reform of Roman military practice, traditionally assigned to sometime in the fourth century BC, saw the adoption of both maniples (lit. “handfuls”) and the or “triple line”. Although the adoption of these reforms in a single sweep is now rightfully challenged, it is true that by the end of the century they had been incorporated into the formations and tactics of the Roman army. Polybius, writing in the mid-second century BC, is the first historian to describe this system; we rely on his, and that of Livy for its (idealised) details (see also 14.2).
