Roman legionnaires without Hollywood touch-up or how textbooks lie

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Roman legionary - what was he really like? If you take an interest in the question and get acquainted with the works of archaeologists, it will very quickly become clear that a real legionnaire was quite different from how most people are used to seeing them in works of mass culture and school history textbooks.

1. Legionnaire as he is

When the words "Roman legionnaire" are pronounced, most people have before their eyes an antique soldier with a huge rectangular shield, chained in plate armor with a sword and a dart. And of course, in red clothes. But was this really what a Roman warrior looked like over the centuries of one of the greatest empires in human history? In fact, Hollywood made a huge "contribution" to the formation of the image of the Roman soldier when peplum, a genre of historical cinema about ancient and biblical subjects, became popular in the 20th century.

Since then, the image created by the filmmakers has not actually changed. Moreover, it is so ingrained in the minds of people that it is extremely difficult to fight it. In reality, Roman soldiers were quite different from today's general idea. Rome was a high-tech (by the standards of antiquity) civilization with a high culture of production and labor, a rigid organization and a powerful economy.

This was the cause and at the same time the consequence of the emergence of a powerful and modern army. The key word is "modern". Throughout the history of the republic, and then the empire, the fashion of weapons did not stand still, it was constantly developing. Small changes in the equipment of legionnaires occurred (on average) every 10-20 years, large changes every 100 years. Nevertheless, throughout almost the entire history, the "basis" of equipment did not actually change: a shield, a sword, a short spear-dart, body armor, a helmet.

It is important that, despite the unification of the legions, their general organization and equipment, in fact, the legionaries were not at all the same in different parts of the state. Of course, the basis of the equipment remained the same, but individual parts and elements changed depending on the surrounding conditions. It is clear that the legions who served in sunny Spain were different from those who served on Hadrian's Wall. First of all, the clothes changed, which we will talk about later.

Considering all that has been said above when talking about a legionnaire, it is worth immediately deciding on the historical period within which the speech will be discussed. And since Rome is perceived by many people as something very "romantic", then we will talk about the legionnaires of the most "romantic" era - the times of Principate (27 BC - 284 AD): Gaius Julius is dead, the civil war is over, the reign of Emperor Octavian Augustus has come to an end, Rome is entering a new period of expansion and prosperity. Specifically, we will focus on 20-60 years of our era.

Note: the word Principate comes from the Latin principatus (from princeps) - the first senator, the senator, who opens the meeting. This term is conditional and is used to designate in the historical literature a special form of monarchy, which combines monarchical and republican features. However, the republican structure in the form of the senate, popular assemblies (comitia) and magistrates (with the exception of censors) had mostly formal significance in the era of the Principate.

2. What did legionnaires wear

Socks are the most important element of a person's clothing. Ever tried to wear shoes without socks? After a good walk, the sensations in your legs will not be the most pleasant (at best). Feet can be simply erased. Now imagine that you need to walk in a metal wicker shirt, over which there is still a heavy belt with weapons, a helmet dangles on your head, and a bag with all sorts of things presses on your shoulder. For sure, this equipment will crush and rub the naked body. Of course, if it is not protected by something. And these are ordinary clothes (of course, not ordinary in reality). And it is with clothing that not only the Roman legionary begins, but also any other warrior who wore armor in history.

The first and most important piece of clothing of the legionnaire was a tunic. A simple and ingenious invention. The soldier's tunic was not distinguished by any grace. In fact, it was just a large and dense square piece of fabric with slits. Archaeological finds and the work of reenactors indicate that the most common material for tunics in the Roman legions was not linen (at that time this material was quite expensive), but wool.

How so, most people will be outraged, imagining at the word "wool" a favorite grandmother's sweater. How could the natives of sultry Italy wear something like that? They could very well, because we are talking about fine wool. In a tunic made of wool, it was not hot, on the contrary, it had excellent thermoregulatory properties. And most importantly, it was easy to manufacture, which means it was cheap. It is important that the thick wool tunic worked perfectly as a ward garment, preventing injuries from rubbing the body with equipment. Obviously, each legionnaire could have several tunics. Most likely, there were two of them: everyday and weekend. One was worn on a campaign, in battle and when performing any other official duties. The second could be worn in the camp.

