Triarii (from lat. Triarius ) - in the army of Ancient Rome - soldiers of the heavy infantry of the Roman legion in the IV-II centuries. BC e. Initially, from the first property class, they had full protective armament, long spears and swords, made up the third line in battle order (hence the name); from the III century BC e. - warriors 40–45 years old, armed with swords and pilum (short throwing spears); entered into battle at a decisive moment [1] . According to Polybius, the triaries (triarchs) are people who have served at least 15 years in the army. In the era of the Republic, the legion did not have this division.
Content
- 1 Triarias of the Legion
- 2 Armament
- 3 See also
- 4 notes
- 5 Literature
Legion
According to Polybius and Libya , the legion of the triaries was half that of the Gastat and principles . They were ten maniples of 60 people each, led by a centurion . In the event that the front two lines of Gastat and principles were broken by the onslaught of the enemy, the triaries formed a phalanx that was supposed to stop the enemy troops and allow the retreating front two lines of the infantry to regroup. The expression “it came down to the triaries” ( lat. Res ad triarios rediit ) usually meant a critical moment during the battle. Occasionally triarii were used for a flank strike.
The triaries were also used in the event of an unexpected rear or flank approach of the enemy cavalry . In the first case, they formed a phalanx, and in the second, thanks to the manipulative division, they moved towards the attacked flank, where the auxilarians supported them .
Often the triaries did not turn around on the battlefield, but guarded a military camp. This, for example, happened during the Battle of Cannes ; Researchers suggest that if 10,000 triaries were put on the battlefield, they would be able to withstand the Numidian cavalry of Hannibal .
After the reform, Maria triarii became part of the cohort , retaining their title, but having lost special weapons.
Armament
The triaries were made up of the most experienced veterans of the Roman army, who could afford the best equipment. Unlike the other classes of heavy infantry, the triarii were armed with a long shock spear or pilum and gladium / gladius . In addition, the triaries carried a large shield - a scutum (before the Second Punic War - an oval bronze shield). Also, the equipment of the triaries included greaves , a helmet and a bronze shell (or chain mail ).
See also
- Velita
- Gastastia
- Lawyers
- Principles
- Roraria
- Roman legion
Notes
- ↑ The conventional wisdom is that, according to some sources, the triaries of the times of the Empire were not armed with pilums, but with spears up to 1.8 meters long. This was due to the fact that during the retreat of the Gastats and principles, they parted (with the standard chess order of construction), and then closed the line, giving them the opportunity to regroup
Literature
- Triaries // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- A. L. Zhmodikov - Tactics of the Roman infantry of the 4th — 2nd centuries BC e.
- Titus Livy - “ History from the founding of the city ”