Marius’s Mules: The Soldiers Who Carried Rome When Gaius Marius reformed the Roman legions in the late 2nd century BCE, he transformed more than their tactics—he reshaped the very identity of the Roman soldier. Before Marius, baggage trains and pack animals followed the army everywhere, slowing movement and making legions vulnerable to ambush. Marius changed this by requiring each legionary to carry his own gear: tools, rations, cooking equipment, bedding, weapons, shields, and armor—often total