Scipio Africanus - Military Innovator and Early Diplomat

Publio Cornelius Scipio, (236 BC – 183 BC), known to history as Scipio Africanus, has been called arguably "the greatest general of the ancient world". Part of this tagging is due his remarkable defeat of Hannibal of Carthage and his awesome war elephants in 202 BC but it can also be fairly stated that part of his reputation was earned from his skillful diplomacy, which paved the way for later generals to become statesmen as well as soldiers. Add to the equation the fact that he never lost a battle and was able to inspire unequaled loyalty among his troops and you begin to understand some of his greatness.

So great was Scipio's ability to adapt tactics on the battlefield that during the decisive battle with Hannibal, which effectively ended the Second Punic War, he was able to kill some 20,000 of Hannibal's battle hardened troops while losing only about 500 or his own men. Clearly one of the more one-sided victories in military history and it cemented Scipio Africanus' place in Roman and world history. Always one to spot and exploit a weakness in his opponent, Scipio immediately turned his army towards Carthage after the battle and while he really didn’t have the resources to take or siege the city-state, his reputation and the totally defeated Hannibal’s insistence that resistance was futile forced capitulation and secured some 50 years of paying tribute to Rome’s treasury.

Titus Livius (59 BCE - 17 CE) whom many consider to be the greatest Roman historian for his masterpiece "The History of Rome from its Founding", states that Scipio Africanus was celebrated as much for achieving peace as he was for defeating Hannibal. Again, demonstrating how effective positive public relations could be for military heroes and paving the way for future soldier-statesmen to capitalize on their military conquests for political gain.

Gaius Marius – General and Social Reformer

Gaius Marius (157 BC–January 13, 86 BC) is known to historians for being the uncle of Julius Caesar however less well known is how his reformation of the Roman army helped lead to the conditions in early Rome that allowed his more famous nephew to seize power and convert the Roman Republic to an Empire in the truest sense of the word.

In 107 BC Rome faced a serious manpower shortage due to its history of only recruiting soldiers from the landowning classes based on the assumption that these men would have more to lose should the army be defeated and therefore could be counted on to fight harder and to show more loyalty to their leaders. However, because the rich had been acquiring the land of the smaller property owners there were soon few families owning smaller acreages and therefore smaller numbers of potential soldiers to draw on.

With Rome literally overflowing with mobs of unemployed and landless men, Marius took the novel approach of recruiting a professional army from these ranks. With the promise of regular pay, a share in the spoils of conquered lands, and a retirement plan should they survive for 20 or 25 years in service, there was no shortage of men willing to sign on and soon Marius had a huge army at his disposal.

While this policy not only swelled the ranks of Rome's fighting forces it was also destined to change society as a whole as people whom formerly had no hope for bettering themselves now had the opportunity not only for steady employment but also were given the opportunity to achieve personal glory and earn fame. Another aspect of Marius' reforms was to begin promotion of capable and deserving officers from within the ranks based on their merit rather than granting leadership commissions through the traditional political appointment or sale of such rank.

Another key to the success of this revolutionary concept was that the state began to equip its soldiers and therefore all of its armies had an equal quality and quantity of equipment which allowed for more consistently effective battlefield maneuvering. This practice also helped to create a sense of equality among the formerly common folk of Rome and eventually led to civil war.

All in all, Marius should be considered a military hero not only for his notable success on the battlefield but also for his farsighted and effective reforms of the way armies were recruited.