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Triarii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (Portal) |
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The Triarii (Latin singular triarius) was the third standard line of infantry of the Roman Republic's army. Its name is related to the Latin word tres ("three"), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *trei-. When suffering defeat, the first and second lines, the Hastati and Principes, fell back on the Triarii to attempt to reform the line and allow for a counter attack or withdrawal of the other lines. Because falling back on the Triarii was an act of desperation, to mention "falling on the Triarii" ("ad triarios rediisse") became a common Roman phrase indicating one to be in a desperate situation. To be the officer of the triarii was an honor. It made the individual one of the best men in the legion. A triarii officer's pay would be superior to the other middle-class officers and he would be given a horse for the long marches, which was quite important.
Triarii were, unlike the Principes, divided into 10 maniples of 60 men per maniple. The centuries for Triarii were 1/2 the size of other centuries. The Triarii were the veterans of the Roman army for at least 10 years, making them perfectly suited for reinforcing the three front lines of the formation. They were armored much like the rest of the Roman Republican army, with whatever they could afford (typically more than the poorer Hastati and Principes).
When the Principes and Hastati of Republican army were rearmed with javelins, the Triarii retained their long spears and scuta and continued to fight as a phalanx. If the initial attacks of the javelin- and sword- armed troops could not break an enemy, the Triarii served as a strong point around which the army would regroup (in the same manner as in much later centuries squares of musketmen were to provide a defensive screen for reforming cavalrymen). They also were responsible for holding off cavalry charges with their spears. Although relatively often the Triarii were not deployed on the battlefield at all, but were left to guard the camp.
The term Triarii, together with the terms Principes and Hastati, survived into Imperial times, each denoting a third part of a cohort. However, by this time these names were merely honorific, the cohort being uniformly armed and equipped.
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Triarii is also the name of a martial music band.
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- Connolly, Peter (1998). Greece and Rome at War. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 185367303X.
- Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003). The Complete Roman Army. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05124-0.
