ROM0038 – Hastati and Velites

Hastati and Velites: The Cutting Edge of Rome’s Republican Army

Every Roman battle began with the Velites — the youngest and poorest soldiers of the legion, lightly armed skirmishers who opened the engagement with a furious volley of javelins before melting back through the intervals of the advancing heavy infantry. Fast, aggressive, and expendable, they were Rome’s first offensive weapon, designed to disrupt and demoralize the enemy before the real killing began.

The Hastati: First Into the Fire

Behind the Velites came the Hastati — young men of the legionary class, equipped with the weapons that would define Roman warfare for centuries: the heavy throwing spear pilum and the short stabbing sword gladius. The pilum was a masterpiece of military engineering: a heavy wooden shaft topped by a long iron shank that bent on impact, immobilizing enemy shields and rendering them useless. A shower of pila at ten meters, followed immediately by a charge with the gladius — this was the Roman killing system, and it was devastatingly effective.

The Hastati bore the initial shock of battle — the terrifying moment when two armies collide at close quarters, when training and courage are tested to their limits. Their oval scutum shield, body armor, and bronze helmet gave them protection; their aggressive training and unit cohesion gave them confidence. They were not expected to win alone — their role was to engage, exhaust, and weaken the enemy’s front line before the Principes delivered the decisive blow.

Together, Velites and Hastati embodied the Roman tactical philosophy: use light troops to screen and disrupt, then send in well-armed young infantry to do the hard work of breaking the enemy’s will to fight.

The Original Artwork by Giuseppe Rava

This original Roman military art print by Giuseppe Rava — historical illustrator for Osprey Publishing since 2007 — depicts the Hastati and Velites in authentic Republican equipment with the meticulous accuracy that defines every work by the Maestro. Montefortino helmets, oval scuta, pila and gladii faithfully reconstructed from archaeological evidence.

The print is produced as a limited edition, individually numbered and hand-signed by Giuseppe Rava, SRA3 format (45×32 cm / 17.7×12.6 in), on premium fine art paper. Available worldwide with international shipping — the definitive portrait of Rome’s frontline soldiers.