Leves

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Leves (sg.: levis) were javelin-armed skirmishers in the army of the early Roman Republic. They were typically some of the youngest and poorest men in the legion, and could not afford much equipment. They were usually outfitted with just a number of light javelins and no other equipment. There were 300 leves in a legion, and unlike other infantry types they did not form their own units, but were assigned to units of hastati – heavier sword-armed troops. Their primary purpose on the battlefield was to harass the enemy with javelin fire and support the heavy infantry who fought in hand-to-hand combat. Accensi and rorarii were also light missile troops and had similar roles.

History and deployment

Leves appear to have evolved from the old poor classes of the army under the

Under this organisation, the 300 leves were attached to units of hastati, heavy sword armed troops, rather than forming their own units.[7] In a pitched battle, the leves would form up at the front of the legion and harass the enemy with javelin fire to cover the advance of the hastati and other heavy infantry. The equites, cavalrymen, were used as flankers and to pursue routing enemies. The rorarii and accensi in the final battle line were used in a support role, providing mass and reinforcing wavering areas of the line.^[4]

Polybian system

The Camillan system of organisation proved inefficient, in part due to the relatively large number of light troops, and sometime in the mid-3rd century BC, was restructured. In a new system, described by Polybius, the different types of light troops were done away with and replaced by a single skirmisher class, the velites.^[8] Their equipment and role was very similar to that of the leves, to harass the enemy with missile fire and support friendly troops.^[9]

See also

• Equites

References