Roman Garrisons In The Early Republic

[Kosmo]

The pyrhic wars started as Rome placed some garrisons in the greek cities of the south. After the war a garrison was placed in Tarentum.

At the time the roman army consisted of drafted land owners. This garrisons are dreafted the same or are some permanent forces used to garrison in times of peace?

[Pompieus]

The pyrhic wars started as Rome placed some garrisons in the greek cities of the south. After the war a garrison was placed in Tarentum.

At the time the roman army consisted of drafted land owners. This garrisons are dreafted the same or are some permanent forces used to garrison in times of peace?

 

The Cambridge Ancient History [/i]CAH vol vii pg 655. [/i] mentions the legion at Tarentum in 272 BC, I haven't been aable to find the primary source that mentions this first Roman garrison - have you ?

 

The CAH also says on pg 798 that a legion was left to garrison Sicily under the newly appointed praetorian governor in 227 BC. Polybius Poly ii 24, in describing the efforts made to meet the Gallic invasion in 225 BC, says reserve legions were stationed in Tarentum and Sicily. Had these garrisons been maintained since 272 and 225? If so, the troops were probably maintained the same way as the later garrisons in Spain, eg. each commander took newly conscripted reinforcements with him when he left Rome and brought time-served soldiers back with him when he returned. The legions in the third and second centuries BC did not have the organizational continuity they had later with permanent numbers and esprit-de-corps, but were formally reconstituted each winter with new tribunes a new chief centurion and, probably a new numeral.

 

Attempts are made to describe the armies and garrisons maintained by the Republic between 218 and 31 BC in Blunt Italian Manpower and Toynbee Hannibals Legacy