| The battle lines of the legions and the formations | | | | barrage of missile fire from Onagers and Ballistas |
| they took gave them superiority on the battle | | | | (ancient artillery) were used to weaken and |
| field. Before in the Army of the Republic, there | | | | dishearten the enemy. As the legionnaires |
| were three lines of men, including the Hastati, | | | | approached the enemy and came within thirty |
| Principes, and Triarii. This was done away with and | | | | yards or so, they would throw a volley or two of |
| the new Imperial Roman Army had two lines of | | | | pilum that would weaken the enemy before they |
| men, with the first and the second each having | | | | engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The single lines |
| five cohorts. Although, sometimes they took a | | | | were replaced with a three to five men line, so |
| standard three line formation, with four cohorts in | | | | that the soldiers could easily rotate to replace |
| the first line and three in the second and third | | | | fallen or fatigued comrades.With improved training |
| lines. On the extreme right wing of a battle line | | | | and uniform gear, there were, however, new |
| was the first cohort. | | | | formations the cohorts could transform into to |
| They were placed here because they were | | | | meet a new situation. These were prime |
| considered the Veterans of the army, and this | | | | examples that exemplified the ingenuity and |
| was the most advantageous sector of the battle | | | | effectiveness of Roman warfare. |
| line. The cohorts were also placed in such a way | | | | First and probably the most famous, was the |
| that the strongest cohorts were in the wings and | | | | Tortoise, or Testudo. You have probably seen this |
| center, while the weaker ones were placed in | | | | in historically accurate computer games or in |
| between them. This ensured the most important | | | | movies such as Gladiator. When deployed |
| places of the line would not easily lose morale and | | | | effectively, the soldiers would use their roman |
| rout.Battles were fought in much the same way | | | | shields (the scutum) and raise and interlock them |
| as in the Pre-Marius times, with the exception of | | | | so that the entire company became a square box |
| the heavier use of artillery. | | | | almost completely invulnerable to missile fire and |
| Often before heavy infantry were sent in, a | | | | objects dropped from above. |