Consistency in the Roman Legion
When we think about Romans, we think about structure and consistency. But it wasn't. It is impossible to equip an entire legion with the same helmets and armor. There were certain standards that were used. Helmets, armor and weapons were made in different fabricae (Roman factories). Weapons and armor were also reused. For example, a Roman coolus and montefortino helmet could be used in the legions well into the 1st century AD. In this blog we will go from the most common image of the Roman legionary.
This blog is about the equipment of the Roman legionary. I will not comment on the 25-30 kg pack that these best fighters in Europe carried on campaigns. You didn't just become a legionary. This was preceded by a heavy intensive training. legionary train for up to 8 hours a day and, in addition to being excellent fighters, were also excellent builders. On campaigns they sometimes built temporary quarters on a daily basis, surrounded by moats, fortified by walls and palisades.
Roman legionary helmet
Our simple legionary wears a simple helmet found in Augsburg in southern Germany, which is cozy on the Limes. You guessed it, this helmet was found on the frontline without any frills.
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Roman armor
The armor of a legionary consisted of either a lorica hamata or a lorica segmentata.
The lorica hamata was one of the first types of chain mail. He protected the body and left the arms exposed. This type of armor was already worn at the time of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars and was probably copied from the Celts. From the 1st century, the lorica segmentata started to emerge. The biggest advantage of the lorica segmentata was that it was cheaper, it consisted of metal segments that were attached to each other with leather. They offered better protection against stings but also offered more openings than the lorica hamata.
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Roman tunic
Under his armour, the Roman legionary wore a tunic. Often he only wore this tunic, but there are also examples of legionaries in Northern Europe wearing socks and trousers, probably on their own initiative. These trousers were bought from the Gauls and Germans. Roman legionaries wore both undyed white and red tunics. Red represents the god of war Mars and was often made from Madder from near Rome. Chances are that the Roman legionary kept these luxurious red tunics specially for military activities and battles and that undyed white tunics were more common in everyday life.
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Roman belts
One of the most common questions about Roman legionaries' outfits is about the belts. The Cingulum is the most famous Roman belt. The belt was worn by Roman legionaries and was a means of intimidation. When the legionary walks around, the brass plates of the Cingulum jingle. When thousands of legionaries walk around with a Cingulum, it emits a mighty intimidating sound to the enemy. The Cingulum was not used to attach the Roman sword, the gladius. If the legionary had a pugio (Roman dagger), it was attached to the belt. The gladius hung from a shoulder strap that passed below the cingulum. This strap was attached to the four suspension points of the gladius' scabbard.
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Roman sandals Caligae
legionaries walked on Caligae. Not all Romans walked on Caligae, the Romans had a wide variety of shoes, these were the army boots of the Roman legion. On the bottom of the Caligae were shoe nails that enabled the legionary to walk easily through swampy terrain without slipping. The disadvantage of this non-slip solution was that he could use it to skate on the marble floors of the Pantheon. But most legionaries lived on the borders of the Roman Empire, in the places where Roman legions were stationed, and especially during battles, a good grip was very important.
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Roman legionary shield, scutum
The main weapon of the Roman legionary was his shield. With their scutae, the legionaries formed a wall of shields just like the riot police today. From behind their shields, legionaries preferred to stab their gladius in the neck or face. These people train eight hours a day in warfare, Roman training camps have even been discovered. So you couldn't just penetrate a wall of legionaries' shields.
Roman sword, the gladius
The most famous weapon of the Roman legionary is the gladius. The gladius is a sword mainly made for stabbing. This sword is taken from Iberian swords and perfected. There were several types of gladii, Pompeii, hispaniensis and Maiz. The Gladius Pompeii is the most common type.
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Roman pilum
The pilum was a Roman javelin that the legionary carried. The pilum (depending on the period) was equipped with a lead ball and a heavy shaft. It had a thin point with barbs at the end. If the pilum hit a shield or opponent, the tip bent. As a result, he could no longer be thrown back.
The pilum was an extremely efficient weapon because a pilum was thrown by each legionary on the first wave of attack. Thus the enemy received a shower of javelins during the first wave.