Marius’s Mules

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(…) one of the big army reforms introduced by General Gaius Marius was the way how military logistics worked. Instead of a long line of pack mules and slaves carrying everything, making the march of an army much slower and open to attacks, he ordered every legionnaire to carry a so-called ‘furca’ – a wooden pole on which they would hang their rations, a spare cloak and everything they needed to pitch a tent. They would also march with their armour on, and with a wide variety of armaments, such as a gladius, a dagger and a few javelins.

Those legionnaires soon got a mocking nickname – ‘Marius’s Mules’. However, the way they carried themselves soon proved to be of much help during long campaigns, making moving camps and cohorts much easier and quicker. Their general achieved more and more successes, earning Marius’s Mules their reputation in Rome as the epitome of endurance.