History[]
From the "Roman army of the mid-Republic " Wikipedia page :
The Roman army of the mid-Republic (also known as the manipular Roman army or the "Polybian army"), refers to the armed forces deployed by the mid-Roman Republic, from the end of the Samnite Wars (290 BC) to the end of the Social War (88 BC). The first phase of this army, in its manipular structure (290–ca. 130 BC), is described in detail in the Histories of the ancient Greek historian Polybius, writing before 146 BC.
More on the "Roman army of the mid-Republic " Wikipedia page.
This army follows the 3/II/10 Camillan Roman 400-275BC army and is followed by the 3/II/49 Marian Roman 105-25BC army.
Army composition[]
| II/33 Polybian Roman 275-105BC | Cv | 4Bd | 3Ax | 4Ax | Sp | Ps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 1 | |||||
| Equites | 1 | |||||
| Hastati/principes | 4 | |||||
| Hastati/principes or allies | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Triarii | 2 | |||||
| Velites | 2 |
Enemies[]
I/36b Sardinian 700-124BC
I/47 Illyrian 700BC-10AD
I/48 Thracian 700BC-46AD
II/5e Aitolian or Akarnanian 448-225BC
II/5g Italiot 448-280BC
II/5h Siciliot 448-280BC
II/8a Bruttian or Lucanian 420-203BC
II/8b Campanian 420-340BC
II/8c Apulian 420-206BC
II/9a Syracusan armies en Sicily 410-210BC
II/11 Gallic 400-50BC
II/14 Ariarathid Kappadokian 330-322BC & 300BC-17AD
II/19c Seleucid 204-167BC
II/19d Seleucid 166-64BC
II/30b Galatian 273-65BC
II/31g Hellenistic Achaian 207-146BC
II/31i Hellenistic Eleian 278-146BC
II/31j Hellenistic Aitolian 278-146BC
II/32a Later Carthaginian 275-202BC
II/32b Later Carthaginian 201-146BC
II/34 Attalid Pergamene 263-129BC
II/35 Later Macedonian 260-148BC
II/39a Iberian 240-20BC
II/39b Celtiberian 240-20BC
II/39c Lusitanian 240-20BC
II/40 Numidian or Early Moorish 215BC-24AD
II/44 Commagene 163BC-17AD
II/45a 1st Servile War in Sicily 135-132BC
Allies[]
II/11 Gallic 400-50BC
II/31j Hellenistic Aitolian 278-146BC
II/34 Attalid Pergamene 263-129BC
II/39a Iberian 240-20BC
II/39b Celtiberian 240-20BC
II/40 Numidian or Early Moorish 215BC-24AD
Camps and BUAs[]
From Chris Brantley's DBA 2.0 Army Essay :
Although perhaps not as prolific at field engineering as Marius' Mules, the Polybian Army was still adept at fortifying camps on the march. The Polybians perfected the basic Roman march camp, which consisted of a ditch (fosse) and rampart or ager (mounded earth, turf or stone) at least eight Roman feet wide and six feet tall topped with a stake pallisade (vallum). Fortified camps became more elaborate depending on the duration of stay and/or permanency of the fortification. To represent Roman armies on the march (as at Lake Trasimene), you could field a camp comprised of two-wheeled carts drawn by onagers. BUAs could be depicted in small scale as a large, well-fortified military camp or as a walled city, possibly even Rome itself. Similarly, a section of wall with towers can comprise the BUA in larger scales.
Painting tips[]
From Chris Brantley's DBA 2.0 Army Essay :
The legionary tunic would most likely be made of unbleached (off-white) linen and madder-dyed (reddish brown) cloth, although other dyes are possible. The Montefortino or Etrusco-Corinthian helmet would be polished bronze. Feathers inserted in the helmet could be red, black or white. Helmet crests and horsehair plums were also common. There is no clear rule of thumb for Polybian Roman shields, which may or may not have been uniform colors (althought they were property of the state). Most gamers, however, tend to paint shields of a particular legion with uniform colors, typically white, red, yellow, light blue or even green. It is believed the Polybians decorated their shields with personal designs, typically animal totems from Roman mythology, such as wolves or boars, rather than fixed patterns (e.g. the thunderbolts of the Imperial period).
Miniatures[]
- 15mm :
Army packs :
Essex Miniatures : DBA 3.0 Army pack complete with all options and individual figurines with photos.
Chariot Miniatures at Magister Militum : Army pack is compatible DBA3.0 and playable as it it but missing the 3Ax and 4Ax options.
Other suppliers :
- 28mm :
Armies gallery[]
Chariot Miniaitures figures for a Polybian army
Resources[]
- From the DBA 3.0 rules :
Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars (Duncan Head) : new 2016 printing available
The Making of the Roman Army: From Republic to Empire (Lawrence Keppie)
The Complete Roman Army (Adrian Goldsworthy)
Scipio Africanus: soldier and politician (Howard Hayes Scullard)
- Osprey Publishing :
Republican Roman Army 200–104 BC - men at arms 291 (Author: Nicholas Sekunda, Illustrator: Angus McBride)
Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265–146 BC - men at arms 121 (Author: Terence Wise, Illustrator: Richard Hook)
Roman Republican Legionary 298–105 BC - warrior 162 (Author: Nic Fields, Illustrator: Seán Ó’Brógáin)
And many others...
- Others :