as well as a large number of camp followers, servants and slaves. Because legions were not permanent units until the Marian reforms (c. 107 BC), and were instead created, used, and disbanded again, several hundred legions were named and numbered throughout Roman history. Legions became more formally organized in the 4th century BC, as Roman warfare evolved to more frequent and planned operations, and the consular army was raised to two legions each. Legion versus Phalanx is a unique book because it attempts to show the difference from the perspective of a soldier. File(s) KochomSpr10.pdf (2.833Mb) KochomSpr10.pptx (1.773Mb) Date 2010-04. In addition to attacking cities and fortifications, these would be used to help defend Roman forts and fortified camps (castra) as well. The influence of Roman military and civic culture, as embodied particularly in the heavy infantry legion, gave the Roman military consistent motivation and cohesion. Also, some warfare was still conducted by Roman forces outside the legionary structure, the most famous example being the campaign in 479 BC by the clan army of gens Fabia against the Etruscan city of Veii (in which the clan was annihilated). In the middle of the Republic, legions were composed of the following units: Each of these three lines was subdivided into (usually 10) chief tactical units called maniples. pp. Studies in the Auxilia of the Roman Army. Ancient heavy infantry unit of 1,000 to 5,000 men, Overview of typical organization and strength, Cornell, T. J. [citation needed], The 4th century saw a very large number of new, small legions created, a process which began under Constantine II. In the late republic and much of the imperial period (from about 100 BC), a legion was divided into ten cohorts, each of six (or five) centuries. All legionary soldiers would also receive a praemia (veterans' benefits) on completion of their term of service of 25 years or more: a sizeable sum of money (3,000 denarii from the time of Augustus) and/or a plot of good farmland (good land was in much demand); farmland given to veterans often helped in establishing control of the frontier regions and over rebellious provinces. This was later changed to nine cohorts of standard size (with six centuries at 80 men each) with the first cohort being of double strength (five double-strength centuries with 160 men each). The Roman legions on the left did not break, and fought fiercely. Philip's right wing was now on higher ground than the Roman left, and was at first successful against them. See List of Roman legions of the early Empire Each century had its own standard and was made up of ten units (contubernia) of eight men who shared a tent, a millstone, a mule and cooking pot. This transformation was likely a result of the Samnite wars fought in the varied mountainous terrain of central Italy where the Romans needed a more adaptable formation. Slaves could also be claimed from the prisoners of war and divided amongst the legion for later sale, which would bring in a sizeable supplement to their regular pay. The individual soldier of the phalanx was tied to the cohesion of his unit, but had the safety of multiple spearheads between the front row and the enemy. Until the middle of the first century, ten cohorts (about 500 men) made up a Roman legion. Roman military training focused on the more effective thrusting of the sword rather than the slash. All career soldiers could be promoted to the higher ranks in recognition of exceptional acts of bravery or valour. In the early Roman Kingdom legion may have meant the entire Roman army, but sources on this period are few and unreliable. Not from the viewpoint of a historian with the hindsight of history. The republican legions were composed of levied men that paid for their own equipment and thus the structure of the Roman army at this time reflected the society, and at any time there would be four consular legions (with command divided between the two ruling consuls) and in time of war extra legions could be levied. Kids will surely love it… Serve with crusty bread! The Roman shields have been more modern and advanced were stronger and larger than the Spartan shield, but the Spartan shield was built to … Civilians could also be rewarded for their assistance to the Roman legions. Toward the end of the 2nd century BC, Rome started to experience manpower shortages brought about by property and financial qualifications to join the army. Census data from the Roman Kingdom shows that the soldiers were Hoplites in a Phalanx. Zucchini is very hydrating so you will need to add only a few drops of olive oil, making it lower in calories! The individual Roman had more room to operate, with a large shield and effective sword allowing them to confidently engage and defend individually and as a group by locking shields. The best descriptions of the formations come from the historian Polybius. In the time of the Early Roman Empire, there were usually about 25–35 permanent standing legions.A legion consisted of several cohorts of heavy infantry known as legionaries. Their actions could secure the empire for a usurper or