Help with choosing gladius

[Matthew Amt]

...first thing I want to get is a gladius. Preferably a mainz type but I'm not sure yet.

Ave! I always recommend that new guys start with a tunic and footwear, so that they can participate as soon as possible, but that's entirely up to you! If a sword is what you need, get it.

still thinking if I should start with a Caesarian/Augustan legionary or a late 1st century/early 2nd century Auxiliary.

Yeah, the equipment that's available might help you decide, since very few pieces will be usable for both periods. No reason you can't do both eventually, but with a tight budget it's probably a good idea to focus on one or the other.

1. How long was the Mainz type actually used? I know old gear was given to the auxiliaries sometimes (like the coolus helmet for example), so was the mainz gladius still in use with the aux. during the late 1st century?

Well, we THINK older gear may have been passed on to auxiliaries, but that's really just a theory at this point. Gravestones show their belts and other items to be quite ornate, and not below legionary grade at all. The problem is trying to find equipment that has been excavated from datable contexts, and I'm not sure how much of that there is. We know the Mainz is good through mid-first century because they are found in Britain, but I would hesitate to assume that they were still in use in the late first century or early second. Same sort of story with the Coolus helmets.

(btw. is a coolus helmet the right one for a late 1st to traianic aux, or was it replaced completely by the aux. helmet with reinforcements on top by that time?)

By Trajan's time, I'd say the Coolus was mostly replaced by the other types. Obviously there are always a few older vestiges hanging around, but it gets kind of silly if you claim to be from the early 2nd century and all your gear dates to the mid-first!

2.I can't work on the sword myself. don't have the tools nor the knowledge to do so. so if I buy one, which one would you suggest? I want it to be as realistic as possible and I want it to be a "real" one (meaning if I was a real Roman sent into the german forrests I would be able tu use it

Well, Deepeeka makes the cheapest Mainz that's reasonably accurate, though it still doesn't come with a baldric. (You could just tie a cord or thong through the rings and hang it from your belt, though.) And I don't know if anyone has found out how "battle-worthy" it might be, yet.

I live in Europe so I'd prefer some suppliers here to keep the costs somehow low. I found this page here for swords

Yup, those are Deepeeka products. The official Legio XX opinion on those can be found on the various pages of our website, e.g.:

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/gladius.html

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/helmets.html

any idea where to get an aux. helmet with "cross" reinforcements on top? most is depeeka from what I guess, so could someone maybe give some suggestions?

Deepeeka used to do a nice Auxiliary B, without the cross-bracing, which I think would be fine for late 1st/early 2nd century. They make some later cross-braced helmets, mostly cavalry, but don't recall them doing Auxiliary C. Like Peroni suggested, custom work is an option if you can afford it.

Good luck! Vale,

Matthew/Quintus, Legio XX