10-19-2001, 03:09 PM
Salve,<br>
<br>
Perhaps the reasoning behind this might be the assumption that older men might be richer than the younger ones, which could be true (the passing away of a <i> pater familias</i> would have given a son finally full legal property rights), but it appears unlikely that all the <i> principes</i> and <i> triarii</i> would qualify for this quite high census rating. The repeated lowering of property requirements for service in the military might indicate that the average wealth of republican era legionaries may have decreased over time, but this seems at odds with the evidence for later republican times when it appears that the use of mail and scale was more widespread than in the days of Polybius, if not universal. One wonders what may have caused this, though succesful warfare must have added considerable amounts of wargear (some 200.000 sets of equipment were allegedly taken from Carthago alone), which may have lowered the cost of equipment like mail shirts. That such captured equipment may have been used by Roman troops could be supported by the fact that in the second Punic war several legions raised after Cannae were equipped with the spoils of victories over the Gauls.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
<br>
Perhaps the reasoning behind this might be the assumption that older men might be richer than the younger ones, which could be true (the passing away of a <i> pater familias</i> would have given a son finally full legal property rights), but it appears unlikely that all the <i> principes</i> and <i> triarii</i> would qualify for this quite high census rating. The repeated lowering of property requirements for service in the military might indicate that the average wealth of republican era legionaries may have decreased over time, but this seems at odds with the evidence for later republican times when it appears that the use of mail and scale was more widespread than in the days of Polybius, if not universal. One wonders what may have caused this, though succesful warfare must have added considerable amounts of wargear (some 200.000 sets of equipment were allegedly taken from Carthago alone), which may have lowered the cost of equipment like mail shirts. That such captured equipment may have been used by Roman troops could be supported by the fact that in the second Punic war several legions raised after Cannae were equipped with the spoils of victories over the Gauls.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
