1. THE MILITARY REFORMS OF MARIUS
107 BC

2. 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

3. 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 years
Service appealed to the unemployed masses in Rome

4. 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

5. 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

6. Maniple vs. Cohort COHORT MANIPLE LEGION (4800 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)

7. 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

8. “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)

9. 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!