The greatness of Rome is often equated with its military power. In this, the Roman Legion is viewed as an essential innovation that evolved over the centuries, adapting itself to particular military challenges. Begun as an army of purely citizen-soldiers, the legion changed during the Republic to include landless volunteers as well as auxiliary troops. By the Imperial period, legions reflected the make-up of client-states and provinces, even including frontier barbarians.
Development of the Roman Legion During the Roman Republic
Like Greece, the geography of Italy imposed upon the Italian city-states the necessity of developing small fighting units along the lines of the Greek phalanx. These early units were comprised of citizen-soldiers, volunteers picked by their commanders. The term legere means “to collect” or pick.
After Rome’s initial defeat by the Samnites, military necessities resulted in the creation of the first legions. Often compared to a hand or fist, the legion, according to military historian Lynn Montross, was “capable either of closing up solidly like a fist, or of feeling out the enemy’s weaknesses…”
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Official Web Site for Shelby County government. Shelby County, Tennessee, comprises the cities of Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville, Millington, and ...
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