Socii

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As Socii (Latin) were allies of the Roman Republic referred, in particular, the troops of them asked for the Roman army.

The various forms in which Italian peoples or cities were bound to Rome are referred to in modern research as the alliance system. In the treaties that were concluded with Rome, the position of troops was determined by the allies who, together with the Roman legions, formed the army of the Roman Republic. The units of the socii were called cohortes or, for riders, as turmae . In addition, there were also socii , which were obliged to position ships (socii navales) . Because of these concluded contracts (Latin foedera , singular: foedus ), the cities connected to Rome in this way were also called civitates foederatae (singular: civitas foederata ).

When, after the Social War the Italian socii the Roman citizenship received and by the name of Gaius Marius the Roman legion developed into a professional army connected army reform there from outside Italy ally asked auxiliaries ( auxilia ) in place of the socii .

In addition to the Italian socii , there were formal allies of the Romans in republican times outside of Italy, especially in the Greek East.

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