The second important item in the legionnaire's wardrobe was a scarf. Of course, not a warm scarf that a mother ties to children in winter so that they do not catch colds. The scarf was a fairly large piece of the same wool. In fact, it was a "footcloth for the neck." It was used in order to better protect the shoulders and neck from rubbing with chain mail (after all, it was these parts of the body that had the main load). Obviously, the legionnaires had scarves (like tunics) for everyday use and for weekends. Some were used during the service, others were worn during special events. Scientists make such conclusions by analyzing the images on the columns remaining from those times.

The third most important piece of a legionnaire's wardrobe is kaligi. As you know, a soldier without competent shoes is not a soldier. Roman fighters throughout history have worn caligi (from the Latin călĭgae, which means boots). Shoes consisted of leather stockings and sandals with straps. The sole was very thick and covered with spikes. For ordinary legionnaires, caligi were as simple as possible, while the command staff could afford shoes decorated with silver and gold elements.

Interesting fact: most likely kaligi were exclusively a consumable in the legion, since the experience of reconstruction indicates that Roman shoes wear out rather quickly when walking on the ground.

Kaligi were worn both on bare feet and with socks. Yes, the Romans knew what socks were and used them (it is possible that they also faced the problem of right and left socks). Archaeologists have found soldiers' socks more than once. They are made of wool, which confirms the theory that all legionnaires' clothes were woolen. Socks were made (judging by archaeological finds) using a variety of methods, from weaving with a needle to simple stitching of pieces of fabric.

The fourth wardrobe item is a penula. Penula is the soldier's best friend, a large cloak with a circular pattern and a hood that was worn and worn over all other equipment. In fact, Penula is an ordinary shepherd's cloak, which the inhabitants of the Mediterranean have known very well since the Bronze Age. In such a cloak it was possible to hide from the cold and rain, in it it was possible to carry out service, and most importantly, to sleep. The cloak was plowed in the middle with the help of buttons on pegs (archaeologists find a huge number of them).

Interesting fact: despite a certain level of unification in the Roman army, there was no strict regulation to the last button in the uniform. Moreover, there is no uniformity imparted in the image of a legionnaire by Hollywood at all. Archaeologists find both wooden and copper buttons for cannulas. This indicates that the soldiers in matters of such trifles dressed according to the principle of "who is good for what" and if there was money, then they tried to dress "richer". The stylistic soldiers were similar, but on closer inspection they were different.

The fifth important item is the so-called "fascia ventralis". Translated into modern language, it is a sash, a belt that was worn under armor on a tunic. The belt had a utilitarian function - thanks to the creation of the corset effect, it helped to relieve some of the load from the back and shoulders, which was especially important during the hike.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Roman legionaries knew perfectly well what pants were. Of course, this piece of clothing in Rome (as well as in Greece) was considered an unthinkable barbarism. By the way, the Romans learned about the pants from those very "barbarians". Even a long-sleeved tunic worn by soldiers was bad form in the "fashion circles" of the capital. However, it is quite obvious that for the guys who served somewhere on the British Isle or in Germany, where barbarians constantly ran out of the forest, and the weather was such that it was possible to freeze something for yourself, the last thing that worried was the capital fashion …

It is important to understand that the Romans perfectly adapted their legions to the new conditions, despite the fact that the general style and basis remained unchanged. They willingly adopted all the best from the conquered peoples, which is especially eloquently evidenced by the evolution of weapons. If the Romans can take over the sword from the barbarians, why can't they take over the pants?

3. Metallic hide

The chain mail is the greatest invention of the armored men. The type of armor that prevailed on the battlefields throughout almost the entire military history, right up to the emergence and widespread distribution of firearms. Chain mail is very easy to manufacture (it may not seem so to a common man, of course) in relation to any other types of armor. And most importantly, it provides a good level of protection. It is also interesting that throughout its history it has not actually changed (except that its length).

