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Roman Foragers and Hunters...
#1
I decided to start this as a seperate thread to not hijack the hook thread, as several good pieces have been posted and alot of good info is in there. What is known about foragers and hunters? I'm assuming that legions would have had people attached to fill this function , considering that a legion required a ton of food. What is out there in terms of evidence for them? Images, artifacts, mentioning in accounts, I read through Herodtus but came up blank, havn't gotten to read through Caesars writings yet.


Thanks,

Matthew
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#2
Well, the search funtion of RAT should give you various topics on hunters. Make sure you choose the right time-frame to search in (1 year by default).
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Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#3
In Graham Watson's book The Roman Army on page 119 he lists the 'Immunes' of the legion ncluding 'venatores' or hunters. Evidently there were no attached hunters rather they were soldiers detailed to hunt game for food and were excused from fatigue details (like all other immunes.
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#4
So they were legionary soldiers, just that they hunted and foraged when they weren't fighting or marching? So I guess the standard armor and gear as soldier, and addtional gear for hunting and fishing?
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#5
I’m not sure if we should think of them as out picking berries and hunting deer, except in unusual circumstances. I would assume that the vast majority of the foraging was taking food and other supplies from people in the area, even harvesting from fields if the time of the year was right.

A few interesting quotes from Caesar:

Quote:…one legion had been sent to forage, according to custom…
Caesar, Gallic War, 4.32

Vercingetorix… impresses on [his council that]…the Romans should be prevented from foraging and procuring provisions… they… were likewise assisted by the season of the year; that forage could not be cut; that the enemy must necessarily disperse, and look for it in the houses…
7.14

Moreover there happened in the course of our daily foraging, what must of necessity happen, when corn is to be collected by a few scattered men out of private houses…
8.10

Caesar talks about this quite a bit. You can go here and do text searches. “Forage,” “corn,” and “supplies” are some examples you can use.
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
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