The army has always been the fundamental pillar on which the most imposing empires in history have been sustained, fed and raised. These were nothing more than the means by which the states enriched themselves and conquered territories to later be exploited, after all we can deduce that the army could be used as a throwing weapon against the thirst for wealth or as a shield against thirst of others.
The Roman legions have been no different. An army that crossed all kinds of barriers, spatial and temporal, since even today we hear the echo of its trumpets and the passage of thousands of calligae through Gaul, the wetlands of the Nile, the Hispanic plains and mountains or the Mediterranean Levant among many other places. But what was so special about an army that carried Romanity across such a vast territory?
origins
Before being the army we know, and with which he led to the maximum expression of
empire to the Roman state, was a levy army, not professional. It was an army of
citizens, a militia, in which any Italian individual was recruited to exercise a
military service, which depending on its economic power could be assigned to a unit
or other. But in its beginnings, as in many other aspects, the Roman legion had a
Greek influence that came to form what is known today as the legion, this was the hoplitic reform, which had its foray into the formation, organization and strategy of the legions, which was archaically based on individual value. (ROLDAN HERVAS. J).
The Roman legions are, in many aspects, a completely consolidated institution that, after the reforms of Gaius Mario, its foundations were established, and depending on the needs and circumstances or type of war, it changed its structure, armament and strategy, making it , not a strong and inflexible arm, but a malleable army, capable of adapting to the circumstances and, above all, being the trigger for the phenomenon that we call Romanization and vehicle of cultures. But in addition to that, it was an institution closely linked to politics and that served on many occasions to claim power over one or more individuals. After all, it was nothing more than an instrument of power that could be used against the state itself (ALFÖLDY, G. 2010).
Organization of the legions
The organization of the legions after the reforms of Marius made this army an army
professional unlike what was previously, an army of levies (legio – leva). The
military service before reaching the deductio (discharge of troops) consists of around 20 years of service, of which the soldiers could spend a large part of them under the orders of a senatorial position. This reform made the soldiers, who aspired to spend a large percentage of their lives in the war accompanied by their comrades and superiors, have more loyalty to their superior than to their mother country -this is the case of the Civil War of Caesar and Pompey – or the emperor himself -Civil War against Nero-. (ALFÖLDY, G., 2010, p130).
Structure
The legion was divided into various groups and subgroups. The legionnaires were Roman soldiers and citizens, specialized in heavy infantry combat and who had to perform a military service of 20 years before their deduction.
The century It was made up of 80 men and led by a centurion, who in turn was divided into 10 contubernium of 8 soldiers, who shared all kinds of resources and utensils for their supply, such as the same 6-bed tent to sleep in the camp – 6 slept while 2 stood guard – or the mule to transport it all.
The centurion He was a specialist in combat, who as a citizen has been rising from below, being able to serve in one or more legions.
The cohort It was made up of 6 centuries, commanded by a centurion pilus prior -of the 6 centurions he would be the highest-ranking- and by 3 maniples that were made up of 2 centuries each.
The Legion –legion– at the same time was made up of 10 cohortsthe first cohort being the largest with twice as many units as the rest of the cohorts, and was led by a legion legate -senatorial rank-, a laticlavian tribune -senatorial rank- and 5 angusticlavian tribunes -equestrian rank- in order of relevance in the military command.
He helps them in the legions
The help -auxiliaries- were led by a decurion and play a fundamental role
within the army. These were units recruited from indigenous people from other parts of the empire, who were not legally citizens but pilgrims, and who were recruited based on the specialization of the specific indigenous people, for example, a people with a livestock tradition could be recruited as cavalry within of the legion They were recruited out of a need for more dynamic light infantry units that could better harass the enemy. These would fundamentally be cavalry and light infantry, contributing their own style of combat. Auxiliary units used to have the name of the place or town to which they belonged. That is why we know that the Celtiberians, with great livestock wealth, were excellent horsemen.
The help they had a few years of service, usually around 25 years, depending on the circumstances, and after completing the years of service they were granted Roman citizenship.
