The structure of the Roman army in the royal age

The first Roman army was composed by hoplites soldiers, who fought using the phalanx formation. The Romans learned to fight in this formation by the Etruscans around the 500 b.C..
The enlistment was made by an economical census of the citizens. In fact the soldiers were not paid. The richest people were enlisted as hoplites, the other ones were probably enlisted as light infantry.
The Roman phalanx was made by 40 centuriae (400 men) plus an unknown number of light infantry soldiers.
During the V century B.C. this army became made of 60 centuriae formed by citizens divided into 3 different economical classes. During the war against the city of Veio, it was introduced the first form of payment for the soldiers.
Let's talk about the cavalry; the first evidence of the cavalry corp is from the 400 b.C.. The cavalry was made by volunteers who joined the army with their own horses. Probably these cavaliers were part of the political elite class.


Bibliography: the Roman army by Chris McNab