08-12-2019, 05:06 PM
I don't know how much I can help with your question, me just being an enthusiast, but I have been doing a project on the Tuetoburg battle which has some relevance.
During the turn of the First Millennia, the Roman army was transitioning their equipment from the older simple style helmets and mail armor to the more famous Italic style helmets and segmented armor. At Teutoburg, both styles were worn.
Now, what does that mean? The conclusion I came to for narrative purposes was to have older legionaries wear older style equipment while newer troops got newer kit. Ocourse, that's my own conclusion with very little information on the topic, but there is a logic to it.
As for a poor legionary getting used equipment, that is a mute point by imperial times. The equipment was issued by the state and the legionary had the cost deducted from his pay. Rich or poor, it was more dependent on what equipment was available to issue.
Could a less important region be issued hand-me-down equipment? I guess that could be. Then again, why spend the money on shipping used equipment across the empire when it likely doesn't have much life left in it? It seems to be, in my simple mind, more cost effective to sell that equipment to allied states to bolster their military, which is something we know the Romans did.
Another scenario is that the Army sent the older equipment to the Auxiliary troops while the proper Legionaries got the good stuff.
For the Centurion example, I read somewhere, (I'm sorry, I forget where,) that to a Roman mind, it was better to make a new sword for a family member then it was to hand one down. A sword didn't have the same sentimental value to a Roman then it did to later Medieval minds. At least, not in the Principate.
I don't know if any of that helped. Hopefully, more knowledgeable individuals with post.
During the turn of the First Millennia, the Roman army was transitioning their equipment from the older simple style helmets and mail armor to the more famous Italic style helmets and segmented armor. At Teutoburg, both styles were worn.
Now, what does that mean? The conclusion I came to for narrative purposes was to have older legionaries wear older style equipment while newer troops got newer kit. Ocourse, that's my own conclusion with very little information on the topic, but there is a logic to it.
As for a poor legionary getting used equipment, that is a mute point by imperial times. The equipment was issued by the state and the legionary had the cost deducted from his pay. Rich or poor, it was more dependent on what equipment was available to issue.
Could a less important region be issued hand-me-down equipment? I guess that could be. Then again, why spend the money on shipping used equipment across the empire when it likely doesn't have much life left in it? It seems to be, in my simple mind, more cost effective to sell that equipment to allied states to bolster their military, which is something we know the Romans did.
Another scenario is that the Army sent the older equipment to the Auxiliary troops while the proper Legionaries got the good stuff.
For the Centurion example, I read somewhere, (I'm sorry, I forget where,) that to a Roman mind, it was better to make a new sword for a family member then it was to hand one down. A sword didn't have the same sentimental value to a Roman then it did to later Medieval minds. At least, not in the Principate.
I don't know if any of that helped. Hopefully, more knowledgeable individuals with post.
Daniel DeVargas
