''Velites'' (; : ) were a class of
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
in the
Roman army of the mid-Republic
The Roman army of the mid-Republic, also called the manipular Roman army or the Polybian army, refers to the armed forces deployed by the mid-Roman Republic, from the end of the Samnite Wars (290 BC) to the end of the Social War (91–88 BC), So ...
from 211 to 107 BC. ''Velites'' were
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
and
skirmisher
Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They may be deployed in a skirmish line, an irre ...
s armed with javelins (), each with a 75cm (30 inch) wooden shaft the diameter of a finger, with a 25cm (10 inch) narrow metal point, to fling at the enemy. They also carried short thrusting swords, or
''gladii'', for use in
melee
A melee ( or ) is a confused hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand fight among several people. The English term ''melee'' originated circa 1648 from the French word ' (), derived from the Old French ''mesler'', from which '':wikt:medley, medley'' and ...
. They rarely wore armour as they were the youngest and poorest soldiers in the legion and could not afford much equipment. They did carry small wooden shields called ''
parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
'' for protection, and wore headdresses made from wolf skins so their brave deeds could be recognized.
The ''velites'' were placed at the front partly for tactical reasons, and also so that they had the opportunity to secure glory for themselves in single combat.
''Velites'' did not form their own units; a number of them were attached to each
maniple of ''
hastati
''Hastati'' (: ''hastatus'') were a class of infantry employed in the Structural history of the Roman military#Manipular legion (315 BC – 107 BC), armies of the early Roman Republic, who originally fought as spearmen and later as swordsmen. Th ...
'', ''
principes
''Principes'' (: ''princeps'') were Spear, spearmen, and later Swordsmanship, swordsmen, in the Roman army of the mid-Republic, armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could affo ...
'' and ''
triarii
''Triarii'' (: ''triarius'') ("the third liners") were one of the elements of the early Roman military manipular legions of the early Roman Republic (509 BC – 107 BC). They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army and could a ...
''. They were typically used as a
screening force, driving off enemy skirmishers and disrupting enemy formations with javelin throws before retiring behind the lines to allow the heavier-armed ''hastati'' to attack. They were normally the ones who engaged
war elephant
A war elephant is an elephant that is Animal training, trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge (warfare), charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elep ...
s and
chariot
A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...
s if they were present on the field, such as in the
Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC in what is now Tunisia between a Roman Republic, Roman army commanded by Scipio Africanus and a Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian army commanded by Hannibal. The battle was part of the Second Punic War an ...
, in 202 BC.
Their high mobility and ranged weaponry made them much more effective against these enemies than heavy infantry. An early Roman legion contained approximately 1000 ''velites''. ''Velites'' were disbanded after the so-called "
Marian reforms
The Marian reforms were putative changes to the composition and operation of the Roman army during the late Roman Republic usually attributed to Gaius Marius (a general who was consul in 107, 104–100, and 86 BC). The most important of ...
".
Lucilius suggests that ''
rorarii'' and ''velites'' were interchangeable, with ''velites'' gradually superseding ''rorarii''.
Another theory is that the ''
leves
''Leves'' (: ''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 ...
''
' equipment was upgraded until they were at the same level as the ''rorarii'', and they both collectively became known as the ''velites''.
Equipment

''Velites'' were the youngest and usually the poorest (being fifth class citizens, with property worth 400–2,500 ''
denarii'') soldiers in the legion, and could rarely afford much equipment.
They were armed with ''
veretum
The ''verutum'', plural ''veruta'' (), was a short javelin used in the Roman army. This javelin was used by the ''velites'' for skirmishing purposes, unlike the heavier ''pilum'', which was used by the ''hastati'' and ''principes'' for weakening ...
'', light javelins, each with a 90 cm (3 ft) wooden shaft the diameter of a finger, with a 25cm (10 inch) narrow metal point, and tips designed to bend on impact to prevent them being thrown back, similar to the heavier
''pila'' of other legionaries. Livy says that they each carried seven javelins, but Roman satirist Lucilius says that they carried five, suggesting that the amount may have changed.
The ''hastati'' and ''principes'' carried ''gladii'', relatively short thrusting swords 74 centimetres (29 inches) in length, as their main weapons, and the ''velites'' carried them as backup weapons. They fought in a very loose, staggered formation like most
irregular troops, and carried small round shields called ''
parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
'', 90 cm (3 feet) in diameter.
The ''velites'' were placed at the front of the ''maniples'', so that the ''velites'' had the chance to prove themselves and win glory by seeking out single combat with an enemy. This is also why they wore highly identifiable wolfskin headdresses.
Organization
In the
legion, the ''velites'' were attached to each maniple of ''hastati'', ''principes'' and ''
triarii
''Triarii'' (: ''triarius'') ("the third liners") were one of the elements of the early Roman military manipular legions of the early Roman Republic (509 BC – 107 BC). They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army and could a ...
''. They usually formed up at the front of the legion before battle to harass the enemy with javelin throws and to prevent the enemy doing the same before retiring behind the lines to allow the heavier infantry to attack.
After they had fallen back, they would move up behind the attacking troops and throw darts at the enemy. They also sometimes carried wounded back to the rear, although a corps of ''
deportates'' usually did this. In a
pitched battle
A pitched battle or set-piece battle is a battle in which opposing forces each anticipate the setting of the battle, and each chooses to commit to it. Either side may have the option to disengage before the battle starts or shortly thereafter. A ...
, the ''velites'' would form up at the front of the legion and cover the advance of the hastati, who were armed with swords. If the ''hastati'' failed to break the enemy, they would fall back and let the ''principes'', similarly equipped though more experienced infantry, take over. If the ''principes'' failed, they would retire behind the ''triarii'', well trained, heavily armoured, spear armed legionaries and let them attack.
