Hastati
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Hastati were a class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman republic. Hastati were medium infantry who were originally armed with short spears, or hastae, but were eventually re-armed with short swords, or gladii, as their main weapons, but also carried two heavy javelins called pila for ranged effectiveness.[1] They wore moderate armour, often consisting of just a breastplate and a helmet, as they were drawn from the younger but slighty wealthier sections of society, though some of the wealthier hastati could afford chainmail or a complete cuirass.[2] They carried large convex rectangular shields, called scuta for protection and had three large feathers attached to their helmets to make them look taller and more intimidating.[3] Hastati formed the first line in the legion, in front of the principes and triarii. Each maniple of hastati had 40 velites, javelin-armed light infantry, assigned to it.[4]
Units of hastati formed the first line in a legion. They were usually the first to engage the enemy, and if they failed to rout or wipe out the enemy or began to tire, they could retire behind the lines for rest and let the heavier and more experienced principes take over.[4] An early Roman legion contained about 1200 hastati.[5]
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[edit] Equipment and usage
Hastati were drawn from the younger, but slightly wealthier sections of society, and thus could afford breastplates, helmets and scuta, large, hide covered, convex wooden shields, to protect themselves. Greaves were also fairly common.[1] They also wore three large feathers attached to the top of their helmets in an attempt to appear taller and more intimidating to the enemy, and to be easily visible to their officers from a distance.[1][4]
Hastati were originally armed with spears, called hastae, which gave them their name, though they were eventually rearmed with gladii, short swords, which were primarily used for stabbing and thrusting rather than cutting and swinging. According to the writer Polybius "A stroke with the edges, though made with ever so much force, seldom kills, as the vital parts of the body are defended both by the bones and armor. On the contrary, a stab, though it penetrates but two inches, is generally fatal."[6] The hastati, like other heavy legionaries, also carried two pila, heavy javelins with soft metal points, designed to bend on impact to prevent the enemy throwing them back.[7] In the earlier Camillan legion, hastati had been armed with spears, called hasta, which gave the hastati their name.[7]
Hastati formed 10 maniples of 120 men each, with about 40 velites attached to each maniple.[8] They usually formed the first line of heavy infantry in the legion, though the velites often formed up in front of them to harass the enemy with javelins before battle.[4] The hastati were naturally the first to engage the enemy in melee, though if things were going badly or they needed some rest, they could fall back behind the heavier principes in the second line and let them take over.[5][8]
[edit] History
The hastati got their name from the hasta, a spear used by the hastati in the Camillan legions of the 4th and 5th centuries BC. These hastati usually fought as a phalanx, though this formation wasn't very effective on the hilly, rough landscape of southern and central Italy, and so fell out of favour. Hastati were re-armed with the gladius, a sword they had seen being used to great effect by the Lusitanians and other Iberian tribes.[7][4]
Because of their lighter equipment, hastati could move fast on the battlefield, and were used to great effect at the battle of Ilipa. The Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio ordered his light Iberian auxiliaries to advance towards the enemy, and sent his hastati and cavalry around their flanks at a faster pace. The ill-prepared Carthaginian forces could not turn to face the hastati without leaving themselves open to attack by the Iberian auxiliaries. The terror of being surrounded by so many enemies and being attacked by the Roman velites drove the Carthaginian elephants amok, and made them run about their own lines trampling soldiers. Before the Romans reached the Carthaginians, a torrential rainstorm started and forced them to retire. The Carthaginian losses would no doubt have been heavy.[9]
With the reforms of Gaius Marius, the hastati were disbanded and all legionairies were equipped with the same state-purchased equipment. The army also became more professional. Rather than quickly raising armies for various campaigns, citizens would join the army for a set number of years service before retiring with a pension.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c unrv.com (php). Gear and tactics. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ historyofwar.org (html). Hastati. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ oldandsold.com (shtml). Roman armour and military dress. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
- ^ a b c d e f roman-empire.net (html). The Roman Army. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ a b penelope.uchicago.edu (html). Exercitus. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ sonshi.com (html). Vegetius: Military matters. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b c fordham.edu (html). Polybius, History, book 6. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ a b spiritus-temporis.com. Velites. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ roman-empire.net (html). The Battle of Ilipa. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
