ARMENTARIUM:

1
ARMENTARIUM The Beginners' Guide to Roman
Military Equipment
2
(No Transcript)
3
Roman helmets were made of iron or copper alloy
(both bronze and brass are known). The main
features of the galea are the bowl, a neck guard
(to protect from blows to the neck), cheek pieces
(to protect the sides of the face), and a brow
guard (defending against downward blows to the
face). Many helmets had fittings to allow for
the attachment of crests. Soldiers often
punched or scratched their names and those of
their centurions onto their helmets as a mark of
ownership.
4
(No Transcript)
5
The Romans used three main types of body armor
mail, scale and segmented. All body armor would
have been worn over a padded tunic. Mail armor
was normally made of iron rings, each riveted one
interlinked with four other punched or welded
rings. Scale armor was made of small plates of
iron or copper alloy wired to their neighbors
horizontally and sewn to a fabric or leather
backing. Segmented armor consisted of
overlapping curved bands or iron fastened to
internal leather straps.
6
(No Transcript)
7
The legionary sword, the gladius, was a
double-bladed weapon two feet long and two inches
wide, often with a corrugated bone grip. Its
primary use was for thrusting at short range. It
was carried high on the right hand side so as to
be clear of the legs and the shield arm.
Ordinary infantrymen and cavalrymen wore their
swords on the right side, but centurions wore
them on the left. Cavalry used a longer,
narrower, sword.
8
(No Transcript)
9
The pilum was a heavy javelin, used by
legionaries in battle as a short-range shock
weapon. It had a barbed iron head on a long iron
shank, fastened to a wooden shaft. There is
evidence that suggests weights were added to
improve their penetrative capabilities. The
head was intended to penetrate both a wooden
shield and body armor, the long iron shank
passing through the hole made by the head. Once
the weapon had struck home, the shank might bend,
rendering it impossible to return it.
10
(No Transcript)
11
Roman soldiers carried a shield, called a scutum,
on their left hand side. Legionaries had a curved
shield while auxiliaries had flat ones, with a
variety of shapes (oval, hexagonal,
rectangular). Shields were usually made of
double or triple thickness plywood. They were
edged with copper alloy binding and had a central
iron or copper alloy boss covering the horizontal
handgrip. Each cohort had different color
schemes aid recognition during a battle. The
shields also carried the name of the soldier and
that of his centurion. On the march, the shield
was hung by a strap over the left shoulder.
12
(No Transcript)
13
The military belt was basically a holder for his
dagger. It consisted of a number of leather
thongs to which were riveted metal plates, and
weighted with bronze. It was partly protection
for the lower waist and partly ornamental.. The
cingulum was rather narrow and decorated with
bronze strips, that were sometimes tin-plated,
all the way around. Soldiers added these tokens
and discs to signify the campaigns they had
fought in.
14
(No Transcript)
15
On their feet they wore the elaborate military
boot. In fact they were heavy sandals with
several thicknesses of sole studded with
hollow-headed hobnails. The leather thongs were
continued half way up the shin and tied there,
and in cold weather could be stuffed with wool or
fur. The nailing designs on the sole are
arranged very ergonomically and anticipate modern
training shoe soles designed to optimize the
transfer of weight between the different parts of
the foot when placed on the ground.
16
(No Transcript)
17
During war, legions were constantly on the move.
Part of their routine was to build temporary
camps. It took 3 hours to complete the
fortifications around a camp. Roman soldiers had
to be tough. They were expected to march 20 miles
a day wearing armor. They were also expected to
carry their own shield, some food and camping
equipment weighing as much as 80 pounds..