Initially the Roman
army consisted of milicians,
who were selected for one campain
Though, until the reforms of Gaius Marius, Rome had no standing professional army, the army always hs been the core of the Roman society. No political carreer was possible without having served in the army King
Servius Tulius,
according to Titus Livius, reorganized the Roman army and created the
taxing
system (census) on which the position and armament of each man was
determened.
As soon as the consuls are declared, the military
tribunes are next appointed. Of these, fourteen are taken from the citizens who
have carried arms in five campaigns; and ten more from those who
completed ten. For every citizen, before he arrives at the age of
forty-six, is obliged to serve either ten years in the cavalry, or
sixteen in the infantry: those alone excepted who are placed by the
censors below the rate of four hundred drachmae; and who are all
reserved for the service of the sea. In the case of any pressing danger
the time of continuing in the infantry is extended to twenty years. No citizen is permitted by the
laws to sue for any magistracy before he has completed the serving of
ten campaigns.
Of course the armament of this army and the way it would operate was considerably different from the imperial period. Since there are 700 years in between, this is to be expected. The Romans didn't mind copying idees from other peoples, as long as it improved the Roman army, they would adapt.
The base of the Roman army was of course the legionaire.
More than anything else the army depended on the infantry. The cavalry was mainly
there to protect the flanks in battle and reconnaissance For rich young men, wanting a political
career, the cavalry was the opportunity to make themselves noticed. From the time Rome had forced the conquered cities to be allies of Rome, they had also to produce soldiers. Most of the cavalry was delivered by the allies. In the republican era a consular army existed of two Roman legions in the centre and at each wing an ala with allied soldiers commanded by a Roman. An Ala was organised in a simalar way as the Roman legion. |