The Hastati (singular Hastatus, from hasta) is an early type of Roman legionary (see Roman Legion). The weapons and tactics of the hastati were used during Rome's campaigns to secure its position in Italy and its conquests abroad.Origin and HistoryPrior to 387 BCIn its earliest form, the hastati were a type of spear unit carrying, as their primary weapon, a hasta, a short sword (gladius) as their secondary weapon for thrusting in close combat and an oval shield (parma) for protection. Their armor consisted of the standard bronze helmet of the Roman Army at the time, decorated with large plumes, a bronze breastplate, or chain mail. The soldiers armored themselves, buying whatever they could afford.The hastati were organized into 15 maniples of 120 men per legion, each of which was divided into two centuries of a surprisingly small number of 60 men. Each century was commanded by a centurion in the front of the unit and supported by a standard-bearer and a second-in-command. As the first battle line before the more seasoned principes (who in turn, preceded the oldest and the most seasoned triarii), the hastati were the first to be thrust into the heat of a battle, supported by the light-armoured auxiliary missile unit called the velites. Each individual Roman soldier within this unit was trained to wait for a chance to push the enemy's sword up with his shield and stab him in the torso. This maneuver would be repeated over and over, until a signal would be given to rotate the ranks.There were typically seven lines of infantry, so for every few minutes spent on the line, a soldier could expect to have almost half an hour of rest before he once again faced the enemy. Compared to both barbarian peoples and Hellenic infantry in phalanx formation, the Roman soldier could stay in action much longer without suffering fatigue.During 387 BCThe Roman soldiers at the time were organized in feudal fashion, gathered around whichever patrician had employed them. This lack of centralized leadership meant that the Roman front was hectic and often confusing, which made the broad front of the barbarians an even match for the more organized, but less well-led Romans.The hastati fought in a tight regimented formation, which allowed marginally enough room for thrusting with spears or short swords, as other weapons require surrounding space for the swing. The barbarians fought in hordes with enough space around each fighter to swing their long sword. This tactic was quite successful against the Hastati with small, relatively weak shields and less space for manoeuvering.As a result, the hastati were proved ineffective during the Gallic invasion in 387 BC. The Gauls, led by Brennus, wielded longswords and attacked with cavalry and infantry wave assaults. This inadequacy prompted a military reform which saw changes in the way this unit was equipped. The hasta was replaced by two 4-foot long javelins with 9-inch tips (pila, singular pilum), which were thrown at the enemy within range to stop or slow down any infantry charge. The gladius now served as the primary melee weapon when the enemy infantry eventually managed to cross the battlefield to engage the shield wall of the hastati. Most of these innovations were derived from conflicts with the Spanish and Samnite peoples, whose weapons and tactics, when combined with Roman discipline, created a fearsome military machine. |