The number of ''triarii'' was fixed at 600 per legion, there were usually 1,200 ''hastati'' and 1,200 ''principes'' per legion, with the rest being light infantry like the ''velites''. In the standard legion around the time of the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...
(218 -201 BC) there were 10 ''maniples'' of ''hastati'', each having 120 ''hastati'', with 40 ''velites'' attached. The ''maniples'' were further split into centuries, of 60 ''hastati'' and 20 ''velites'', with the
centurion
In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...
of the ''hastati'' century commanding the ''velites'' as well.
After the Romans were ambushed at the
Battle of Lake Trasimene
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal ambushed a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. The battle took place on the north shore of Lake Tra ...
, which remains the largest ambush in military history by men involved, in 217 BC,
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus (), surnamed Cunctator ( 280 – 203 BC), was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was Roman consul, consul five times (233, 228, 215, 214, and 209 BC) and was appointed Roman dictator, dict ...
introduced a military step known as the ''
agmen''. It was a variable formation, with one or more columns, separated by cohorts, with their allies in between the cohorts. The front of the columns were the ''
extraordinarii
The ''extraordinarii'' were the elite troops of the Roman Ala (Roman allied military unit), alae, recruited from the ''socii'', Rome's Italian military allies. The name refers to their nature; i.e., ''extraordinary'' or ''chosen'' men. In battle th ...
'', along with some of the ''velites''. Following this formation was a rear-guard of the ''
ablecti'', and the rest of the ''velites''. The baggage trail was guarded by the cavalry. Both the front and the flanks contained a number of ''
speculatores
The ''speculatores,'' also known as the ''speculatores augusti'' or the ''exploratores'', were an ancient Roman reconnaissance agency. They were part of the ''consularis'' and were used by the Roman military. The ''speculatores'' were headquarte ...
'' (scouts), to provide warning of an enemy army's approach. When enemies were nearby, the baggage train would be dispersed between the ''maniples''. If the columns were forced to retreat, the ''velites'' and the ''extraordinarii'' that were in the front guarded the retreat of the others; this contrasts with their usual method of retreat, in which the cavalry, the ''velites'', and the ''triarii'' stayed behind and covered the retreat.
When the Romans set up a temporary ''
castra
''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...
'', two ''maniples'' (without their ''velites'') were selected to pitch the tents of the headquarters and officers, and details were made for fatigue duty, to get wood and water, and to give food and water to the animals accompanying them. The rest of the men, excepting ''velites'' and officers, set up the tents of the soldiers. During this time the ''velites'' would guard the outside of the wall and the wall itself, while the rest of the troops would guard the interior. The watch, which was composed of eight men led by a decurion, ran from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, and was divided into four shifts, each of three hours.
History
''Velites'' were descended from an earlier class of light infantry, ''
leves
''Leves'' (: ''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 ...
'', dating from the
Camillan legion of the 5th century BC, who had a very similar role to the ''velites''. They were also the poorer and younger soldiers in the legion, though the ''
rorarii'' and ''
accensi'' classes were considerably poorer and were eventually disbanded, having insufficient equipment to be effective soldiers.
Leves were likewise armed with a number of javelins, but carried a spear rather than a sword. Like the ''velites'', ''leves'' did not have their own units, but were attached to units of ''hastati''.
Lucilius, however, suggests that ''rorarii'' and ''velites'' were interchangeable, with ''velites'' gradually superseding ''rorarii''.
[ Another theory is that the ''leves''' equipment was upgraded until they were at the same level as the ''rorarii'', and they both collectively became known as the ''velites''.]
''Velites'' were first used, and created, at the siege of Capua in 211 BC, and were made up of citizens who would normally be too poor to join the ''hastati'' but were called up due a shortage of manpower. They were trained to ride on horseback with the ''equites
The (; , though sometimes referred to as " knights" in English) constituted the second of the property/social-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian order was known as an ().
Descript ...
'' and jump down at a given signal to fling javelins at the enemy. After the siege, they were adopted into the legions as a force of irregular light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
for ambushing and harassing the enemy with javelins before the battle began in earnest.
The ''velites'' were used against the Carthaginian elephants
Elephants are the Largest and heaviest animals, largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian ele ...
in the Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC in what is now Tunisia between a Roman Republic, Roman army commanded by Scipio Africanus and a Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian army commanded by Hannibal. The battle was part of the Second Punic War an ...
. After their usual javelin throw, the ''velites'' took cover behind the ''maniples'', and then launched a sortie, quickly coming out from behind the troops and attacking the elephants, before retreating again.[
With the putative reforms of ]Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbrian War, Cimbric and Jugurthine War, Jugurthine wars, he held the office of Roman consul, consul an unprecedented seven times. Rising from a fami ...
in 107 BC, designed to combat a shortage of manpower due to wars against Jugurtha
Jugurtha or Jugurthen (c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia, the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Micipsa's two sons, Hiempsal and Adherbal ...
, the different classes of units were disbanded entirely.
Various light troops in the Imperial Guard
An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...
of Napoleon were named after the Roman ''velites''.
See also
* List of Roman army unit types
This is a list of Roman army units and bureaucrats.
*''Accensus'' – Light infantry men in the armies of the early Roman Republic, made up of the poorest men of the army.
*''Actuarius'' – A soldier charged with distributing pay and provisions. ...
References
External links
''C. Lucilii Carminum reliquiae'' by Lucilius
{{Good article
Military units and formations of the Roman Republic
Infantry units and formations of ancient Rome
Military units and formations of ancient Rome