08-09-2010, 11:52 AM
What we can say for certain is that the use of armour (of all types) was widely distributed throughout the whole of the Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. I, personally, know of well over 100 sites where (for example) bits of lorica segmentata have been found - half of them at British sites, curiously. This includes sites all the way along the Rhine/Danube frontier as well as into Eastern Europe, Palestine and North Africa. Many of these sites also yield evidence for the use of hamata and squamata armour (and many other sites don't show lor seg, but do have these alternatives).
I've always thought that a group of legionaries would have presented a very mottley appearance 'in parade'. Given that they bought their own gear (and we know from things like papyri that they did own their own stuff), what they wore would be what they could afford (or, were prepared to afford). A helmet and a shield would have been the absolute minimum (the shield being provided by the Army, I assume). You might, perhaps, have expected an 'honour guard' (the beneficarii) of picked men for the legatus to be a bit more 'spiffy' and uniform, perhaps?
Moving on to the later empire, we know from the Notitia Dignitatum that production of armour and weaponry was centralised by the state. Particular factories were tasked with producing shields, swords, armour, etc. The implication is that the army was well-cared for in terms of their personal protection. Given that the late empire was what we today would probably term a 'military dictatorship' this isn't all that surprising. Bit like the Soviet army of the Cold War era - which went First Class while everyone else went 3rd!
Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)
I've always thought that a group of legionaries would have presented a very mottley appearance 'in parade'. Given that they bought their own gear (and we know from things like papyri that they did own their own stuff), what they wore would be what they could afford (or, were prepared to afford). A helmet and a shield would have been the absolute minimum (the shield being provided by the Army, I assume). You might, perhaps, have expected an 'honour guard' (the beneficarii) of picked men for the legatus to be a bit more 'spiffy' and uniform, perhaps?
Moving on to the later empire, we know from the Notitia Dignitatum that production of armour and weaponry was centralised by the state. Particular factories were tasked with producing shields, swords, armour, etc. The implication is that the army was well-cared for in terms of their personal protection. Given that the late empire was what we today would probably term a 'military dictatorship' this isn't all that surprising. Bit like the Soviet army of the Cold War era - which went First Class while everyone else went 3rd!
Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)
visne scire quod credam? credo orbes volantes exstare.
