Introduction

The new organizational structure would remain the standard for the next 250 odd years, until the marian reform of one o seven b c. It was called the maniple system because it was based around a tactle unit of a hundred and 20 men called theManiple which roughly translates as a handful. The front line maniples were made up of the youngest and most inexperienced soldiers, generally aged 16 to 20, out on their firs campaigns. A roman army century was not composed of a hundred men, as is commonly and mistakenly believed, but rather 60 to 80 men. Each single manipole had four officers, two front, senior centurions and two back, junior centur