RomanArmyTalk

Does anyone have any source which describes the clothing and armour worn by Emperors or those Generals who commanded the Roman army in the Emperors absence?

My main period of interest is the Late Roman period and apart from a description of Valentinian I's helmet in Ammianus- 'the chamberlain who carried the emperor's helmet, adorned with gold and precious stones, completely disappeared together with the helmet itself, and could be found later neither alive nor dead. ', there are no descriptions of either the Emperor's or any other generals battle dress apart from general terms to them wearing 'lorica'.

Were Emperors and their generals dressed any different than the 'rankers' on the battlefield?

Hello Adrian,

Have you ever read Edward Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'? It is a real treasure trove of late Empire info.

As for the question as to Emperors and generals wearing different equipment from the rank and file, they would probably need to stand out for the moral of the army, and also so messangers etc. would be able to send signals and the like to the right place. I have read in 'The Gallic War' of the Roman troops being rallied by the sight of Caesar's scarlet cloak diving into the fray during the siege of Alesia.

One last point, don't forget the sheer size of the EGO of these people!