Administrative charges
There were other positions within the legions that had considerable relevance, not on the active level, but essential. This is the case of consular beneficiaries, individuals who were part of the army but their work was far from the battlefield. They were in charge of the coordination between the legion to which they were attached and the office of the governor of the
province in which the legion was based or was closest. As a general rule, the legion has an independent and autonomous character from the province in which they are based, and therefore from its governor -Legate pro praetor or proconsul-.
The frumentaries would be another professional position in the Roman legion. This would be essential in the maintenance of the army since they were in charge of supplying the troops and that they were fed properly.
stipendium
Any soldier should receive his stipendium annual -salary-. East stipendium usually go out
reflected in the epigraphy in which soldiers appear, followed by a number that indicates the years in which he has received his pay and therefore his years of military service.
In times of Augustus the annual stipendium was around 200 denarii, but with the passing of the
time and with the political and/or economic needs was changing. (ALFÖLDY, G. 2010: 257)
It should be noted that each legion, with its complete organization and its approximately 6,000 soldiers, had its own banner, name and number. As a curious fact, those legions that were called gemina they would be the ones that had been formed from the merger of 2 previous legions.
On many occasions the names of the legions could be repeated, so that throughout history there were several legions with the name Augusta, and that, if they lost in combat dishonorably, they were punished by changing that name.
Equipment of the legions
The equipment of the legionnaire was complete and was given to the soldier from the first day he joined the army.
It consists first of a tunic and armor, which had several types such as the lorica hamata -mail armor-, lorica segmentata -plate armor- or the lorica squamata -scale armor-, also followed by a galea -helmet- for superior protection and a calligae -sandals- footwear.
As for basic weapons, the legionnaire had a pugio -dagger-, one gladius -short sword- and 2 pile -spear with a fine tip-, although the equites they used to use as their main weapon spathe, a sword of approximately 80 cm, longer than the gladius -60 cm-, which allowed them to have more reach when they fought mounted on horseback. The scutum -shield- could be rectangular or oval.
The pile tactically they were a great ally for the legionnaire. They were launched in the charges, causing that, when they were stuck in the enemy shields, the points would bend, rendering said shields useless and depriving them of melee defense. (ESPINÓS, J. 2010: 62)
These had to take care of the maintenance of their equipment and all the equipment had to be transported by themselves, which is why they initially earned the name “Mario’s mules”, in honor of Cayo Mario.
Recruitment and training
Gaius Mario’s reforms were largely caused by the exhaustion of the levy system that had been in place up to that very moment in Rome. The urban plebs were less and less interested in going to war, what before was an act of prestige, had now been transformed into disinterest. With the reforms of the aforementioned, recruitment changes completely, giving rise to a professionalization of the army, and allowing the recruitment of that rural plebs, which little by little, would not only come from the Italian peninsula, but would also come from some provincial territories. -before the promise of a payment at the end of the service or the transfer of a piece of land- in which there were Roman citizens, since these were the only ones who could be recruited as legionnaires, and if they were not, they could be recruited as help. (ROLDAN HERVAS, J)
Army comes from the Latin word exercitus, which refers to physical exercise. The troops were trained in physical exercise, the use of weapons and in formations, both parade and combat. The formations were an important point for the effective performance of the pre-designed strategies and also important in the civic sense, it was something that differentiated them from the hordes of formations of the barbarians.
Legionnaire Life
The legionnaires, in their military service, were forbidden to marry, so that in multiple
epigraphic evidence we find the word contubernalis, which does not mean more than “couple” or “union” but that this would not be contemplated by the Roman law ius connubium, the right of marriage.
His life should be destined to the performance of military activity, and could spend 20 years
of service outside their place of origin, which was in the interest of the state to have men who did not
were emotionally tied to avoid possible defections. These were trained from the beginning to blindly obey orders without questioning the ethics of
these.
War and peace
The Roman legion, as the spearhead for the empire, was infallible in many respects. Every empire had to rely on a powerful army to defend and expand borders. Rome was an expert in this, but her army was not only used to wage war, it also served to spread Romanization, to perpetuate the conquest that had cost so many lives and required so many resources, after which it was time to take advantage of the conquered territory, and the role of the legion in the peace came into play.
The Roman legion has…