0
The phalanx did not morph into the legion - the phalanx was a tactical formation, the legion was a body of around 5000 men who were used in tactical formations which varied over time - early on the phalanx.
The Romans switched from the unwieldy phalanx of tightly packed, locked in spearmen to spaced ranks in order to gain flexibility and rely on a more open method of fighting, with differing layers of differently armed troops. This flexibility was supported by adopting the Spanish short sword as basic weapon, and the pilum throwing javelin. The protection of the tight phalanx was replaced by the oblong shield.
The open formation which replaced the phalanx gave the individual Roman infantryman room to fight in. It worked. The hitherto unstoppable Greek phalanxes were tactically outmanoeuvred and decisively beaten by the Romans in the first half of the Second Century BCE in Macedonia.
This system of different troops having different weapons and the manipular formation it was based on (which the Romans adopted from the Samnites, a people who lived to the south of Rome) was abandoned with the Marian reforms of the army of 107 BC. The legions were reformed again and became organised into cohorts with soldiers who had the same weapons and equipment.
What else can I help you with?
Division of the Roman army made up of about 6000 soldiers?
A Roman legion.A legion is the term used to refer to a Roman military groups that is made up of nearly 6000 soldiers. The legion was divided into ten units called cohorts that consisted of approximately 480 to 500 men. This number may not have included officers.
What ancient civilization first used the phalanx over any other type army formation?
It is believed that the Macedonian civilization first used the military formation known as the plalanx. The armies of Alexander the Great used this formation and later on the Greek city states and kingdoms that resulted from the death of Alexander also used the phalanx. Certainly by the early 8th century BC BCE ancient pottery displays the hoplite phalanx. By the 7th century BC BCE it was in use by Greek city states and it was likely spread into the Greek colonies in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Sometime in 6th century BC BCE it was used by the ancient Roman republic.This often successful formation was also used by Hannibal in the Second Punic War.The early Romans found that the phalanx was slow to move in bad terrain and lacked a certain amount of flexibility. The Roman legion infantry formation made the phalanx obsolete as far as the Romans were concerned.
How are shields used?
Shields (Greek Hoplon or Roman Scutum) are used primarily to protect the body and can be used , in a phalanx , to push the enemy back to upset their forward momentum .
What is the basic unit of Roman Army?
The basic unit of the Roman army was the century (centuria) which was equivalent to a company. The centuriae (plural of centuria) were grouped into cohorts. The army corps was the legion (lego)
What does a unicorn represent on a roman shield?
There were no unicorns on Roman shields. The Roman legions had their emblem on their shield and no legion had the unicorn as an emblem. The closest thing was the carpicorn, which was the emblem of five legions: I Adiutrix(rescuer), the II Adiutrix II, the Augusta (Augustan), the IV Scythica, (Scythian ), and the XXI Rapax (rapacious)
Why did ancient Rome decide to abandon the Greek phalanx battle formation?
Ancient Rome had originally fought as part of a phalanx similar to the Greek version. A evolution of change began when the Roams found out at the River Allia, this formation could be subject to an envelope tactic which enabled the attackers to penetrate the Roman flanks. In time the phalanx was therefore discarded into the legion.
What was the advantage of roman legion?
Phalanxes facing the legion were more vulnerable to the more flexible Roman "checkboard" deployment. The checkboard deployment allowed the Romans more room to maneuver and let them apply steady combat pressure on the enemy, when one line was exhausted they would easily withdraw and let the next line carry on the fight till they were refreshed. The phalanx on the other hand had very little space to maneuver and each line fought its own lonely battle and ultimately perished under continuous Roman attacks. In the Battle of Cynoscephalae, The Roman legionaires were trained to actually duck under the spears of the oncoming phalanx, crawl up to the Macedonian soldiers, thrust up with their pilum, and voila, Greece became a Roman province. ANSWER The question is not as precise as it should be as one cannot realy compare a phalanx to a legion. They were quite different size combat units and while the phalanx consisted only in a body of soldiers of a few hundred at most and only weilding long spears, the legion was constructed somewhat similar to a modern army group, and numbered upwards of 5000. One roman legion included a main corp of infantrymen, a corp of auxilliares that manned the heavy weapons and siege machines, spearmen to counter cavalery charges, skirmishers and archers plus a unit of heavy cavalery and one of scout cavalery and "legati". The phalanx was, as I said just a body of infantrymen armed with 6-7 m long spears and small shields that was meant to slowly crush through another rigid unit of infantery and was thus utterly useless and completely vulnerable against all of the other units forming a Roman legion. Unsupported by cavalery and the hoplite heavy infantery the phalanx cannot be pinned against a legion. At least successfully, that is.
What were the formations in the roman army?
A phalanx.
What is the duration of Roman Legion-Hare?
The duration of Roman Legion-Hare is 420.0 seconds.
What was the emblem of the 4th Flavia Felix Roman legion?
This legion was actually reconstituted by Vespasian
How do you become a legion?
Become a legion? A legion was a section of a Roman army. A legion is about 6 thousand soldiers.
When was Roman Legion-Hare created?
Roman Legion-Hare was created on 1955-11-12.
What great tactical formation did the roman develop?
The Phalanx/
Who was in charge of a legion?
The top officer of a Roman legion was a Legate.
What is the latin meaning of the word legion?
a legion is a Roman fighting force.
What is the leader of the legion called?
The leader of a Roman legion was called a "legatus".
What is a group of 5000 soldiers in roman times?
The size of a Roman legion (army corps) was about 5,100 men.
