The Roman Army through the Early Period

Rome's history is vast and glorious in military terms. From the 3rd century b.c. into the 3 century a.d. the military machine of the Roman legions was almost unstoppable (yes, they had their bad defeats but overall they had successful campaigns). This article takes a look at the early Roman period in the 3rd and 2nd century b.c.

The Roman army had three major unit types on the battle field with two missile troops and one main type of cavalry unit. The three foot soldiers were the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii. The Hastati were the youngest group and least experienced in the army. Their armor was not quite as good as the other two soldier types. The Hastati were the first line of attack or defense in any army. If they wavered, were destroyed, or else were routed, the second line of defense would take over - the Principes. The Principes boasted better armor and weapons, and were considered a heavy troop type. They were more seasoned veterans of the army and were often older in age. They served as support troops for the Hastati and often joined the battle when it was just getting hot. If the first two lines of soldiers failed, the third lined of defense, the Triarii, took on the battle. An old Roman saying was "It came to the Triarii…" meaning it came to the bitter end, and the battle would be decided very shortly. The Triarii bore heavy spears and armor, and they were the oldest and most seasoned soldiers of the Roman army. They would either make or break the battle if it came to them.

The two missle troops types were the Velites and Archers. The Velites were a skirmishing soldier and they threw javelins at the enemy before the real battle took place. They would then retreat between the lines of soldiers when the enemy got too close. The archers bore regular bows and fired arrows as support to the main army. The only main cavalry unit that the early Roman army had were the Equites. While they didn't wear soldier Roman armor, the lack of it made them very quick on the battle field. They were used to run down routing troops or used as quick attacks from behind.

John Hilde is a historical weapons and armor collector and owns his own online store selling authentic armor and weapons. Please visit http://www.armorvenue.com to learn more.