Antonine auxiliary soldier\'s kit

[Adam Oswalt]

I've decided to start putting my Roman kit together this year and had a few questions that I thought I'd post on here. I've been reenacting various eras from about eight years old, so I'm not new to the idea of reenactment. I've also been following RAT for a couple of years now.

I've checked the units in my area and they're not really what I'm going for (Legio XXX is the closest I think, and I'm not interested in a legionary impression). I've wanted to do an auxiliary impression for a while now, and I've pick a unit and a time frame. I decided I'd go with Cohors Primae Nervana Germanorum, who were stationed in Britian from 122-158 CE for sure (that's the two dates I have from the two military diplomas I know of). So, I have a location and a time frame that I want to portray; I'm just trying to fill in some of the details. This is what I have in mind so far:

Italic G helmet
Mail armor (no shoulder doubling)
Thorsberg tunic and trousers (I think this is okay, but I'm not sure about the trousers)
Belt with openwork plates (I'm not sure whether or not it should have an apron by this date)
Zwammerdam boots

I've made an oval shield (40"x23", based on some info from RAT), but I'm not sure what design would be correct. I picked one from Trajan's Column, but wasn't sure if this was too early.

I was also thinking of going with a long contus spear. I have a shaft already that measures 9ft long; I just need to get a spearhead and butt spike.

The only thing I'm not really sure about would be the sword. I originally thought about a Pompeii gladius but have since become confused and uncertain. It seems like a ring pommel sword or a spatha would be better for this timeframe. Is this correct?

I hope I haven't asked too many questions for my first post. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Adam Oswalt