05-08-2021, 03:28 PM
(05-07-2021, 07:13 PM)Justin Swanton Wrote: ...............
Overall it is clear that light troops were an integral part of Caesar's army but they were not an integral part of the legions, being attached rather to the cavalry though they could operate independently on occasion.
Firstly an apology - Alex 37 to 81 should read 'African' - I was doing a search and missed that it changed books - sorry!
Your last comment is interesting though. Caesar commonly mentions, as do many others the raising of 'Legions'. You are happy that these 'lighter-armed' troops are an integral part of his army - but we never see them raised or otherwise mentioned.
When they are mentioned, it is because the narrative needs their separate acknowledgement; like when they are brigaded with the cavalry - just as the velites were wont to do on occasion; and they were used separately.
It is entirely possible that they are indeed an integral part of the legion - we have no definitive description of the legion structure throughout the entire 'Marian Legion' period.
In addition, we do have subjective evidence that the velites (from an earlier comment) are indeed a part of the heavy infantry contubernium structure. Firstly, they are specifically apportioned across the maniples at a ratio of 2:6. Then they are not mentioned in the description of the camp and have no separate areas for their, presumed, tents; and the proportions of the camping exactly allow for them to be incorporated into the maniples of the heavy infantry.
There is, indeed, absolutely no reason not to think that the contubernium was 8 in c300BCE and wasn't still, perhaps, 700 years later!
