Hastati
Encyclopedia
Hastatii were a class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic who originally fought as spear
men, and later as swordsmen. They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment — light armour and a large shield, in their service as the lighter infantry of the legion. Later, the hastati contained the younger men rather than just the poorer, though most men of their age were relatively poor. Their usual position was the first battle line. They fought in a quincunx
formation, supported by light troops. They were eventually done away with after the Marian reforms
of 107 BC.
. The third class stood in some of the last few ranks of a very large phalanx
were equipped in a similar manner to hastatii, but more often than not were relegated to providing missile support to the higher classes rather than fighting themselves. It is probable that engagements with the Samnites and a crushing defeat at the hands of the Gallic
warlord Brennus
, who both used lots of smaller military units rather than a few very large ones, taught the Romans the importance of flexibility and the inadequacy of the phalanx on the rough, hilly ground of central Italy.
in a crushing defeat that prompted reforms by Marcus Furius Camillus
. Under the new system, men were sorted into classes based on wealth; the hastatii were the third poorest, with the rorarii being slightly poorer and the principes
slightly wealthier. Hastatii were armed with short spears, or hastae
, up to 1.8 metres (6 ft) long, from which the soldiers acquired their name. They fought in quincunx
formation, usually carrying scuta
, large rectangular shields, and bronze helmet
s, often with a number of feathers fixed onto the top to increase stature. They wore light armour, the most common form being small breastplate
s, called "heart protectors"
In this type of legion, the 900 hastatii formed 15 maniple
s, military units of 60 men each. Attached to each maniple were about 20 leves
, javelin-armed light infantry. The hastatii stood in the first battle line, in front of the principes
of the second line and the triarii
of the third. In a pitched battle
, the leves would form up at the front of the legion and harass the enemy with javelin fire to cover the advance of the hastatii. If the hastatii failed to break the enemy during their engagement, they would fall back and let the heavier principes take over. If the principes could not break them, they would retire behind the triarii spearmen, who would then engage the enemy in turn. The equites, cavalrymen, were used as flankers and to pursue routing enemies. The rorarii and accensi
in the final battle line were some of the least dependable troops, and were used in a support role, providing mass and reinforcing wavering areas of the line.
By the time of the Punic wars
of the 3rd century BC, the Camillan system of organisation was found to be inefficient. In a new Polybian system, infantry were sorted into classes according to age and experience rather than wealth, the hastatii being the youngest and least experienced. Their equipment and role was very similar to the previous system, except they now carried swords, or gladii
, instead of spears. Each hastatus also carried 2 pila
, heavy javelins that, "contrary to deeply entrenched myth" (Goldsworthy), did not bend on impact to make any struck shield useless or prevent the weapon from being thrown back. The weight and barb alone sufficiently hampered any struck shield (often penetrating the shield to hit the man behind it), and the iron was sufficiently hard that pila were often used as hand-held spears against both infantry and cavalry. By the time the volley of pila had reached the enemy line (usually only 15 yards distant for best effect), the legionaries were charging and very quickly at work with their swords. There was rarely any time for the foe to find a pilum, pull it out of whatever it had hit and throw it back.
The hastatii had been increased in number to 1,200 per legion, and formed 10 maniples of 120 men each. The rorarii and accensi had been done away with. Leves had been replaced with velites
, who had a similar role but were now also attached to principes and triarii. Pitched battles were conducted in a similar fashion; the velites would gather at the front and fling javelins to cover the advance of the hastatii. If the hastatii failed to break the enemy, they would fall back on the principes, who had also been re-armed with swords. If the principes could not break them, they would retire behind the triarii, who would then engage the enemy.
This order of battle was almost always followed, the battle of the Great Plains
and the battle of Zama
being among the few notable exceptions. At the Great Plains, Scipio, the Roman general, formed his men up in the usual manner, but once the hastatii had begun to engage the enemy, he used his principes and triarii as a flanking force, routing the opposing Carthaginian troops.
At Zama, Scipio arranged his men into columns, side by side, with large lanes in between. The opposing Carthaginian elephants were drawn into these lanes where many were killed by velites without inflicting many casualties on the Romans. Once the surviving elephants had been routed, he formed his men into a long line with his triarii and principes in the centre and hastatii on the flanks, ready to engage the Carthaginian infantry.
of Gaius Marius
in 107 BC, intended to combat a shortage of manpower from wars against Jugurtha
in Africa and Germanic tribes to the north, the different classes of units were done away with entirely. The wealth and age requirements were scrapped. Soldiers would join as a career, rather than as service to the city, and would all be equipped as medium infantry with the same state-purchased equipment. Auxiliaries
, local irregular troops, would fulfill other roles, serving as archers
, skirmishers and cavalry
.
