04-26-2005, 11:17 AM
Ok, This may have already been suggested before but I'd like to hear your opinions on this thought. It strikes me strange that a roman soldier always had to wait for his tent to arrive on a cart for him and his other 7 members of his squad to erect, it also strikes me that a roman soldier never carried anything that could not be used for the construction of a marching camp or to defend himself. We as reenactors are constantly loading ourselves down with pots, cloaks, tools etc to illustrate what a Roman soldier may have carried on campaign, however if his tent was on a cart, why the hell would he be carrying tools for, surely these would be on a cart or pack mule / horse also.
What I'm suggesting is this, the pack that we all so carefully make as depicted on Trajan's column, is not a pack, but a sectionalised piece of a tent, folded and hung on the rings that would be used for attaching guys to.
The poles that we carry them on were used for the centre poles and uprights, the shields were used as a the walls on the sides of the tent to support the roof which was buttoned or tied together like a shelter half to form the roof. This would still provide adequate falls from the apex to the side walls to allow run off and give the men good shelter, three pieces per side for the roof, with two sections for one end. After all the early shelter halves in ww2 were open ended, perhaps the legionaries joined two tents together to form a whole.
I've done some sketches and the dimensions work great, try it your self.
Now this also does some thing else, regardless of how many men are together they would be able to construct some sort of shelter with what they have with them, making them self sufficient, even on their own on over night stops as individuals they would have adequate shelter.
Everything he carried would therefore be of use, he would be able to set up camp quickly and take it down quickly and be on the move, not having to wait to load carts before they left camp.
Just a thought mind, based on no historical evidence, but a load of logic, good ideas always have a habit of repeating themselves, in world war 2 infantrymen carried the shelter halves 1 pole and 6 pegs, the Germans the zeltbarn 3 sections , 3 men. the reason they used these because it was practical....With the Romans being the progressive people that they were it is logical that they came up with this sort of tent.
Your thoughts please
What I'm suggesting is this, the pack that we all so carefully make as depicted on Trajan's column, is not a pack, but a sectionalised piece of a tent, folded and hung on the rings that would be used for attaching guys to.
The poles that we carry them on were used for the centre poles and uprights, the shields were used as a the walls on the sides of the tent to support the roof which was buttoned or tied together like a shelter half to form the roof. This would still provide adequate falls from the apex to the side walls to allow run off and give the men good shelter, three pieces per side for the roof, with two sections for one end. After all the early shelter halves in ww2 were open ended, perhaps the legionaries joined two tents together to form a whole.
I've done some sketches and the dimensions work great, try it your self.
Now this also does some thing else, regardless of how many men are together they would be able to construct some sort of shelter with what they have with them, making them self sufficient, even on their own on over night stops as individuals they would have adequate shelter.
Everything he carried would therefore be of use, he would be able to set up camp quickly and take it down quickly and be on the move, not having to wait to load carts before they left camp.
Just a thought mind, based on no historical evidence, but a load of logic, good ideas always have a habit of repeating themselves, in world war 2 infantrymen carried the shelter halves 1 pole and 6 pegs, the Germans the zeltbarn 3 sections , 3 men. the reason they used these because it was practical....With the Romans being the progressive people that they were it is logical that they came up with this sort of tent.
Your thoughts please