take it away. Metadata Show full item record. The Roman infantry met the phalanx and did not break, but were steadily forced back towards the broken ground behind them. In the Republic, legions had an ephemeral existence. And in all these cases the Macedonian phalanx is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to handle, because the men cannot act either in squads or separately. What you're actually comparing is Roman heavy infantry, or even better described, line infantry, so the Hastati, Principes, Triarii. As the Roman left was slowly being driven back, Flamininus took command of his right and ordered an assault there. In Gallic War (Bk IV, Para. The flexibility of the maniples allowed them to surround and destroy each unit until the rest of Philip’s forces fled. To date, about 50 have been identified. However, this put the loyalty of the soldiers in the hands of their general rather than the State of Rome itself. 25), Julius Caesar describes an incident at the start of his first invasion of Britain in 55 BC that illustrated how fear for the safety of the eagle could drive Roman soldiers. He justified this action to the Senate by saying that in the din of battle he could not distinguish Roman from ally. At the end of the 2nd century BC, Gaius Marius reformed the previously ephemeral legions as a professional force drawing from the poorest classes, enabling Rome to field larger armies and providing employment for jobless citizens of the city of Rome. The term legion also denotes the military system by which imperial Rome conquered and ruled the ancient world. From the time of Gaius Marius onwards, legionaries received 225 denarii a year (equal to 900 Sestertii); this basic rate remained unchanged until Domitian, who increased it to 300 denarii. 86–96; Elton, Hugh (1996). These individuals would have had the most to lose should the state have fallen. The legion evolved from 3,000 men in the Roman Republic to over 5,200 men in the Roman Empire, consisting of centuries as the basic units. In terms of organisation and function, the republican era legion may have been influenced by the ancient Greek and Macedonian phalanx. Given that the legion almost consistently defeated the phalanx, Cole suggests the principal advantages the Roman military system possessed that led to this result. Each legion, furthermore, had a vexillifer who carried a vexillum or signum, with the legion name and emblem depicted on it, unique to the legion. The Roman army became a volunteer, professional and standing army which extended service beyond Roman citizens but also to non-citizens who could sign on as auxillia (auxiliaries) and were rewarded Roman citizenship upon completion of service and all the rights and privileges that entailed. Rome's early period is undocumented and shrouded in myths, but those myths tell that during the rule of Servius Tullius, the census (from Latin: censeō – accounting of the people) was introduced. 'Very much to be determined' how virus will affect Trump For example, the defeat of Vitellius in the Year of the Four Emperors was decided when the Danubian legions chose to support Vespasian. This powerful Hellenic formation allowed the ancient Greeks to hold off the powerful Persian invasion and spread Hellenic culture throughout the Mediterranean. At the end of the civil war against Mark Antony, Augustus was left with around fifty legions, with several double counts (multiple Legio Xs for instance). 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These emperors would carefully add new legions, as circumstances required or permitted, until the strength of the standing army stood at around 30 legions (hence the wry remark of the philosopher Favorinus that It is ill arguing with the master of 30 legions). Kochom, Garrett. The first combats were during Pyrrhus’ invasion of Italy in 280 BCE. Despite this, the Eastern Roman/Byzantine armies continued to be influenced by the earlier Roman legions, and were maintained with similar levels of discipline, strategic prowess, and organization. How well do you know why one triumphed over the other? With the birth of the Roman Empire, the legions created a bond with their leader, the emperor himself. By the 1st century BC, the threat of the legions under a demagogue was recognized. There is no evidence to suggest that legions changed in form before the Tetrarchy, although there is evidence that they were smaller than the paper strengths usually quoted. The Macedonians outnumbered the Romans about 44,000 to 29,000 but both forces were equal in cavalry. His comrades, fearing disgrace, 'with one accord, leapt down from the ship' and were followed by troops from the other ships. Rock drummer: I was drinking 2 gallons of vodka a day. When Julius Caesar broke this rule, leaving his province of Gaul and crossing the Rubicon into Italy, he precipitated a constitutional crisis. After the Marian reforms and throughout the history of Rome's Late Republic, the legions played an important political role. Three major battles were fought with the first two being Pyrrhic victories for Pyrrhus. In spite of the steady inflation