In Rome, chain mail was well known since the times of the republic and was called "lorica hamata" (from the Latin "lorica hamata", where "hamata" is a hook). By the way, the builders of the greatest empire took over the chain mail from the same barbarians from the north who regularly “came to visit” their southern neighbors.

Contrary to popular belief, segmental armor made of metal plates, known as "lorica segmental" (which is depicted in almost every picture of a legionnaire), was in use for only 1.5 centuries from the middle of the 1st to the end of the 2nd century AD and was not widely used. Obviously due to the fact that it is much more difficult to produce it, and the level of protection does not grow too much.

In addition, mail armor has other advantages over plate armor. For example, chain mail is much more versatile. It can be worn on most people and will not need to be adjusted to fit. Chain mail was made of bronze and iron. Most likely, the production technology was originally adopted from the Celtic tribes.

Interesting fact: Roman chain mail was created according to the classical scheme - one ring, woven into four, and were riveted-cut (one row of rings was braided, while others were carved from solid material). On the one hand, this made it possible to ensure the maximum durability of the armor, and on the other, it simplified its production.

Those same shoulder pads. pinterest.ru.

It differs from any other chain mail in the history of lorika hamata by the presence of pauldrons with clasps, which were obviously a tribute to the Hellenistic military fashion. In addition, chain mail spaulders had a utilitarian function. They increased the rigidity of the armor in the most dangerous areas, providing better protection. Exactly for the same, on the back of the chain mail, there was a rectangular chain mail patch on the neck, which was supposed to protect from prickly blows from above (through the line). By the way, the shoulder straps "grew" from this very dorsal insert.

Back patch. m.prom.inforico.com.ua.

Interesting fact: Roman chain mail has a smaller ring diameter than that found in Germanic and Celtic mail. This means that the hamata lorica was, on the whole, more reliable than the chain mail of other peoples, and also indicates the high culture of production that developed in Rome. In addition, small rings increase resistance to piercing, to which chain mail has always been very vulnerable.

4. Take care of your head

There are many stereotypes about Roman helmets. Contrary to the most popular of these, most helmets were made of bronze. This is eloquently confirmed by numerous archaeological finds. The fact is that most of all scientists find exactly helmets. The legionnaire's helmet is perhaps the most frequently encountered archaeological artifact of that era. This indicates that the production of helmets in the country was indeed on the stream. The production technology of Roman helmets dates back to the Bronze Age.

Roman helmets of the Montefortino type were used from the 3rd century BC until the end of the 1st century AD. For 400 years, this helmet has been a soldier's best friend.

Note: The Romans did not call the helmet with the word Montefortino. The name was given by modern scientists in honor of an archaeological find at the site of the Celtic burial "Montofortino" in northern Italy.

And again - the Romans borrowed the principle of the structure of helmets from the Gauls.

A distinctive feature of the Roman helmet was the presence of a nasal plate, which obviously protected the neck from stabbing blows from above. Most likely, the appearance of this plate is also dictated by the realities of combat tactics in the infantry formation. Another distinctive element is a small visor, which performed utilitarian functions. First, it acted as an element of rigidity, providing better protection against chopping blows on the helmet. Secondly, the visor protected the fighter's face from sliding blows.

The cheek pads are a notable element of the helmet design. First of all, you should pay attention to their shape, namely, the presence of two cutouts. They were made specifically for the mouth and eyes. Without such cutouts, it would be very inconvenient for soldiers to hold a combat formation, as well as to quickly assess the current situation. Secondly, you need to pay attention to the limbs in the back of the cheek pads, which provided additional protection for the neck, namely the cervical arteries. An excellent example of an extremely simple, but at the same time very important thing.

The upper part of the helmets had a bronze bushing, which was a decorative element. A plume was inserted into it, which was made from feathers or horse hair. It served to denote the rank of a fighter, and was also used as a parade element.

Interesting fact: Roman legionnaires did not wear a helmet on their bare heads. First, a small woolen hat was worn, which also served as shock absorption in case of shock.

In the future, we will continue our story about the equipment of Roman legionnaires. Including, we will tell you about their weapons and life.