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. Cohort
MANIPLE
COHORT
• LEGION (5000 men)
– Maniples of 120 men
drawn from different
social classes.
– Each maniple had three
different lines
– Each line armed
differently
• 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!