ABSTRACT
The second half of the fourth century BC was a period of immense change for the Roman army, most notably associated with the advent of Rome’s so-called “manipular” structure. This tactical shift has often been interpreted as the Roman response to external stimuli, and particularly the challenge posed by the Samnites. However, Rome’s distinctive mid-Republican military structure and the Romans’ ability to mobilize, integrate, and organize so many troops (and so many troop types) into a single, functional, fighting force were – at least equally, if not solely – the products of internal developments. At its core, Rome’s “manipular” structure was most likely not defined by a specific formation or sets of equipment, as described by Polybius, nor did it represent a wholly new innovation in the fourth century, but it emerged from a network of relationships and an overall approach to battle that had their roots in the wider social structures of archaic central Italy.
