Small numbers of foriegn military specialists were often found in Republican armies once Rome had expanded out of Italy. But there is little connection between the places they were raised and the place in which they served.

Just a few examples:

  • Polybios (3.75) mentions 500 Cretan archers and 1000 light infantry dispatched to Rome by Hiero II early in the 2nd Punic War.
  • At the beginning of the war against Perseus in 171 BC (Livy 42.35), arrangements were made to raise 2000 Ligurians (at least some of which were probably skirmishers), some Cretan archers, Numidian cavalry (supplied by Masinissa) and elephants from Carthage.
  • Sallust makes reference (JW 38) to Ligurian infantry and Thracian horse during the Jugurthine war.
  • In De Bello Gallllico, Caesar mentions Gallic (1.42) and German (7.13) horse, Numidian and Cretan archers and Balearic slingers (BG 2.7) in his armies.


One thing we don't really see much of in Roman armies is non-Italian heavy infantry.