during the 2nd century, there was no further rise until the time of Septimius Severus, who increased it to 500 denarii a year. In the time of Augustus, there were nearly 50 upon his succession but this was reduced to about 25–35 permanent standing legions and this remained the figure for most of the empire's history. The most senior centurion in a legion was known as the primus pilus (first file or spear), who directly commanded the first century of the first cohort and commanded the whole first cohort when in battle. Roman organization was more flexible than those of many opponents. Enjoy this recipe on toast or crackers or as a bruschetta. Totals from summary of Notitia Dignitatum in Richardot, Philippe, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of Roman legions of the early Empire, Roman military decorations and punishments, "Greco-Macedonian influences in the manipular Legion system", "The Histories of Polybius: Fragments of Book VI p.357", "It's totally fine to use 'decimate' as a synonym for 'devastate'. With this all Roman able-bodied, property-owning male citizens were divided into five classes for military service based on their wealth and then organized into centuries as sub-units of the greater Roman army or legio (multitude). Instead of signing up for specific lengths of time in the army, prospective soldiers now promised a certain nu… The maniple was fluid, with each maniple led by centurions who were encouraged to take initiative and lead by example. A chocolaty goodness, an amazing comforting breakfast dish that the whole family will love! 95–95; Holder, Paul (1980). Compared to the manipular legion, Polybius gives little detail about the structure of an allied ala. An ala contained the same number of infantry as a legion (i.e. This effectively eliminated the notion of allied legions; henceforth all Italian legions would be regarded as Roman legions, and full Roman citizenship was open to all the regions of Italy. Legion, a military organization, originally the largest permanent organization in the armies of ancient Rome. There would also be a group of officers for the medical staff, the engineers, record-keepers, the praefectus castrorum (commander of the camp) and other specialists such as priests and musicians. The military discipline of the legions was quite harsh. Data in: Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003). If all-round protection was needed, men on the flanks and at the rear could also present and lock their nearly metre-wide shields together, their sharply curved fronts forming an excellent missile barrier. The earliest legiones palatinae were the Lanciarii, Joviani, Herculiani and Divitenses. See table in article "Auxiliaries (Roman military)" for compilation of this data. Barely after wrapping up the second Punic war, the Romans invaded Macedon to take the fight to Philip V, who had been an ally of Carthage and was now harassing Roman-allied Hellenic cities. Abstract. These centuries were grouped together as required and answered to the leader who had hired or raised them. Each of the battles mention featured varying skill and experiences for the commanders and the armies in general. The legion was commanded by a legatus or legate. [8] A rare instance of apparent direct continuity between the legions of the early Empire and those of the post-6th century army was Legion V Macedonica; created in 43 BC, recorded in the Notitia Dignitatum as a legione comitatense under the title of Quinta Macedonica and surviving in Egypt until the Arab conquest of 637 AD.[9]. Each of the three lines is then sub-divided within the century into a more forward and a more rear century. : A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875. At Heraclea and Asculum the tried and true Macedonian phalanx faced the Roman maniple that had only been established 40-100 years before. Despite a number of organisational changes, the Legion system survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This had come about as the large formation legion and auxiliary unit, 10,000 men, was broken down into smaller units - originally temporary detachments - to cover more territory. William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D. Over time, the legions effectively handled challenges ranging from cavalry, to guerrillas, and to siege warfare. In the fourth century AD, East Roman border guard legions (limitanei) may have become even smaller. There are several key differences in the formations. