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The Marian reforms of 107 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by Gaius Marius, a statesman and general of the Roman Republic. == Roman army before the Marian reforms == Up until the last decade of the 2nd century BC, the eligibility requirements to become a Roman soldier in the service of the Republic were very strict: * He had to be a member of the fifth census class or higher (the ''adsidui'', or "tax-payers"). * He had to own property worth 3,500 sesterces in value. * He had to supply his own armaments. In particular, It produced a division among Roman census classes (distinct from the usual plebeian/patrician divide), in which four standardized unit types (based on how much money the soldier could spend on his own arms and armor) comprised each legion: * ''Velites'' - The poorest (5th class ''proletarii'') and often the youngest citizens, who could not afford a ''gladius'', a shield, a helmet or armor. They were unarmored javelin-throwing skirmishers, who ran forward at the head of the Roman line of battle, expended their missiles to distract the enemy while the ''hastati'' advanced, and then quickly retreated through the lines to the rear. They were not expected or equipped to hold any portion of the battle line. * ''Hastati'' - 4th class citizens who could afford basic armor, a small shield and a ''gladius''. The first rank of heavy (technically medium) infantry in the pre-Marian legion, the ''hastati'' were expected to hold the front of the line in the center of the battle and were usually young and aggressive men of middle to lower-middle class. Due to their lesser armor and position in the front ranks, they inevitably took the highest casualties in any battle, but good performance (and survival) meant promotion to the ''principes'' and upward social mobility in peace. * ''Principes'' - 3rd class citizens, who could afford a full set of high-quality armor, a large shield and a bronze helmet in addition to their sword. Considered the core of the pre-Marian legion, the ''principes'' were the pre-Marian unit that most closely resembled the standardized legionary that the Marian reforms would eventually produce. They stood directly behind the ''hastati'' and relieved them in the front line if they were unable to break the enemy formation by themselves, which was common. Allowing the enemy to wear themselves out on the lighter ''hastati'' before facing the ''principes'' usually proved to be a decisively successful strategy. * ''Triarii'' - The final infantry unit, the ''triarii'', was restricted to experienced veterans of the ''principes'', and anchored the entire Roman battle line. Fighting in the manner of the hoplites at the rear of the formation, the ''triarii'' were considered the elite infantry of the pre-Marian legion and were not usually needed, but were used as a last resort if the ''hastati'' and ''principes'' could not break the enemy line and were forced to retreat. The Roman idiom ''ad triarios redisse'' ("to fall back on the triarii") was used to refer to a final, mighty attempt to salvage a desperate situation. * ''Equites'' - rich citizens of the equestrian order who could afford a horse, the ''equites'' were light cavalry who carried a one-handed light spear. They usually advanced along the flanks of the infantry line, and were intended to break up enemy skirmisher and missile units and pursue forces that had been routed by the infantry. They were also the legion's primary reconnaissance force. When war threatened, the consuls of the day would be charged with the duty of recruiting an army from the eligible citizenry of the Republic. As a rule, one of the consuls would lead this mainly volunteer army into battle. As can be imagined, not all elected consuls were adept at leading an army. For example, in the year 113 BC the consul Gnaeus Papirius Carbo was defeated at the Battle of Noreia by invading tribes of the Cimbri and the Teutons. This disaster was followed by a protracted war in Africa against King Jugurtha of Numidia. The consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus was sent to defeat Jugurtha. Metellus never lost any armies and did win some battles but after two years had not achieved total victory. Gaius Marius, one of his legates, requested Metellus to release him from his duties so he could return to Rome and run for consul at the end of 108 BC. But when Marius became junior consul in 107 BC and was appointed the task of concluding the war with Jugurtha, he had no army. The army Metellus had commanded in Africa was assigned to the senior consul Lucius Cassius Longinus to expel the Cimbri who were once again encroaching on the Roman province of Transalpine Gaul (Gallia Transalpina). Marius had no troops with which to conduct the war in Africa as the eligible citizenry from whom he could recruit an army was severely depleted due to previous military disasters and the expansion of the latifundia at the expense of small landowners. To overcome this problem he introduced a number of reforms. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marian reforms」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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