Velites
They did carry small wooden shields called parma for protection, and wore headdresses made from wolf skins so their brave deeds could be recognized.
Velites were the youngest and usually the poorest (being fifth class citizens, with property worth 400–2,500 denarii) soldiers in the legion, and could rarely afford much equipment.
[7] They were armed with veretum, light javelins, each with a 90 cm (3 ft) wooden shaft the diameter of a finger, with a c. 25cm (10 inch) narrow metal point, and tips designed to bend on impact to prevent them being thrown back, similar to the heavier pila of other legionaries.
They fought in a very loose, staggered formation like most irregular troops, and carried small round shields called parma, 90 cm (3 feet) in diameter.
[2] "These are not given to a soldier if in the formed array... but to those who in the skirmishing or in similar circumstances in which there is no need to engage in single combat, have voluntarily and by choice placed themselves in danger.
[11] In a pitched battle, the velites would form up at the front of the legion and cover the advance of the hastati, who were armed with swords.
Both the front and the flanks contained a number of speculatores (scouts), to provide warning of an enemy army's approach.
[5] Velites were first used, and created, at the siege of Capua in 211 BC, and were made up of citizens who would normally be too poor to join the hastati but were called up due a shortage of manpower.
After the siege, they were adopted into the legions as a force of irregular light infantry for ambushing and harassing the enemy with javelins before the battle began in earnest.
After their usual javelin throw, the velites took cover behind the maniples, and then launched a sortie, quickly coming out from behind the troops and attacking the elephants, before retreating again.
[18] With the putative reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC, designed to combat a shortage of manpower due to wars against Jugurtha, the different classes of units were disbanded entirely.
