Marian/Caesarian Rome [91-31 BC]

The Punic Wars, and the smaller wars which followed, strained Italy’s military manpower, and the Social, or Marsic,
War (91-89 BC), between Rome and its Latin colonies on one hand, and the non-Latin Italian states on the other, all
but exhausted it. (As many as 100,000 men of military age were killed in the three years of the war, and many towns
were destroyed.)

The result of the Social War was an exhausted peace, gained by tardily granting full Roman citizenship to all
inhabitants of the Italian peninsula. This ended the distinction between Roman legions and allied Alae. But the
depopulation and pauperization of Italy had become so severe that, in order to maintain the strength of the army, it
became necessary to adopt other expedients. Military service in the heavy infantry of the legion had traditionally
been limited to those wealthy enough to purchase their arms. Now the property requirements for the army were
abolished and the state provided equipment and regular pay. The result was a genuinely professional army.

These reforms are generally credited to the Roman consul Marius, and so this new style army is called the Marian
Legion. It is the instrument with which Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and Augustus Caesar forged an empire.
Although this list covers only 60 years, it was an extremely eventful 60 years.

Equipment: Even with the expanded geographic pool, citizen infantry was a valuable commodity. This, along with
the provision of equipment by the state, had blurred the distinction between troop types to meaninglessness. By this
time all infantry in the legion had become heavy infantry, and the distinction between velites, hastati, principes, and
triarii disappeared. All infantry in the legion had become heavy infantry, armed with the pilum and the gladius.

All infantry now carried the large scutum (shield) of Gallic pattern, and this was their principal means of protection.
All had helmets as well, and now all wore some form of body armor. Iron mail was more common than before, but
bronze pectorales must still have been in some use, and muscled cuirasses were also occasionally worn, although
now almost exclusively by officers. On occasions when large numbers of troops were raised on short notice, such as
during the several civil wars throughout this period, many recruits undoubtedly had no body armor at all, and made
do with a shield and cheep helmet.

When the legion had been composed of different classes of troops, the hastati had formed up in front of their
standards, and the velites had usually fought out in front of them. This was in contrast to the principes and triarii
who formed up behind their standards (as they were initially in a more secure position in the line of battle). As a
result, the hastati and velites were sometimes called antesignani, meaning troops who fought “in front of the
standard”. Although there were no dedicated light troops in the later legion, a picked force of younger soldiers could
be assembled as necessary to fight as light infantry. They apparently left behind their heavier armor, used a small
circular shield like that of the former velites, and used the light javelin instead of the heavier pilum. When employed
in this way they were called antesignani.

Army Composition: A legion consisted of ten cohorts, each of about 480 men except for the first cohort, which was
almost twice as strong. Each cohort had originally been formed from one maniple each of hastati, principes, and
triarii, but that distinction was now gone. The centuries of the cohort formed in line, and the cohorts themselves were
deployed in checkerboard fashion on the battlefield, in one, two, or three lines, as the tactical situation suggested.

There was no longer any cavalry directly attached to the legion (aside from a few mounted messengers), and now all
cavalry and most light infantry was provided by non-Italian allied contingents fighting with their own weapons.
Gallic cavalry was very widely used, as were Numidian archers, Balearic slingers, and whatever local allies were
available.

Tactics: When an army formed for battle, the legions usually formed in the center, flanked by the allied auxiliaries.
Light infantry might be deployed out front as skirmishers or to secure difficult ground. Cavalry was generally on the
wings.

The Roman legions still used the quincunx (or checkerboard) formation, although as mentioned above the maniple
was no longer a tactical unit. Instead, complete cohorts were assigned to different lines, and were committed in
succession as needed to reinforce the battle. Battlefield grand tactics were little more sophisticated than they had
been in the Republic, although a generation of semiprofessional generals appeared whose growing battlefield
experience caused them to command with increasing confidence. Still, the main tactic of the Roman general
remained to get his legionnaries into gladus-thrusting range of the enemy and then let things run their natural course.
The increasing experience and professionalism of the individual legionnarie was Rome’s true secret weapon.

Infantry (unlimited)
Legionaries: Drilled Flexible Heavy Heavy-Missile Infantry [16] (≥60%)
Options: Professional +4
Remove Flexible (conscripts) -3
Downgrade to Medium -1
Levy -4
Reluctant -4

Antesignani: Drilled Flexible Light Javelin [13] (≤10% of total)

Slingers: Professional Flexible Light Sling Infantry [13]

Archers: Flexible Light Bow Infantry [10]

Gallic Infantry: Impetuous Light Shock Infantry [5]

Iberian Infantry: Impetuous Light Infantry [3]

“Peltasts”: Flexible Light Javelin Infantry [8]

German Infantry: Confident Light Shock Infantry [8]

German Lt. Inf: Confident Flexible Light Javelin Infantry [10]

Mounted (≤10% of total)

Iberian Cavalry: Light Javelin Cavalry [7]

Numidian Cavalry: Flexible Light Javelin Poor-Melee Cavalry [8]

German Cavalry: Light Javelin Cavalry [7]

Greek Cavalry: Medium Spear Javelin Cavalry [9]

Asiatic Cavalry: Flexible Light Javelin Cavalry [10] In East Only