Caesarean Legionnaires without armor?

[Severus]

Guys,

Thanks for the ideas. My next questions (complete with my opinions) are. . . .

1. Are these unarmored men interspersed within the legions? It would seem that soldiers in the same unit would be given matching equipment (after Marian reforms of course). Otherwise they would not fit in (bad news for unit cohesiveness) nor would they serve the same purpose militarily as others in their unit. Unarmored legionaries would be less effective as heavy infantry than their armored counterparts. . .


2. Are there entire cohorts/legions without armor? It would seem that Caesar would have mentioned such an important distinction.

3. Are these unarmored troops some different organization altogether (similar to lanciarii or velites). It seems that Caesar would have mentioned such organizations, but who knows.


4. The model company lists them as legionaries, but I am looking for facts to prove/disprove this.



Either way I enjoy the discourse.

Matt