During the mid-Republic years when Consuls were given command of two Legions each the socii then were expected to raise a total of up to four armies ( Alae - or "wings") in support and hand them over to Roman commanders. Every Legion which the Republic put in the field the socii were expected to match in size. The Socii (literally "allies") were the tribes and city-states of the Italian peninsula which retained their autonomy in return for their service to Rome. ![]() ![]() This will give you a total stack of twenty units - the max allowed for a single army. Three (3) Equites or two (2) with General attached to Equites bodyguard.Five (5) Triarii or four (4) with General attached to Triarii bodyguard.Instead, what follows is an army composition that gets nearest to the mark as the game can. In total, a Mid-Republican Legion would have a standing size of four-thousand five-hundred men though some historians believe they could've been as large as six thousand.ĭue to the limitations of Total War: Rome II however achieving an exact 1:1 representation within a single army is impossible. Combined, these three ranks would add up to three-thousand men with the Velites numbering one thousand two-hundred and Equites being three hundred. The Manipular Legion was named so due to the fact that each of the three heavy infantry types (Hastati, Principes, and Triarii) were divided into ten maniples each consisting of one-hundred and twenty men (aside from the Triarii which numbered at sixty men). The Polybian system continued to be used, with occastional adjustments, until the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Velites were also used to fight off war elephants and chariots if they were present on the battlefield. As with the Leves, the Velites did not form their own units but were attached to all three of the heavy infantry types and acted as skirmishers who screened the advance of the Hastati. Other changes included the replacement of the three light infantry classes with one, the Velites, who carried javalins and gladii. The Triarii on the other hand traded in their clipei for the scuta. In addtion, the Hastati and Principes replaced their spears with gladii and now carried two pila (heavy javalins) which they threw into the enemy ranks moments before charging in with swords drawn. Under the Polybian reforms the three ranks were no longer dependant on wealth but rather age and experience with the Hastati being composed of the younger soldiers yet to see battle, the Principes being slightly older and blooded, and the ranks of the Triarii being filled by grizzled veterans who had proven themselves in war. Soon the Polybian system would take its place making both large and small adjustments.Ĭhief among these changes was the division of the heavy infantry classes. Lastly the Camillan legion also included Equites, cavalry, who were used to flank and/or run down retreating enemies.Īs the Punic Wars began (264 BC - 146 BC) the Camillan system started to shows signs of ineffectiveness - namely due to its large amount of light skirmisher infantry. Accensi were slingers situated at the rear with the Triarii to provide support, and the Rorarii's role is somewhat lost to history however the best guess is that they were reserve troops who stood with the Accensi and Triarii - providing support where they were needed. ![]() Leves were javalin-armed skirmishers attached to the Hastati who would run to the front of the line and throw their weapons before retreating back to safety. These three classes were divided by personal wealth (Hastati being the poorest, Triarii the wealthiest) and all carried the hastae (spear) and scuta (shield) save for the Triarii who also carried gladii (short swords) and the large round Greek shield known as the clipei instead of the scuta.Īccompanying these classes would be three groups of light infantry known as the Leves, Accensi, and Rorarii. ![]() The Camillan, the first to be adopted, introduced three distinct types of heavy infantry: the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii. In the Mid-Republican era - roughly around the time that the game's campaign begins - Rome's military had abadoned it's long-standing Etruscan hoplite model (578 BC - 315 BC) and had begun using the Manipular one.ĭuring its time of use the Manipular Legion went through two distinct phases: the Camillan and Polybian systems.
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