In this series, we examine the various units that made up the Roman war machine. Armies were the backbone of any ancient civilization, and the Romans did it better than anyone else over a long period of time. Let’s examine the hastati.
The hastati (singular hastatus) were an ancient unit formed in the republic’s early days in the late sixth century BC. They appear to have closely resembled Etruscan units when Rome was a kingdom ruled by Etruscan kings. Their name is derived from the name of the spears that they originally carried—hastae.
Originally, they were support units to the heavier infantry, a remnant from their Etruscan days. They had little in the way of adequate protection. They generally wore light mail armor and were equipped with spears.
Heavy defeats against the Gauls in the late fourth century BC seem to have been the catalyst for the first reforms of the hastati. The army was sorted according to wealth – with the wealthier able to afford better armor and weaponry. The hastati was comprised of some of Rome’s poorest soldiers. However, they were kitted out in better armor and weapons than their predecessors.
Later reforms would see the hastati now wield a gladius. Roman army units were also formed using criteria such as age and experience rather than purely on wealth. As noted in Book VI, XXI, of The Histories by Polybius, he writes:
“When they come to the rendezvous, they choose the youngest and poorest to form the velites; the next to them are made hastati; those in the prime of life principes; and the oldest of all triarii, these being the names among the Romans of the four classes in each legion distinct in age and equipment.”
Polybius then goes on to explain the number of troops that make up a legion in Book VI, XXI:
“They divide them so that the senior men known as triarii number six hundred, the principes twelve hundred, the hastati twelve hundred, the rest, consisting of the youngest, being velites. If the legion consists of more than four thousand men, they divide accordingly, except as regards the triarii, the number of whom is always the same.”
It must be remembered, though, that the numbers within legions were not static. We do have times in history when the legions contained 5,000 troops, with numbers regularly fluctuating due to the ability to replenish the legion. Attrition also took its toll on troop numbers.
Polybius also goes into a lot of detail regarding what the soldiers wore, and he notes the following regarding the hastati in Book VI, XXIII:
“The next in seniority called hastati, are ordered to wear a complete panoply. The Roman panoply consists firstly of a shield (scutum), the convex surface of which measures two and a half feet in width (approximately 75cm) and four feet in length (approximately 1.2 m), the thickness at the rim being a palm’s breadth (approximately 10 cm). It is made of two planks glued together, the outer surface being then covered first with canvas and then with calf-skin. Its upper and lower rims are strengthened by an iron edging, which protects it from descending blows and from injury when rested on the ground. It also has an iron boss (umbo) fixed to it, which turns aside the most formidable blows of stones, pikes, and heavy missiles in general. Besides the shield, they also carry a sword, hanging on the right thigh and called a Spanish sword. This is excellent for thrusting, and both of its edges cut effectually, as the blade is very strong and firm. In addition, they have two pila, a brass helmet, and greaves. The pila are of two sorts — stout and fine. Of the stout ones, some are round and a palm’s length in diameter (approximately 10 cm), and others are a palm square. Fine pila, which they carry in addition to the stout ones, are like moderate-sized hunting spears, the length of the haft in all cases being about three cubits. Each is fitted with a barbed iron head of the same length as the haft. This they attach so securely to the haft, carrying the attachment halfway up the latter and fixing it with numerous rivets, that in action, the iron will break sooner than become detached, although its thickness at the bottom where it comes in contact with the wood is a finger’s breadth and a half; such great care do they take about attaching it firmly. Finally, they wear as an ornament a circle of feathers with three upright purple or black feathers about a cubit in height (approximately 45 cm), the addition of which on the head surmounting their other arms is to make every man look twice his real height and to give him a fine appearance, such as will strike terror into the enemy. The common soldiers wear, in addition, a breastplate of brass, a span square, which they place in front of the heart and call the heart-protector (pectorale), this completing their accoutrements; but those who are rated above ten thousand drachmas wear instead of this a coat of chain-mail (lorica).”
It is also worth noting that Roman tactics were flexible at times. As we can see in Livy’s recount in his From the Founding of the City texts, Book XXX, XXXIII, the hastati were in the first line in the formation at the Battle of Zama against Hannibal. He describes the legion forming columns, so Hannibal’s war elephants could pass through without trampling the Roman army:
“Then he drew up his men, the hastati in front, behind them the principes, the triarii closing the rear. He did not form the cohorts in line before their respective standards but placed a considerable interval between the maniples in order that there might be space for the enemy elephants to be driven through without breaking the ranks……. The velites, the light infantry of those days, were stationed at the head of the lanes between the columns of maniples with instructions to retire when the elephants charged and shelter themselves behind the lines of maniples or else run to the right and left behind the standards and so allow the monsters to rush on to meet the darts from both sides.”
The last reforms occurred in 107 BC under Gaius Marius. They aimed to professionalize the army and simplify the Roman infantry, with the Legionary Cohort being the main infantry unit. This meant that many other units, including the hastati, were disbanded.
Sources:
Livy – From the Founding of the City – https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/From_the_Founding_of_the_City/Book_30
Polybius – The Histories (Thayer) – https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/6*.html
Featured image: By Elliott Sadourny – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0