Evolution of the Legion & the Roman Army in Action Flashcards
(40 cards)
What was warfare for Rome in the beginning?
A way of acquiring booty to enrich their culturally impoverished society
When do we first have knowledge of the Roman army?
Not until the Etruscan rule in the 6th century - the origins of the Roman military system is lost in prehistory
What formed the core of the Etrusco-Roman army?
Greek style phalanx
What does a.u.c. (ab urbe condita) mean?
“From the foundation of the city of Rome”
Who was Romulus?
Legendary founder of Rome; killed his brother Remus, etc. the city is named after Romulus
Who was Servius Tullius?
Served in the period of kings and controlled the army in the 6th century
What did Servius Tullius do?
He reorganized the Etrusco-Roman society into seven groups according to wealth:
- the equites
- the first class
- the second class
- the third class
- the fourth class
- the fifth class
- capite censi
Who were the equites?
The wealthiest group in Tullius’s division; they were grouped into 18 centuries and they formed the cavalry, supplying their own horses
Who was the first class?
The second wealthiest group in Tullius’s division; they formed into 80 centuries of spearmen armed with helmet and italian shield
Who was the second class?
The third group of Tullius’s division; were divided into 20 centuries of spearmen, armed with helmet, greaves and Italian shield
Who was the third class?
The fourth group of Tullius’s division; also divided into 20 centuries of spearmen but were only armed with helmet and Italian shield
Who was the fourth class?
The fifth group of Tullius’s division; also 20 centuries, were armed only with spears and Italian shields
Who was the fifth class?
The sixth group of Tullius’s division; also 20 centuries, were armed only with slings and javelins
Who were the capite censi?
The seventh and last group of Tullius’s division; literally a ‘headcount’ of all those with little or no property; they had no incentive to defend the state and were considered unfit to serve in the army
When was the Period of Kings?
753-510 BC; earliest Roman army we hear of; Tullius’s reforms in mid-6th century; changes in 300s BC
What was the Comitia Centuriata?
Ancient Roman military assembly that was instituted c.450 BC; it decided on war and peace, passed laws, elected consuls, praetors, and censors and considered appeals of capital convictions; included plebeians and patricians
Who were the Proletarii?
Landless people too poor to serve in the army
Who was Tarquinius Superbus?
The seventh and last king of Rome who flourished in 6th c BC (534-509 BC); son-in-law of Tullius, who Tarquinius supposedly murdered to establish an absolute despotism;
Who was Brutus?
A senator who led a revolt against Tarquinius Superbus, because Tarquin’s son Sextus raped a noblewoman, Lucretia
When did the monarchy in Rome end?
After the Tarquin family was expelled from Rome (509 BC)
What were the Sabines, Aequi, and Volsci?
Hill tribes surrounding Rome; they threatened the plain of Latium after Porsenna’s conquest of Rome, due to overpopulation so they could acquire more land; the Latin League fought them off
What was Veii?
An Etruscan city that Rome held a long siege against in 396 BC
What came out of the siege on Veii?
It led to the army receiving pay (for compensation of their farms) and the phalanx was abandoned
What was Latium?
West-central Italy, where the Latins sprung from Indo-European tribes; in 600 BC the Etruscans occupied Latium and settled in Rome; after Romans drove out Etruscans in 509, they left Latium in 475 BC
