Republic before Marius required conscripts to provide their own arms, rather than provide the arms and deduct them from pay.
600 years difference. Fully different times, with a different society, economy and fully different kind of peasant-class. Not comparable. Irrelevant.
Afaik a republican legionairy became veteran after 16 campaigns. But we still do not know, after how many months or campaigns a legionairy was really fully trained and effective.Republic had a standard term of a maximum of 6 consecutive years or campaigns
Compare, rather, Italy around 400 AD with Italy around 200 BC. Italy that did not have resources of tax cash from provinces, and was peasants trying to get by with what men they could spare from legions and what money they could raise.
I agree, Italys self-defence in republican times was stunning. If Alarich would have to fight against Scipio, he could perhaps win, like the Cimbri won against the romans. But not against the 5th, 7th and 10th army of the same size the romans are fielding over and over again.
But I doubt you can explain, how the transition (in military, economy, society, mindset, government, taxation, and, and, and....) from the society in 400AD back to 200 BC could work, in order to make conscripts armies of this quality happen again.
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