Republican Roman Army 1:72 Caesar Miniatures

The last years of the second century BCE were a time of great change for the army of the Roman Republic. For centuries the Latin power had raised armies from those citizens that qualified, and then discharged them when the campaign was over. However the gradual increase in the size of Rome’s domains was making this militia-style system less workable, and during these few years Rome turned to having a full-time, professional army of heavy infantry, for whom the name Gaius Marius will always be associated. For model figures this change is significant because as a militia the Roman troops wore whatever they could afford, which probably created plenty of variation in what was actually seen on the battlefield. With the professional army the state provided the basics – armour and weapons – so a new consistency of appearance was achieved.