Assault Quadreme, Socii Hastati

Description

There is a good deal of debate as to how large ancient warships worked; the principles are understood, but the details are not always so clear. A Roman 'quadreme' or Greek 'tetreres' would seem to have four rows of oars if the name is translated literally. However, it is unclear how four sets of oars each with one rower apiece could be used without them getting in a terrible tangle even with a magnificently trained crew, or how the top set of rowers would be able to handle the extremely long oars pitched at a steep angle and still produce any power. The chances are that the term 'oar' had become synonymous with 'rower' and that the lowest bank had more than one man per oar. The other option was to go back to a double row of oars, with two men apiece. Two banks of oars would also have made for a cheaper construction task for each ship. Either way, the result was a ship that could rival the lighter trireme in speed, yet had more deck space for a large fighting contingent or artillery pieces.

Although the early Socii troops varied greatly in armament and style, between the times of the Camillan and Polybian military reforms most Socii infantry adopted the equipment of the Roman hastati. Each carried a gladius and two pila, and either the hastati’s scutum or shields inspired by their Etruscan, Samnite or Greek ancestry. Usually wearing bronze helmets and breastplates, Socii were drawn from the city-states and tribes of the Italian peninsula, and were expected to provide half the troops of a Roman army. In battle, they would normally be split into two forces under the command of a praefectus, and take position on a Legions' flank. During the Allied Wars of 90-88BC the Socii revolted against Rome; not for independence, but to gain the full rights of Roman citizenship. In an attempt to resolve the conflict, those that did not rebel were rewarded with citizenship, although eventually the entire Italian population became citizens.