How to Not Look Like a Cutout Milite

[Crispvs]

For eating utensils, think about getting yourself a bowl, cup, spoon and small utility knife which can be used for cutting food as well as bits of leather and whatnot.
Don't feel you have to spend out on a patera just to eat. Although they were ubiquitous in the Roman world, they seem to have doubled as a cooking and eating utensil but plenty of turned wooden bowls and even more 'cores' resulting from the manufacture of such bowls have survived to show that lathe turned bowls were as, if not more, common as patera for eating. As long as the bowl is made in one piece from a wood which would have been available to the Romans, then it is fine for you to use in re-enactment.

For a cup, you could get a pottery one, but as we have clear evidence of military units with their own pottery styles, it might be safer historically (and cheaper) to get a turned wooden beaker. Like wooden bowls, there is plenty of evidence for these. Just make sure the wood is a type the Romans would have had access to.

For a spoon, avoid getting the metal type you may well have seen in museums and illustrated in books, with a shortish pointed handle and a little 'tooth' projecting over the end of the bowl of the spoon. This type was used for eating shellfish and as far as I know, is normally found on villa sites. The type of spoon you need can easily be made by cutting down a normal wooden spoon (the type in every kitchen today) to about the size of a normal modern dessert spoon, although probably slightly narrower and thinning the edge somewhat. A small spoon made from horn would also be fine.

For a knife, you would be best to go for the type which rarely makes it into picture books but which is found in profusion at most Roman sites. This has a blade the same size or a bit bigger than that of a modern pocket knife. The blade often has a pronounced curve and generally features a short tang which often ends in a 'D' shaped ring. Some good reproductions can be found here:
https://www.armamentaria.com/store/index...20a&page=2

You might also want to get yourself a sponge on a sponge on a stick and a suitable leather bag to put over the sponge to give an impression of hygiene. The public always love the sponge when you produce it.
You could also get a wax tablet and stylus, also popular with the public, and a fire steel. Some dice and reproduction coins would also go well in your kit.

Once you have got all this together, you will probably need something to carry it all in. I would suggest getting yourself a reproduction of one of the Commaccio bags, which, as they were found in association with helmets and a sword, can be legitimately thought of as military.
http://legvi.tripod.com/sitebuilderconte...80h120.jpg

There was a very good thread here on RAT on how t make one of these bags but alas, I cannot find it. Perhaps someone else who is better at RAT searches can come to the rescue.

You will probably also want a water bottle. Don't get one of the popular metal ones - in all likelihood they are really oil flask used when bathing, rather than water canteens. Get a pottery or leather bottle instead.

Well, hopefully that should give you a few ideas. Have fun!

Crispvs