09-25-2014, 08:44 PM
Does anyone know by the way when hastati and principes stopped using hastae themselves, switching to pilum and gladius combo, leaving the spears to triarii?
Roman soldiers at the age of kings all used spears, since they copied the phalanx system from the Greeks of Magna Graecia.
Hastati means "spearmen", principes means "the first men" and the original name of the triarii ("third line of men") was pilani, which also means "spearmen", but from the word 'pilum', not from 'hasta'. Although triarii never used pila as far as we know.
And were the principes originally the first line, since their name would suggest just that? Did the lines get changed, or just the names of the lines...?
Roman soldiers at the age of kings all used spears, since they copied the phalanx system from the Greeks of Magna Graecia.
Hastati means "spearmen", principes means "the first men" and the original name of the triarii ("third line of men") was pilani, which also means "spearmen", but from the word 'pilum', not from 'hasta'. Although triarii never used pila as far as we know.
And were the principes originally the first line, since their name would suggest just that? Did the lines get changed, or just the names of the lines...?
Antonius Insulae (Sakari)
