THE MILITARY REFORMS OF MARIUS

107 BC

The Evolution of the Roman Military

• Prior to Marius, Roman soldiers– Consisted mostly of small landowners– Had to supply their own arms and armor– Were drafted from time to time when

soldiers were needed

• What changed– The landowning class had dwindled by

107 BC– There were masses of unemployed in

the Republic– Rome was threatened by Germanic

tribes

Marius Reforms the Military• In 107 BC, Marius implemented

many reforms out of necessity–Army was now all volunteer•Paid well, including $$$, war loot, land•Served enlistments of 20-25 years•Service appealed to the unemployed masses in Rome

Pre-Marius: Maniple Structure• Consisted of several rows• Each row armed differently

– Soldiers supplied own weapons

• Rookies up front, veterans in the back

• Rows based on class of citizen

Post-Marius: Cohort Structure• MANIPLE structure replaced

with COHORT• Each cohort consisted of six

identical centuries of 80 men• 10 cohorts made up a LEGION• Cohort allowed greater

flexibility• Soldiers armed identically, no

longer supplied own weapons– State & generals standardized

equipment

Maniple vs. CohortMANIPLE

• LEGION (5000 men)– Maniples of 120 men

drawn from different social classes.

– Each maniple had three different lines

– Each line armed differently

COHORT• LEGION (4800 men)– COHORT (480 men)• CENTURY (80 men)

• All soldiers armed identically (excludes combined arms)

The Cohort System in Combat

• Long lines of maniple system replaced by a tiered, 3 cohort deep battle line

• Allowed for quicker support and rotation of troops in battle

“Marius’ Mules” & Other Changes• Soldiers now carried all their

equipment with them, including weapons, armor, tools, food, tents, etc.– Not as weighed down by slow,

cumbersome baggage trains

• All Legions adopted the eagle as their standard– Represented Jupiter (Zeus)

Consequences of Marian Reforms• Pros– Army became efficient and viable– Provided opportunity to lower classes– Army not as divided by class

• Cons– Generals gained influence with soldiers– Soldiers became fiercely loyal to

generals• Generals split loot with them, equipped

them, etc.

– Led to endless civil wars and the rise of the Empire Above: a general who benefitted from Marius’

reforms…his nephew J. Caesar!