Download 25. Roman Expansion

4/12/2012
22.
The Army of
Early Italy
From the Early Iron Age
to the eve of
the Punic Wars
Centuriate Organization
Class
Property
Armor
Weapons
Troops
Senatorial
I
125,000
Helmet, clipeus, greaves,
breastplate
Spear
Sword
80
Equestrian
I
100,000
Helmet, clipeus, greaves,
breastplate
Spear
sword
18
II
75,000
Helmet, scutum, greaves
Spear
sword
20
III
50,000
Helmet, scutum
Spear
sword
20
IV
25,000
[scutum]
javelin
20
V
11,000
-
Sling,
stones
30
-
-
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Proletariat
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Militarized the population
• Entire population organized as a fighting force
• Populus
– Etymology seems to be from "army"
• Derived verb populari means "devastate"
– Assembly of "army" replaces earlier assembly of
curias
– In the Late Republic means "body politic" or
“People”
– In Empire it means the “dejected poor”
Roman Republic 509–30 BCE
• Latins in Rome now at
war with Etruscans
• Rome formed a
government based on
the census system
(senatorial oligarchy)
• They begin to expand
throughout central
Italy (Latin League)
Bronze bust of L. Junius Brutus
Capitoline Museum, Rome
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Roman farmer/soldier
(before Punic Wars)
• Backbone of the Roman army
– Plough and cultivate from harvest to sowing
– Then go on seasonal military campaign (Summer and
mid Autumn)
• Every peasant (from age 17-46 y.o.) liable for
infantry service for 16 years
– signed up for length of command
– more than ½ served ≤ 7 years
• Soldiers had to possess property to enroll in the
army
– amount slowly decreased until 101 BCE
George
Washington
as the
“American
Cincinnatus”
L. Quinctius Cincinnatus
Life of the Peasant
• Generally under-employed
• Hard labor every day required for food production
• Potential for falling into nexum “debt bondage”
– Abolished by 326 BCE
• Average life expectancy was around 24 years
• Infants considered “unfit” were commonly exposed
Ancient
24 years
Modern
78.3 years
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Roman Expansion
490-390: Osco-Umbrian Wars
406-396: Siege at Veii
386: Rome sacked by Gauls
343: 1st Samnite War
341-338: Romano-Latin War
327-304: 2nd Samnite War
298-290: 3rd Samnite War
280-272: Pyrrhus War
Osco-Umbrian Invasions (490s -390s)
Italic people who lived in the mountains and lived a nomadic existence and often
struggled against sedentary farmers. (war for resources)
Key Umbrian
peoples:
Hernici (allies)
Aequi
Marsi
Sabini
Volsci
Vestini
Umbri
Constant aggression between various Umbrians and
the Roman-Latin alliance from 490s -390s
War with Etruscans at Veii
Three wars were fought between Rome and the
Etruscan city of Veii
483-474 BCE Veientine War I
437-435 BCE Veientine War II
406-396 BCE Veientine War III
(seige of Veii)
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Siege at Veii
(406-396 BCE )
• Siege lasted 10
years
• Livy reports that
the general
Marcus Camillus
drained the lake
that provided the
water supply
Lake
Alba
Veii
Rome
• Shows Rome’s
desire to expand
and growing
sophistication of
military tactics
Italy Invaded by Gauls
Celtic expansion into Italy
“Reforms of Camillus”
• M. Camillus instituted
pay to the soldiers
• built (or rebuilt) the
walls around Rome in
375
• credited by Livy with
reorganizing army from
hoplite phalanx to
maniple (not Polybius)
The so called “Servian” Wall
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The Latin Revolt (341-338)
The Roman Commonwealth (338)
Latin cities: closest to Rome and given voting
rights and citizenship (taxed in troops)
Municipium: communities who received ½
citizenship (troop tax)
• the right to marry
• the right to migrate; own property
• the right to do business with and in Rome
• No vote
End of the Latin League
Treaty of Cassius broken
Now each had to sign separate agreement with
differing legal rights:
1)
Incorporation
Most of the remaining Latin communities around Rome were
directly absorbed into the Roman state.
2)
Continued Latin status
These towns lost the communal Latin rights (commercium,
conubium, change of residence) between themselves but
retained them with Rome.
These towns provided military contingents for the Roman army.
3)
Non-voting citizenship
civitas sine suffragio: "citizenship without the vote“
A person with such citizenship was called a municeps = "taker of
duties." A town of such citizens was called a municipium.
Roman Colonies
Foundation of Fregellae on the
Liris provoked war with
the Samnites
In 291 Venusia established
in the center of
Samnite territory
In 273, Cosa in S. Etruria
and Paestum in
southern Italy used to
maintain Roman
control after the
departure of Pyrrhus
In the 260s Beneventum
and Aesernia were
sent to Samnite
territory
Fregellae
Cales
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Samnite Wars
1st Samnite War (343-41)
• Rome controls Campania
2nd Samnite War (327-304)
• Rome defeated at Battle of
Caudine Forks but win war
3rd Samnite War (298-90)
• Victory at Sentinum (295)
opens up the rest of central
Italy
Samnite Warriors
Fresco at Pompeii
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Battle of Caudine Forks (321 BCE)
Two Roman consuls leading an invading force
into Samnium were trapped in a mountain
pass known as the Caudine Forks
– could neither advance nor retire
– would have been annihilated if they had not
submitted to the humiliating terms
“under the yoke”
Page 108 of WAW textbook
3 Maniples =
1 Cohort
1 Century = 80 men
1 Maniple = 2 Centuries = 160 men
pilum: iron tipped spear
for throwing and lancing
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Hellenistic Kingdoms
Epirus
Roman
Antigonid
Pergamon
Seleucid
Carthaginian
Mauryan
Parthian
Ptolemaic
Pyrrhus invades Italy 280 BCE
• Hellenistic king from Epirus in Western
Greece
– claimed decent from Alexander
• Invited by Greek cities in S. Italy to take
part in a civil war and check Roman
expansion
• First time a professional Macedonian
phalanx fights the Roman maniple
legion
• The outcome gives Rome military
confidence to expand even further
3,000 cavalry
2,000 archers
500 slingers
20,000 Mac hoplites
20 war elephants
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280 Pyrrhus lands in
Tarentum with
25,000 troops and
20 war elephants
Wars with Pyrrhus
279 Defeats Rome at
Battle of Heraclea
279 Battle of Asculum:
Pyrrhus wins but
loses so many
troops called
275 Battle of Malventum: Romans
“Pyrrhic victory”
278 sails to Sicily only
to be forced out by
the Carthaginians
finally win and change the name of the
city of Beneventum
272 leaves Italy and ravages Greece.
Killed in Argos by an old woman with a
roof tile.
Discussion of Roman Army
• Legion
– Latin word legio originally a verbal abstraction that signifies
"selection.“
• Terms Of Service
– The military of the early and middle Republic was a militia of
the landowners
• Roman Tactics
– military superiority through development of the maniple
system of organization
• Officers
– original four legions assigned to the consuls were elected
– centurion appointed from the ranks by the commander on the
basis of bravery and other merit
• Troops
– Cavalry
– Allies
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Roman Imperialism:
Rome unified (conquered) Italy in 100 years
Why did Rome expand? Was it…
• Social: every Roman citizen (and allies) had to
serve in the army
• Economic: wealth and slaves to be gained by
victory
• Cultural: desire for laus and gloria on the
battlefield defined manhood
• Political: military fame helped get one get
elected to office
• Spiritual: the belief that the world would be
better off under Roman administration (cosmic
order under Roman law)
Next Step: The Punic Wars
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