"Questions on Pre-Marian/Polybian Legions" Topic

A couple of questions:

1: What sort of and how many standards and trumpets did a legion have?

2: Were they named and/or numbered?

Supposedly, from the time of Romulus a bundle of hay or other vegetation was tied to a pole/spear. This handful is given as the origin for maniple.

Livy says that standards of some sort were only carried by the rear units – triarii, rorarii and accensi.

Polybius says each maniple had two standard bearers – at least one author suggests that between them they were responsible for a single standard but it may be that there is one for each 'officer'.

Pliny Nat Hist X.5 "Caius Marius, in his second consulship, assigned the eagle exclusively to the Roman legions. Before that period it had only held the first rank, there being four others as well, the wolf, the minotaur, the horse, and the wild boar, each of which preceded a single division.1 Some few years before his time it had begun to be the custom to carry the eagle only into battle, the other standards being left behind in camp; Marius, however, abolished the rest of them entirely. Since then, it has been remarked that hardly ever has a Roman legion encamped for the winter, without a pair of eagles making their appearance at the spot."

Well I just learned a few things, nice post.

Sorry I don't have the sources at hand, but the pre-Marian Legions were usually only numbered. One Consul would have the first and third legion in addition to the two Latin Alae, while the other would have the second and fourth Legions plus the Latin Alae.

During the Second Punic War Rome fielded over two dozen legions with legions stationed in Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and the Italian peninsula.