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Since I was a little kid, the Romans have always held a special place in my heart. Whether they were the bronze-helmeted Republican troops of Caesar, or the Lorica Segmentata-clad 'stormtroopers' of the Empire, I have always been intrigued by not just the military of Rome, but the Empire's infrastructure, culture, religion, and all aspects of their daily life. I remember being very young and perusing the pages of a popular (at least, at the time) sword and knife catalogue and fantasizing about one day owning some of the Roman armor and items they had to offer, little did I know that one day that fantasy would become a reality.
Then, about six years ago, when I decided to step back from the modern periods in which I did reenactment in, I again felt myself drawn to do Roman, however I sidetracked myself and took on the massive project which has gotten me where I am today with Viking Age. While Viking Age still does hold a major space in what I do, Roman has always still been the goal, so when I started working on Roman in ernest at the start of this year, I had no idea it would come along as fast as it did! So I am happy to finally introduce the newest section on my site - Roman history! This page will focus primarily on military life of a Roman soldier of the 1st Century AD (pictured here), though other periods of Rome will be looked into on a case-by-case basis and perhaps eventually we will expand into the Republican and Late Roman periods, as well! Seen here is the 1st Century Roman soldier in off-duty attire. He still wears his red wool tunic, and in conjunction, he wears a wool 'sash' around his waist, referred to as the Fascia Ventralis. On top of this is the leather Balteus - or "soldier's belt" - which is made from folded and sewn goat leather and is adorned with bronze plates. Affixed to the Balteus is the Pugio dagger and draped over his shoulders is a wool Sagum (cloak) in madder-dyed diamond twill. |
AboutThis segment of the site will focus on the history of the Roman Republic and Empire, with a chief focus on military matters, soldier life, and warfare. Archives
July 2021
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