After coming out on top, Augustus consolidated legions, eliminated duplicate numbers, and reorganized them into 28 legions (plus the Praetorian Guard, which was the City’s police force and his personal bodyguard), and 28 auxiliary ‘legions’ drawn from various conquered peoples, making special skills available where and when needed.
Artillery (catapaults etc) remained a specialty of the regular legions, and while there was auxiliary cavalry, Roman cavalry also remained standard.
Among the auxiliary units would be found archers and slingers.
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The Roman military integrated archers, known as sagittarii, as a vital component of their army, primarily recruited from auxiliary units rather than the citizen legions. Initially, Rome relied on foreign mercenaries like Cretans and later Syrians due to a lack of indigenous archery tradition, but this shifted significantly after the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE against Parthian horse archers.
Equipment and Tactics varied by region and era. Eastern archers typically used powerful composite bows capable of ranges up to 200 meters, while Western units often employed simpler self-bows. Archers were strategically positioned on the flanks or behind infantry lines to disrupt enemy formations with volleys, supporting the heavy legionaries who closed in for melee combat.
By the Late Empire, the reliance on archery increased substantially, with the Roman army fielding numerous specialized mounted archers (equites sagittarii) to counter nomadic threats like the Huns. These units became a core part of the field army, maintaining the tradition of horse archery even after the fall of the Western Empire in the Eastern Byzantine forces.
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Roman legionaries were trained and skilled in the use of javelins, which were used as an enemy closed (or were closed in on), a disruptive “whites of their eyes” tactic that just preceded the swordplay. Augustus also reduced the century to 80 men (formerly 100, but kept the name, sounds like gov’t to me) and the legions, even when full strength, shrank to about 4000 men. But 4000 javelins arriving over the course of 1 or 2 seconds did a lot of damage, and caused loss of manpower & morale and sudden desertions among adversaries.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/pilum
The pilum was a heavy javelin used by Roman foot soldiers. It was about five feet long and had a heavy head of soft iron that made up nearly one-third of its total length. This design restricted its range but increased its impact. The soft iron head was intended to bend upon impact, preventing the enemy from throwing it back. The javelin, in general, is a shorter, lighter throwing spear compared to those used for shock combat. While spears evolved into various forms like pikes and lances, the javelin, including the pilum, retained its characteristic form for a long time.
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