THE FIGHTING SYSTEM
OF THE LEGIONS
It is not clear actually as a Roman Legion during the Punic wars. There are some theories, but the 2 main sources the Greek Polybius and the Roman Livio don't clarify how it really operated. I have to point out to the attention of the readers a new series of books (written in Italian) with new ideas about the Roman Legion, going back to the sources and elaborating from chronicles of battles and from them interpretating the said main sources.
These books are titled "DE REBUS MILITUM - La Tattica della Legione romana dagli albori al tramonto - Volume I e Volume II. (Authors Dario Battaglia e Luca Ventura; Edition Assiociatione ARS DIMICANDI).
The canonic theories state that the Roman Legion fought on three rows: Hastati, Prencepes, Triarii, with a screen of Light troops called Velites. This site could be very usefull to understand how a Legion worked: http://garyb.0catch.com/line3_pilum/pilum_volley.html
By the way, one of the problem I had to solve regarding the battle of Zama was the number of Legions partecipating to that battle. Both Livius and Polybius don't give any precise figures on the Romans. Just Appian (our third source) wrote that the Romans were at the Battle of Zama in 23.000 infantry and 1.500 cavalry. (plus Numidians reinforcements)
According to the normal idea of a middle-Repubblican Legion (during the Punic Wars IIIrd Century b.C.) is that a normal Legion was on 4.200 men. This put me in some troubles. 23.000:4.200 = 5,47 Legions. As it is known every Legion had its twin Legion made up of Italians Allied. So 5 is a no sense number.
In the above mentioned books it is said (pag. 114 of the Volume II) that the number of a Legion could be normally 4.200 men, but it could be easly increased to 5.200 men till a maximum of 6.200 men.
To help me comes Livius that states that for the African Campaign (so also the battle of Zama) Scipio rallied Legions of 6.200 men! ("suppletuitque ita eas legiones ut singulae sena milia et duocentos pedites, trecenos haberent equites" translation: and so he completed the ranks of those legions in order that every one of those had 6.200 infantry and 300 cavalry" Livius XXIX 24,12)
This makes sense. Actually in this way it is evident that at the Battle of Zama partecipated 4 Legions (2 Roman and 2 Latin) of 5.750 men each (as average) meaning that during the campaign each legion had already lost 450 men in the tough months of fighting in Africa before the Battle of Zama.
To reproduce this big-sized legion (keeping in count that the number of Triarii remainded invariated) means that a Maniple of hastati should have 200 men (on 2 centuries), reduced by 10% gives about 180 men per Maniples, so about 90 men per Century. According to the book I mentioned before the century was deployed on 10 rows for 10 men wide, on 2 centuries one behind the other. My idea is that actually the century (as other authors point out) was fighting on 12 men wide (as said to widen the front) for only 8 rows for about 96 men per century or little less.
I keep the idea that the centuries fought one next to the other, forming a long front towards the enemy.
These books are titled "DE REBUS MILITUM - La Tattica della Legione romana dagli albori al tramonto - Volume I e Volume II. (Authors Dario Battaglia e Luca Ventura; Edition Assiociatione ARS DIMICANDI).
The canonic theories state that the Roman Legion fought on three rows: Hastati, Prencepes, Triarii, with a screen of Light troops called Velites. This site could be very usefull to understand how a Legion worked: http://garyb.0catch.com/line3_pilum/pilum_volley.html
By the way, one of the problem I had to solve regarding the battle of Zama was the number of Legions partecipating to that battle. Both Livius and Polybius don't give any precise figures on the Romans. Just Appian (our third source) wrote that the Romans were at the Battle of Zama in 23.000 infantry and 1.500 cavalry. (plus Numidians reinforcements)
According to the normal idea of a middle-Repubblican Legion (during the Punic Wars IIIrd Century b.C.) is that a normal Legion was on 4.200 men. This put me in some troubles. 23.000:4.200 = 5,47 Legions. As it is known every Legion had its twin Legion made up of Italians Allied. So 5 is a no sense number.
In the above mentioned books it is said (pag. 114 of the Volume II) that the number of a Legion could be normally 4.200 men, but it could be easly increased to 5.200 men till a maximum of 6.200 men.
To help me comes Livius that states that for the African Campaign (so also the battle of Zama) Scipio rallied Legions of 6.200 men! ("suppletuitque ita eas legiones ut singulae sena milia et duocentos pedites, trecenos haberent equites" translation: and so he completed the ranks of those legions in order that every one of those had 6.200 infantry and 300 cavalry" Livius XXIX 24,12)
This makes sense. Actually in this way it is evident that at the Battle of Zama partecipated 4 Legions (2 Roman and 2 Latin) of 5.750 men each (as average) meaning that during the campaign each legion had already lost 450 men in the tough months of fighting in Africa before the Battle of Zama.
To reproduce this big-sized legion (keeping in count that the number of Triarii remainded invariated) means that a Maniple of hastati should have 200 men (on 2 centuries), reduced by 10% gives about 180 men per Maniples, so about 90 men per Century. According to the book I mentioned before the century was deployed on 10 rows for 10 men wide, on 2 centuries one behind the other. My idea is that actually the century (as other authors point out) was fighting on 12 men wide (as said to widen the front) for only 8 rows for about 96 men per century or little less.
I keep the idea that the centuries fought one next to the other, forming a long front towards the enemy.
1) Enlarging the front: when facing an enemy the "centuria posterior" moved as in the pic forward to form a wider front with the "centuria prior"
2) The new position
3) The last (back) rank was used to enlarge the other ranks from 10 to 12 men, and at the same time reduce the number of ranks, from 6 to 5 deep, as indicated in the pic.
4) The new position: 24 men front rank
5) Description: in red the 2 Centurion (the Centurion of the first Centuria - Prior Centurio - has a much decorated shild to distinguish him from the other Centurion); in blue the Optiones (comparable to NCO's) and in green the Signifer (standard bearer) of the Manipule.
Total about 125 paperfigures.
Total about 125 paperfigures.