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields interlocking, the men of the phalanx presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. The size of a typical legion varied throughout the history of ancient Rome, with complements of 4,200 legionaries and 300 equites (drawn from the wealthier classes – in early Rome all troops provided their own equipment) in the republican period of Rome (the infantry were split into 10 cohorts each of four maniples of 120 legionaries), to 5,200 men plus 120 auxiliaries in the imperial period (split into 10 cohorts, nine of 480 men each, plus the first cohort holding 800 men). However, I assume your question is more about the difference in their fighting techniques. In small groups at first, the Romans dove into these narrow gaps in the lines and fought to widen them. Initially adopting a hoplite style phalanx due to influence from Southern Italian Hellenic colonies, the army eventually transformed into the flexible manipular legion. According to the late Roman writer Vegetius' De Re Militari, each century had a ballista and each cohort had an onager, giving the legion a formidable siege train of 59 Ballistae and 10 Onagers, each manned by 10 libritors (artillerymen) and mounted on wagons drawn by oxen or mules. Auxilia contained specialist units, engineers and pioneers, artillerymen and craftsmen, service and support personnel and irregular units made up of non-citizens, mercenaries and local militia. Equites and velites are both part of the Roman legion. Phyrrus) What I'm trying to say is that, back in 400 BC Spartans could crash a Roman army.100-150 years later though they would propably crashed. No added sugar, full of protein and chocolate! Find evidence to support the idea that the Romans were open to … During much of the republican era, a legion was divided into three lines of ten maniples. A miniature vexillum, mounted on a silver base, was sometimes awarded to officers as a recognition of their service upon retirement or reassignment. In addition, there were 24 vexillationes palatini, 73 vexillationes comitatenses; 305 other units in the Eastern limitanei and 181 in the Western limitanei. Following the reforms of the general Marius in the 2nd century BC, the legions took on the second, narrower meaning that is familiar in the popular imagination as close-order citizen heavy infantry. The cavalry fight was even but as soon as the infantry ran the cavalry followed suit. In 494 BC, when three foreign threats emerged, the dictator Manius Valerius Maximus raised ten legions which Livy says was a greater number than had been raised previously at any one time.[4]. Early Roman soldiers hence must have looked much like Greek hoplites. Rome's Italian allies were required to provide approximately ten cohorts (auxilia were not organized into legions) to support each Roman Legion. As part of the Marian reforms, the legions' internal organization was standardized. [7] Legion names such as Honoriani and Gratianenses found in the Notitia suggest that the process of creating new legions continued through the 4th century rather than being a single event. Both formations were formed through strict organization of soldiers and commanding officers. These 3,000 men (twenty maniples of 120 men, and ten maniples of 60 men), together with about 1,200 velites and 300 cavalry gave the mid Republican ("manipular") legion a nominal strength of about 4,500 men. Initially adopting a hoplite style phalanx due to influence from Southern Italian Hellenic colonies, the army eventually transformed into the flexible manipular legion. Read More: Roman Legion Names. This was considered a great honour and would bring the recipient much prestige. The decisive battle happened on flat ground not too far from the site of Thermopylae. In these cases, the detached subunits carried only the vexillum, and not the aquila, and were called, therefore, vexillationes. Spartans lost from the Theban "oblique" phalanx.Its evolution,the Macedonian Phalanx, crushed the Thebans.And the Roman legion in most occasions won the phallanx (it lost sometimes though,f.e. Zucchini replaces chickpeas here, so this recipe is lower in carbohydrates and a nice choice for those with intolerance to legumes. Legion vs phalanx is the worst descriptor. As the Roman military grew and conquered, the army evolved into the legion that would march from Italy to Britain, from Gibraltar to the Fertile Crescent, and everywhere in between. Some legions may have even been reinforced at times with units making the associated force near 15,000–16,000 or about the size of a modern division. Complete Roman Army. 10 questions, rated Tough. Comparing the Greek Phalanx with the Roman Legion. Each legion was divided into cohorts. Polybius states that the biggest weakness of the phalanx is its uselessness in rugged terrain, but we know that under competent leadership the phalanx had won victories even while crossing rivers. As gaps grew, more, presumably fresh, men from the rear lines were fed through to completely infiltrate dozens of segments of the phalanx and the Macedonians soon broke. The entire foundation of Roman infantry tactics was the idea that by keeping troops in order, one could fight more effectively. A maniple consisted of two centuries and was commanded by the senior of the two centurions. However, the phalanx is a sign of growing state control and military organisation, and as such, it can serve as a marker of how Greek civilisation was advancing to catch up with the empires of the East. The javelins thrown by the maniples were also an effective formation breaking tool used to lessen the impact of enemy charges or create holes to exploit with their own charge. pp 123. 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