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
men, and later as swordsmen. They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment — light armour and a large shield, in their service as the lighter infantry of the legion. Later, the hastati contained the younger men rather than just the poorer, though most men of their age were relatively poor. Their usual position was the first battle line. They fought in a quincunx
Quincunx
A quincunx is a geometric pattern consisting of five points arranged in a cross, that is five coplanar points, four of them forming a square or rectangle and a fifth at its center...
formation, supported by light troops. They were eventually done away with after the Marian reforms
Marian reforms
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 :...
of 107 BC.
History and deployment
Hastatii appear to have been remnants of the old third class of the army under the Etruscan kings when it was reformed by Marcus Furius CamillusMarcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....
. The third class stood in some of the last few ranks of a very large phalanx
Phalanx formation
The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
were equipped in a similar manner to hastatii, but more often than not were relegated to providing missile support to the higher classes rather than fighting themselves. It is probable that engagements with the Samnites and a crushing defeat at the hands of the Gallic
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
warlord Brennus
Brennus
Brennus is the name of two Gaulish chieftains famous in ancient history:* Brennus , chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, and Yonne; in 387 BC, in the Battle of the Allia, he led an army of Cisalpine Gauls in their...
, who both used lots of smaller military units rather than a few very large ones, taught the Romans the importance of flexibility and the inadequacy of the phalanx on the rough, hilly ground of central Italy.
Camillan system
By the 4th century BC the military the Romans had inherited from the Etruscans was still in use. Though its efficiency was doubtful, it proved effective against Rome's largely local adversaries. When Gauls invaded Etruria in 390 BC, the inhabitants requested help from Rome. The small contingent Rome sent to repel the Gallic invaders provoked a full scale attack on Rome. The entire Roman army was destroyed at the Battle of the AlliaBattle of the Allia
The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Rome. The battle was fought near the Allia river: the defeat of the Roman army opened the route for the Gauls to sack Rome. It was fought in 390/387 BC.-Background:...
in a crushing defeat that prompted reforms by Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus
Marcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....
. Under the new system, men were sorted into classes based on wealth; the hastatii were the third poorest, with the rorarii being slightly poorer and the principes
Principes
Principes were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour. Their...
slightly wealthier. Hastatii were armed with short spears, or hastae
Hasta (spear)
Hasta is a Latin word meaning spear. Hastae were carried by early Roman Legionaries, in particular they were carried by and gave their name to those Roman soldiers known as Hastati...
, up to 1.8 metres (6 ft) long, from which the soldiers acquired their name. They fought in quincunx
Quincunx
A quincunx is a geometric pattern consisting of five points arranged in a cross, that is five coplanar points, four of them forming a square or rectangle and a fifth at its center...
formation, usually carrying scuta
Scutum (shield)
Scutum is the Latin word for "shield", although it has in modern times come to be specifically associated with the rectangular, semi-cylindrical body shield carried by Roman legionaries.-History:...
, large rectangular shields, and bronze helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
s, often with a number of feathers fixed onto the top to increase stature. They wore light armour, the most common form being small breastplate
Breastplate
A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.- Armour :...
s, called "heart protectors"
In this type of legion, the 900 hastatii formed 15 maniple
Maniple (military unit)
Maniple was a tactical unit of the Roman legion adopted from the Samnites during the Samnite Wars . It was also the name of the military insignia carried by such unit....
s, military units of 60 men each. Attached to each maniple were about 20 leves
Leves
Leves were javelin-armed skirmishers in the army of the early Roman republic. They were typically some of the youngest and poorest men in the legion, and could not afford much equipment. They were usually outfitted with just a number of light javelins and no other equipment...
, javelin-armed light infantry. The hastatii stood in the first battle line, in front of the principes
Principes
Principes were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour. Their...
of the second line and the triarii
Triarii
Triarii were one of the elements of the early Roman military Manipular legions of the early Roman Republic . They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army, and could afford good quality equipment. They wore heavy metal armour and carried large shields, their usual position being...
of the third. In a pitched battle
Pitched battle
A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
, the leves would form up at the front of the legion and harass the enemy with javelin fire to cover the advance of the hastatii. If the hastatii failed to break the enemy during their engagement, they would fall back and let the heavier principes take over. If the principes could not break them, they would retire behind the triarii spearmen, who would then engage the enemy in turn. The equites, cavalrymen, were used as flankers and to pursue routing enemies. The rorarii and accensi
Accensi
Accensi were light infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were the poorest men in the legion, and could not afford much equipment. They did not wear armour or carry shields, and their usual position was part of the third battle line. They fought in a loose formation, supporting...
in the final battle line were some of the least dependable troops, and were used in a support role, providing mass and reinforcing wavering areas of the line.
