Without farms to return to, men were willing to make the army their career, fighting lengthy campaigns in return for the pay, glory and retirement benefits. Immediately after the Marian reforms, a Roman legion comprised ten cohorts, known simply as 'the first cohort', 'the second cohort' etc. All legionaries are effective fighters, veterans doubly so. During the civil war all sides called on old soldiers to swell their ranks and provide much needed experience, Pompey persuading a large number of evocati to join him against Julius Caesar by promising them promotion and more money to return. The cohort replaced the maniple following the reforms attributed to Gaius Mariusin 107 BC.

The first cohort, with the double-sized centuries, held five centurions, and these outranked all the other centurions in the legion. Early Legionary Cohort & Legionary Cohort. Unfortunately for the men this meant that they were carrying kit that weighed around 45 kilos, earning them the nickname 'Marius' mules'. Rome: Total War - Roman Legionary Cohort VS Silver Shield Legionaries - Duration: 5:54.