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I had a couple of questions about this type of unit.
1. What prompted the Romans to use this type of soldier?
2. Where were they placed and used in formations (maybe the flanks)?
3. Why were they used instead of skirmisher auxilia units?
4. Why are they gone by the Imperial era?
5. Where can I read about them? I have never heard of them except in EB.
Well the name pretty much gives away their position: In front of the "signa" - the military standards.
4. They aren't gone in the Imperial Era.
Actually it's unknow what they exactly where. The term appears in ancient texts but the meaning differs. they can practically be anything from legionaries used as light skirmishers to ordinary soldiers who are part of the frontline centuries and therefore stand "before the signs"...
Imho they were legionaries used for fighting out of formation, so pretty much what they represent in EB. Where they got the idea for their armour from...i don't know.
I'm sure I read somewhere here that the bronze cuirass was inacurate and would be changed, anything more on that?
Also, how come in EB they are Rome's most heavily-armoured infantry? That's bizarre given they are supposed to be Marian mules serving en lieu of the old velites (in the same way Pezhetairoi could be re-armed to serve as Peltastai). I have difficulty believing a heavy bronze muscle cuirass would be used by soldiers assigned to light infantry duties. In fact, I first thought the model was meant to be wearing a cuir bouilli cuirass...
Muscled cuirass was actually lighter than chain mail, just MUCH more expensive...
But still not the sort of equipment you would give to light infantry...
ATM, they are rather like seleukid thorakitai argyraspidies. Very heavy spear armed elite inf.
Correct me if I am wrong, but that is not what they are supposed to be.
They were more assault infantry than light one, pretty much the equivalent of perhaspidai imho...
I think they're role follows that of the pedites extraordiarii. They protected the legions front on the march. In battle, I use them as flankers.