Military Equipment
Roman Technology A
How do we know about Roman military gear?
Literary sources:��1. Vegetius, 5th century = He wrote about the military
2. Ammianus Marcellinus, 4th century = He also wrote about the Roman military
How do we know about Roman military gear?
Statuary:��1. Trajan’s Column 113 CE ��Look here for an amazing article about this monument. ��
How do we know about Roman military gear?
Statuary:��Trajan’s Column -��
How do we know about Roman military gear?
Statuary:��2. Augustus Prima Porta, 1st C CE��Here’s a video showing its original colors.
�There is LOTS of statuary evidence because statues of emperors and generals tend to survive.��
How do we know �about Roman military gear?
Archaeological remains:��3. Actual shields, swords, armor, etc. survive��This one is in Boston at the Yale Museum of Art.�It dates from around the time of Emperor Trajan in 1st C CE.����
Instructions:
1. Pick an item to research.
2. Type your name on the slide.
3. Find a picture of your assigned item.
4. Write about how your item was used by the soldier and any other interesting details you want to share.
5. Be ready to present this info to the class.
6. Search tip - use the Latin word listed at the top of your slide, plus the word “Roman”.
Click to add text
Armor - Galea or Cassis (Helmet) MickyMike
The helmet was used by roman soldiers to protect themselves as a helmet would be used to do now. It was originally made of leather or untanned skin, strengthened and adorned by bronze or gold.
The design of the helmet varied significantly over time. The gladiators used different designs from the military.
Armor - Lorica Segmentata (cuirass)
An ancient roman breastplate used to protect from weapons and projectile weapons. These pieces were made of metal strips called “Girth hoops”. These were made from steel on the outside and soft iron on the inside. The shoulders were protected by shoulder guards and breast and back plates. They were fastened together by leather straps.
Armor - Tunica (undergarment)
Armor - Focale (neck scarf) Kirsten
Armor - Balteus (sword belt) - Kaitlyn Smith
The balteus is a sword belt worn by Roman legionaries. It was used to hold a sword and was usually worn over the shoulder passing down to the side. Usually made of leather and ornamented with precious stones and metals. They had straps hanging from it which had decorations on them called bulla.
Armor - Cingulum (honor belt/groin protection) - Ben
The cingulum is a belt usually worn by high ranking officials. It is usually decorated by metal studs and some have dagger holders attached to them. The cingulum could had some defensize properties, but they were usually fancy. Some archaeologists think that since roman soldiers didn’t have that much to spend their money on they made their gear fancier.
Armor - Caligae (sandals)-brandi white
The roman caligae soccus was a separate leather upper and a sole without hobnails. The generic calceus was made of soft leather, completely covered the foot and was fastened in front with thongs. The calceus had a hobnailed sole as well.
Caligae are heavy-soled hobnailed military boots known for being issued to Roman legionary soldiers and auxiliaries throughout the Roman Republic and Empire.n addition, there were socci (slippers) and theatrical footwear, like the cothurnus.
Gear - Sarcina (pack) - Emily Chen
Sarcina is the Latin word for marching pack. This is what a Roman soldier would carry. The Sarcina was held on a pole called furca. Things that they would have put in their sarcina are:
Weapons - Gladius (sword)Paul pittman
Paul pittman
Known as the gladius hispaniensis this sword was ment for stabbing and slashing. It was originaly made by the iberian tribes. The gladius hispaniensis was as big as the roman calvalry sword but the romans shrunk it to make it better for fighting in formation. Primary weapon of the roman soldier all roman infantry were issued this sword
Weapons - Pilum (javelin) Kevin
When they didn’t use swords, they used a pilum. There were two types of pilum that the Romans used. One was a thin pilum which was 2 meters long and had a long iron tip. The second type was a thick pilum which was about the same size and was attached to the shaft with a 5 cm wide tang. They weighed about 5 pounds. There was a light pilum that was actually the heaviest. The light javelin was used for long range.
Weapons - Pugio (dagger) Troy Bryant
Weapons - Scutum (shield)
JAEMS
The roman Scutim was a oval/rectangular shield which covered most of an