Oi... New, and Where to Start?

[Titus Juventius Tertius]

Salvete Omnes!

I am new to the forums! I wanted to stop in pose my endless horde of questions to you guys to see about getting some answers. I'm new to reenactment... though I dabbled in WWII era stuff before (I had heavily researched the war, the various units, and set about creating a 45th Infantry Division, 157th Regiment based on the Colorado National Guard unit... but stopped when I began my newest job and didn't have the time to put into it). I've now come to better work out my schedule and of course more importantly my finances (years later)... so that reenactment is a much more attainable goal.

Anyhow... I've always been fascinated by Ancient militaries. I am Greek by majority (my mother a full Greek immigrant came to the U.S. early in her life) and have always had a huge attraction to both the Ancient Greeks, and Romans. I've served in the military (Marine Corps Infantry) so structure, drill, and of course military discipline comes naturally to me.

So, now I come to a point in my life where I'd like to get involved in reenactment. The Romans I think fit my style better (more so than the Greeks) and I think the way this world is, it's probably easier to do (more people are probably more interested in the Romans than the Greeks). So now I need to know where to proceed.

I've researched for the last year or so the Romans and I may even have registered on this website a LONG time ago. But this seemed like the best place to start. I have many questions and to better structure it, I'll number them. So here goes... do bear with me, and I hope you guys can help me:

1. In my research I know of only one "group" in Colorado. It is a discussion group through Yahoo. They claim to be metro Denver (or at least all of Colorado but mostly Denver) yet I know nothing more of them. So, I plan to register with them today and see about getting more information on them. My question... does anyone know of another group (preferably with a website) that I can speak to or enlist with, to get into this era of reenactment.

2. Early Imperial, Late Republic, etc? The era I am most interested in is approximately 70BC to 70AD. It's a wide gap I know... but the time surrounding Caesar and Octavian (leading up to the invasion/conquering of Britain) have most interested me. From every account or resource they refer to this as the Early Imperial Era. Is that correct? Is this popular among other groups? Is there a more popular era that I could get involved in that would be more beneficial (assuming I don't get involved with the pre-existing Yahoo based group)?

3. Lorica Segmentata (lorica laminata?) or Lorica Hamata? If I get involved in the above mentioned era (70BC-70AD) which is more widely used? I assume with the restructuring of the Roman Military (as Octavian began closing down legions and moving troops about) that things started changing. The Segmentata is mentioned to have been in use at the end of the first century BC to 3rd Century AD (and beyond). Would it have been in more use than the Hamata or the other way around? Which would be more appropriate?

4. The alphabet helmet. I call it that because the Imperial Gallic and Imperial Italic helmets come in a variety of A, C, G, H, etc designations. Unlike say WWII that had 2 or so helmets, the Romans seem to have had access to countless variations. What is more appropriate to the time period?

5. The Soul of the Warrior. I noticed this website on my net travels and it seems to have some very well researched equipment. Is this a good source for buying of armor, weapons, etc for a first timer? I want to be as ABSOLUTELY accurate as I possibly can, but within reason of course. A lot of history we don't really know for sure so I know I can't be exact in every way. But, if I'm to be around other Roman reenactors I don't want them to look at me and it be blatantly obvious that what I have is not correct.

6. Shields and clothing. I've noticed a variety of different shields, and colors so I'm not exactly sure which should be correct. The shield employed by the Romans of the period should be the Scutum (pronounced sky-oot-um), yes? Is the pronunciation right? I'm no user/follower of the Latin language in the slightest so I may be off (or any ancient language for that matter). But that is the shield that I saw most often associated. Am I right to think it should also be red and bear the legion markings? I've seen a blue shield as well... why are some shields that color? Same for the cloaks... they've been blue and red. Does this signify anything in particular? Along with that, this link (and I hate using Wikipedia as an example) has an image that displays the shield in two different variations. I've come to understand that the "lines" vary with the Legion, as do the artwork. But the question is, why are the two on the end so different? One is gold on red, the other with a green wreath. Is this personal preference, era difference, or does it have to do with the legion?

7. Good sources for info? I have quite a few books on the Roman military (a handbook, a few historical reprints, a few Osprey books)... is there anything I absolutely should have in my book arsenal for reenactments sake? I ordered a few books on recommendation from a couple sites, that are still due in the mail: "The Roman Legions Recreated In Color Photographs (Europa Militaria)", "The Complete Roman Army", and I'm contemplating a few on tactics such as "Roman Warfare" and "Roman Battle Tactics". I also wanted to pick up "Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome". Are these good choices? Any other books I should consider? Any websites I should visit (I have been to the Legio XX website frequently and bookmarked it)?

8. Thanks! This is a very informative website and is definitely helping me in my decision making. I'd very much like to start from the ground up in a pre-existing legion out here in Colorado, but if I had to create my own I would. But I'm in no position of knowledge authority to undertake that right now. I still lack far too much experience and knowledge. But I'm not sure much exists out here. I've never heard of anything (aside from that Yahoo group which I don't even know if it's still up), so I don't know where to proceed.

9. Swords. I'm curious... I know what sword I want to get (this Gladius seems appropriate for display and general carrying sake), my question is, does a sword exist that can be used for training/demonstration that is made of stage steel (or similar material)? I would imagine something that is dull, and flat tipped would be used for that purpose. But most of the swords I've seen are all sharpened and have a rather deadly tip. I've seen videos of wooden swords being used, which could be suitable for training I suppose... but is there a stage steel variety too? What is most commonly used for training or force on force demonstrations?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! I apologize for the novel of a thread... but I have many questions. If I get them answered, I'll edit/delete them and then add more. I'm sure I'll have more. Thanks again!

EDIT: Added a #9.