Polybian system
Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place...
of the 3rd century BC, the Camillan system of organisation was found to be inefficient. In a new Polybian system, infantry were sorted into classes according to age and experience rather than wealth, the hastatii being the youngest and least experienced. Their equipment and role was very similar to the previous system, except they now carried swords, or gladii
Gladius
Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early...
, instead of spears. Each hastatus also carried 2 pila
Pilum
The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
, heavy javelins that, "contrary to deeply entrenched myth" (Goldsworthy), did not bend on impact to make any struck shield useless or prevent the weapon from being thrown back. The weight and barb alone sufficiently hampered any struck shield (often penetrating the shield to hit the man behind it), and the iron was sufficiently hard that pila were often used as hand-held spears against both infantry and cavalry. By the time the volley of pila had reached the enemy line (usually only 15 yards distant for best effect), the legionaries were charging and very quickly at work with their swords. There was rarely any time for the foe to find a pilum, pull it out of whatever it had hit and throw it back.
The hastatii had been increased in number to 1,200 per legion, and formed 10 maniples of 120 men each. The rorarii and accensi had been done away with. Leves had been replaced with velites
Velites
Velites were a class of infantry in the Polybian legions of the early Roman republic. Velites were light infantry and skirmishers who were armed with a number of light javelins, or hastae velitares, to fling at the enemy, and also carried short thrusting swords, or gladii for use in melee...
, who had a similar role but were now also attached to principes and triarii. Pitched battles were conducted in a similar fashion; the velites would gather at the front and fling javelins to cover the advance of the hastatii. If the hastatii failed to break the enemy, they would fall back on the principes, who had also been re-armed with swords. If the principes could not break them, they would retire behind the triarii, who would then engage the enemy.
This order of battle was almost always followed, the battle of the Great Plains
Battle of the Great Plains
The Battle of the Great plains was a battle fought between Scipio Africanus of Rome and a combined Carthaginian and Numidian army late in the Second Punic War, designed as diversionary tactic by Rome to disrupt Hannibal's attack on Italy...
and the battle of Zama
Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the final and decisive end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated a Carthaginian force led by the legendary commander Hannibal...
being among the few notable exceptions. At the Great Plains, Scipio, the Roman general, formed his men up in the usual manner, but once the hastatii had begun to engage the enemy, he used his principes and triarii as a flanking force, routing the opposing Carthaginian troops.
| | Unit | | Organization | | Number of soldiers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First battle line | Hastatii | Ten maniples Maniple (military unit) Maniple was a tactical unit of the Roman legion adopted from the Samnites during the Samnite Wars . It was also the name of the military insignia carried by such unit.... * 120 men |
1,200 soldiers |
| Second battle line | Principes Principes Principes were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour. Their... |
Ten maniples * 120 men | 1,200 soldiers |
| Third battle line | Triarii Triarii Triarii were one of the elements of the early Roman military Manipular legions of the early Roman Republic . They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army, and could afford good quality equipment. They wore heavy metal armour and carried large shields, their usual position being... |
Ten maniples * 60 men | 600 soldiers |
| Velites Velites Velites were a class of infantry in the Polybian legions of the early Roman republic. Velites were light infantry and skirmishers who were armed with a number of light javelins, or hastae velitares, to fling at the enemy, and also carried short thrusting swords, or gladii for use in melee... |
Split into groups attached to each maniple | 1,200 soldiers | |
| Irregulars Auxiliaries (Roman military) Auxiliaries formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate , alongside the citizen legions... |
variable | variable |
Marian reforms
With the formal military reformsMarian reforms
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 :...
of Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
in 107 BC, intended to combat a shortage of manpower from wars against Jugurtha
Jugurtha
Jugurtha or Jugurthen was a King of Numidia, , born in Cirta .-Background:Until the reign of Jugurtha's grandfather Masinissa, the people of Numidia were semi-nomadic and indistinguishable from the other Libyans in North Africa...
in Africa and Germanic tribes to the north, the different classes of units were done away with entirely. The wealth and age requirements were scrapped. Soldiers would join as a career, rather than as service to the city, and would all be equipped as medium infantry with the same state-purchased equipment. Auxiliaries
Auxiliaries (Roman military)
Auxiliaries formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate , alongside the citizen legions...
, local irregular troops, would fulfill other roles, serving as archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, skirmishers and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
.
See also
- Structural history of the Roman militaryStructural history of the Roman militaryThe structural history of the Roman military concerns the major transformations in the organization and constitution of ancient Rome's armed forces, "the most effective and long-lived military institution known to history." From its origins around 800 BC to its final dissolution in AD 476...
- Roman infantry tacticsRoman infantry tacticsRoman infantry tactics refers to the theoretical and historical deployment, formation and maneuvers of the Roman infantry from the start of the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The article first presents a short overview of Roman training. Roman performance against different...