Ab urbe condita

The terrible severity of the punishment, however, made the soldiers more obedient to their general, and not only did it lead to greater attention being paid to the pickets and sentry duties and the ordering of the outposts, but when they went

into battle for the final contest, this severity proved to be of the greatest service.

The battle was exactly like one fought in a civil war; there was nothing in the Latin army different from the Roman except their courage. At[*](Changes in the Roman Military System.) first the Romans used the large round shield called the clipeus, afterwards, when the soldiers received pay, the smaller oblong shield called the scutum was adopted.

The phalanx formation, similar to the Macedonian of the earlier days, was abandoned in favour of the distribution into companies (manipuli); the rear portion being broken up into smaller divisions.

The foremost line consisted of the hastati, formed into fifteen companies, drawn up at a short distance from each other.

These were called the lightarmed companies, as whilst one-third carried a long spear (hasta and short iron javelins, the remainder carried shields. This front line consisted of youths in the first bloom of manhood just old enough for service.

Behind them were stationed an equal number of companies, called principes, made up of men in the full vigour of life, all carrying shields and furnished with superior weapons. This body of thirty companies were called the antepilani.