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Roman Legion
Facts about the Roman
Legion
Each legion had a
Roman Standard, a bar
across the top of the spear, with the letters on it S P Q R—Senatus,
Populus Que Romanus—meaning the Roman Senate and People, a
purple flag below and a figure above, such as an eagle, or
the wolf and twins, or some emblem sacred to the Romans. The
legions were on foot, but the troops of patricians and
knights on horseback were attached to them and had to
protect them.
The
History of the Roman Legion - Who was allowed to serve in a Roman Legion?
For many centuries the
Roman Legions was composed exclusively of Roman citizens. Up
to the year B.C. 107, no one was permitted to serve among
the regular soldiers except those who were regarded as
possessing a strong personal interest in the stability of
the Roman republic. Every Roman citizen was trained to arms
and was liable to be called upon to serve in the armies.
According to the Roman constitution, every free-born citizen
was a soldier and bound to serve in the Roman legion in the
army from the age of seventeen to forty-six. The general
period of service for the infantry was twenty years, after
which the soldier received a discharge, together with a
bounty in money or land.
Roman
Legion Support
Each Roman legion were
supported by quartermasters, training offices, physicians,
surgeons, blacksmiths, metal workers, veterinarians, clerks,
trumpeters, orderlies, intelligence officers, torturers and
executioners. Every legion also had a baggage train of 640
mules or about 1 mule for every 8 legionaries. The names and
descriptions of many of the men who carried out the support
functions to the Roman Legion are detailed in the following
link:
Roman Army Ranks
The
History of the Roman Legion - The Standing Army and the
number of Legions
The distant wars of the
republic, such as the prolonged operations of Caesar in
Gaul, made a standing army a necessity. During the civil
wars between Caesar and Pompey the legions were forty in
number; under Augustus the number decreased to twenty-five.
Alexander Severus increased the legions to thirty-two.
The army of Roman citizens was eventually replaced by a
standing army made up of landless city dwellers and newly
created citizens from outlying provinces. In the early age
of the republic the legion was disbanded as soon as the
special service was performed, and was in all essential
respects a militia. Marius admitted all orders of citizens;
and after the close of the Social War in B.C. 87, the whole
free population of Italy was allowed to serve in a Roman
Legion. The Emperor Claudius incorporated with the Roman
legion the vanquished Goths, and after him the barbarians
filled up the ranks of the legions on account of the
degeneracy of the times.
The Number of Soldiers in
a Roman Legion
The Roman legion was a most
perfect organization, a great mechanical force which could
sustain furious attacks after patriotism and public
spirit had fled. The number of soldiers of which a Roman
Legion was composed of varied at different periods. It
rarely exceeded six thousand men.
The number of soldiers in a Roman Legion changed over the
years:
Under Romulus the legion contained 3000 foot-soldiers *** From
the expulsion of the Kings from Rome until the second year
of the Second Punic War the regular number in the Roman
Legion may be fixed at 4000 or 4200 infantry *** From the
latter period until the consulship of Marius the ordinary
number in the Roman Legion was from 5000 to 5200 *** For some
centuries after Marius the numbers in a Roman Legion varied
from 5000 to 6200, generally approaching to the higher
limit of 6000. Amid all the variations with regard to the infantry,
300 horsemen formed the regular complement of the legion.
The
Structural
Reorganisation of the Roman Legions by Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius (157
BC–January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician
elected consul. Marius made dramatic reforms to the Roman
armies. The structural reorganisation of the army and the
Roman Legion by Marius resulted in the following changes:
*** The legions were thrown
open to citizens of all grades, without distinction of fortune *** All of the soldiers in the Roman Legions were
armed and equipped in the same manner - all being now furnished with
the pilum
*** The
legionaries, when in battle-order,
were no longer arranged in three
lines, each consisting of ten
maniples with an open space between
each maniple, but in two lines, each
consisting of five cohorts, with a
space between each cohort
*** The
younger soldiers were no longer
placed in the front, but in reserve,
the van being composed of veterans
*** Due to the changes the
distinction between Hastati, Principes, and Triarii ceased to exist
*** The Velites
disappeared
*** The skirmishers, included
under the general term Levis Armatura, consisted for the most part
of foreign mercenaries possessing peculiar skill in the use of some
national weapon, such as the Balearic slingers, the Cretan archers (sagittarii),
and the Moorish dartmen
*** When
operations requiring great activity
were undertaken, such as could not
be performed by mere skirmishers,
detachments of legionaries were
lightly equipped, and marched
without baggage for these special
services
The cavalry of the legion
underwent a change in every respect to that which took place with
regard to the light-armed troops
*** The Roman Equites
attached to the army were very few
in number, and were chiefly employed
as aids-de-camp and on confidential
missions
*** The bulk of the cavalry
consisted of foreigners, and hence we find the legions and the
cavalry spoken of as completely distinct from each other
Organisation of a Roman
Legion
The Roman Legion consisted
of 10 cohorts. The basic organisation of an Imperial legion
was as follows: 1 contubernium = 8 soldiers: 1
contubernium (mess unit / tent group), probably led by a file leader *** 1 centuria (century) = 10
contubernia: 1 centuria (century), commanded by the centurion *** 1 cohort = 6 centuriae: 1
cohort commanded by its senior centurion *** 1 legio (legion) = 10 cohortes:
1 legio (legion), commanded by the legatus (legate)
Roman
Cohorts
Roman Legion - The
Infantry
The main dependence of the Roman legion was on the infantry,
which wore heavy armor, a helmet, a shield, a light spear
called a pilum or javelin and a short cut-and-thrust sword
with a double edge. Besides the armor and weapons of the
legionary, he usually carried on the marches provisions for
two weeks, three or four stakes used in forming the palisade
of the camp, besides various tools. The Roman Legionary
carried altogether a burden of sixty or eighty pounds per
man.
Roman Legion - The
Cavalry
The cavalry attached to
each legion consisted of three hundred men, who originally
were selected from the leading men in the State. The
cohortes equitates were the mixed cohorts of cavalry and
infantry used in the first, second and third centuries AD. They were
mounted at the expense of the State, and formed a distinct
order. The cavalry was divided into ten squadrons.
Roman Legion - Artillery
To each legion was attached
ten military engines of the largest size and fifty-five of
the smaller. All of these large weapons discharged stones
and darts with great effect. The artillery were used both
for hurling missiles in battle, and for the attack on
fortresses.
Roman Siege Weapons
Roman Legion
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