Classiarius/ Marine reenactors?

[Gaius Marius Cingetorix]

Ave,
I'm looking for info or input on references on assembling a proper Classiari kit circa 32-31 BC.

Plate 1 of Osprey's Roman Leigonary 58bc-AD69 depicts an veteran of Legio XII Antiqua. The commentary also lists another posible unit Legio XI Fretensis(possibly LegX ?)

Anybody already do one?

Does anyone have a digital copy of Vegetius Epitome, 4.37 supposedly has the recomended uniform.

Whats a good refference/ link for finding out what shield patterns might actuall have been used by those units?

Since I've found this picture, a few of my fellow Marines have actually expressed interest in also doins some basic Clasiari kits but I don't want to lead them in the wrong direction.

Thanks.

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi Gaius,
Sorry to disappoint you, but even IF Vegetius is right, he's talking about Imperial classiarii. The ones you're after are normal legionaries of the civil war between Octavian (Augustus) and Marc Antony.
Several legions were used as marines aboard their fleets and some, indeed, did that so often/so well that they got nicknames referring to that service.
Legio X Fretensis (=the later imperial legion) served for Octavian in the war against Sextus Pompeius, who was in Sicily. Fretum Siculum, the Sicilian channel is where the legion got its name.
Another, Antonian, legion which surely served as marines was Legio XVII Classica, only known from coins (and probably not the XVII that was lost in the Teutoburger Wald).
So, if you want to depict a miles classicus from that era, you might as well copy the picture in the Osprey book. The galley as symbol is not attested as a shield emblem, but was used on coins (for a load of Antony's legions) and on the standard (a prow only) and rooftiles for Legio XI Fretensis and XXII Primigenia.

BTW, welcome to RAT! Mind to use at least your real first name (see the rules for posting)?

[Gaius Marius Cingetorix]

Thanks! Sorry about the name thing.. I think I got it fixed. Now I gotta go find a decent avatar and hope its not in use

[Praefectusclassis]

That's fine. Have you seen that we have an avatar gallery? Just go into your profile and click the gallery.
And hey, show us some pics if/when you do come up with a Actium-type legionary. I might need pics for my book :wink:

[John M McDermott]

Has anyone considered whether Roman marines modified their armor to reflect the fact they were on ships? A fall overboard with any kind of lorica would be 100% fatal.

[Praefectusclassis]

I don't think there are any sources to say that. In fact, IIRC, only Vegetius comments on armor for marines at all and he says they need a good bit of it, so they're well protected!
I guess falling overboard is an inherent risk of the job.

[Gaius Marius Cingetorix]

Considerd...yes. Found any refferences...no. I'll agree that going for a swim in segmentata or scale would be a bad idea, but wearing a simplified hamatta or chest plate that you could slip out of sounds like a possibility. I'm working on a Hamatta, maybe I'll dive test it when I'm done :twisted: