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The size of a typical legion varied throughout the history of ancient Rome, with complements ranging from 4,200 legionaries and 300 equites (drawn from the wealthier classes – in early Rome all troops provided their own equipment) in the Republic, [1] to 5,500 in the Imperial period, when most legions were led by a Roman Imperial Legate.
At the time of the Pyrrhic War, the Roman army in the field consisted of four armies, [7] each of which contained two legions of Roman citizens and two units of allies. Each legion consisted of 4,200–5,000 infantry [ 8 ] and 300 cavalry, [ 8 ] while the allied units had an equal number of infantry but three times as many cavalry (900 cavalry ...
A cohort (from the Latin cohors, pl.: cohortes; see wikt:cohors for full inflection table) was a standard tactical military unit of a Roman legion. Although the standard size changed with time and situation, it was generally composed of 480 soldiers. [1] A cohort is considered to be the equivalent of a modern military battalion.
These were probably the same size as legionary cohorts (480 men each), for a total of 4,320 effectives. ... ESTIMATED SIZE OF ROMAN ARMY 24–305 AD; Army corps ...
In the Imperial Legion, ten contubernia formed a centuria. Maniple – The pre-Marian sub-unit of the Roman Legions, consisting of 120 men (60 for the Triarii). Legio – A legion in the pre-Marian armies consisted of 60 manipuli of infantry and 10 turmae of cavalry. By 250 BC, there would be four Legions, two commanded by each Consul: two ...
In the later 1st century, the size of a legion's First Cohort was doubled, increasing legionary personnel to c. 5,500. Roman auxiliary infantry crossing a river. They can be distinguished by the oval shield they were equipped with, in contrast to the rectangular scutum carried by legionaries. Panel from Trajan's Column, Rome
A recreation of Roman legionaries wearing the lorica segmentata, 1st–3rd century.Other equipment in view include the galea (helmet), pilum (spear) and scutum (shield). The Roman legionary (in Latin legionarius; pl.: legionarii) was a citizen soldier of the Roman army.
Also probably dating from this period was the regular accompaniment of each legion by a non-citizen formation of roughly equal size, the ala, recruited from Rome's Italian allies, or socii. The latter were about 150 autonomous states which were bound by a treaty of perpetual military alliance with Rome.