Essay: The roman Army

The Greek Phalanx The early Roman army, however, was a different thing altogether than the later imperial army. At first, under the Etruscan Kings, the massive Greek phalanx was the mode of battle. Early Roman soldiers hence must have looked much like Greek hoplites. A key moment in Roman history was the introduction of the census (the counting of the people) under Servius Tullius. With this the citizens were graded into five classes, from these …

…dependable fighters. At the front the hastati and principes each formed a maniple of about 60 men, with 20 leves attached to each maniple of hastati. At the back the triarii rorarii and accensi were organized into a group of three maniples, about 180 men, called an ordo. As the historian Livy quotes the main fighting force, the principes and the hastati, at a strength of fifteen maniples then the following size could be assumed for a legion: