Help with time period

[Jarrod M]

A small group of us have been toying with the idea of doing a roman group but really have no definate time frame yet. Are thinking of a scorpion crew as a couple of us are keen to make one (and 3 or 4 guys trying to portray a legion is a bit silly). I would like to make a segmentata, so what would be a resonable time, and i guess place, to do.
Any help appreciated ,have had a look around the site and the legioxx site.

And there are no roman groups nearby, theres one in sydney 10hrs away and I think theres a local hopilite group.

[Caius Fabius]

Which Emperor is interesting to you?
Segmentata is being dated as early as AD 09.
and goes on for a couple of chronological centuries from there.
What period of the first 200-250 years of the AD period interests your group most?

[Jarrod M]

Probably late 1st or early 2nd, and a cold climate area so we can have long sleaves for combat.

[Caius Fabius]

I would suggest that you invest in the Osprey books on Roman Military Clothing, and find what you like best, and choose your time period around the costuming that most fits your needs.

[Jarrod M]

I've got the roman armybooks ceasar-trajan and hadrian-constantine.
I'm guessing doing something in hadrians time or just after in britian would work well.

[Caius Fabius]

Those are great books, but the new ones on Roman Military Costume would help you more.

[Jarrod M]

thanks will try to find them.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Definately find the more up to date Osprey publications.
The info in them is pretty spot on, give or take a few contentious images!

Graham summers info is the best on clothing I have seen!
I took that to the seamstress who did my tunic, and she had no problem with it!

[Crispvs]

As a suggestion, if you are just a small group at the moment, don't bother to portray any officers. Have your squad leader portray a veteran legionary instead. This would be fairly realistic for a single squad. I think too many groups and individuals get carried away with centuriones (not to suggest that many of them don't do it well of course - quite the opposite - we see some brilliant centurio impressions). The ratio of centuriones to other soldiers in Roman re-enactment is probably about one to every eight ordinary soldiers (and for that we need to include the bigger societies who have 20+ members, only one of whom portrays a centurio), which contrasts rather starkly with the roughly eighty men to every centurio in the first century AD.

Just a thought.

Crispvs

[D B Campbell]

Are thinking of a scorpion crew as a couple of us are keen to make one (and 3 or 4 guys trying to portray a legion is a bit silly).

That might decide your timeframe for you, Jarrod!
(1) If it's an arrow-shooting scorpio -- the kind that Caesar writes about (otherwise known as a catapulta) --, that would be 1st C.
(2) If it's a stone-throwing scorpio -- the kind that Ammianus writes about (otherwise known as an onager) --, that would be 4th C.

[AntonivsMarivsCongianocvs]

3 or 4 guys trying to portray a legion is a bit silly

Well, 3 or 4 guys portraying a legion 'might' a bit silly but… 3 or 4 guys portraying a group of close friends who are members of a legion is not silly at all.

Remember, a tunic alone may not be a Roman solider impression but, it is often a first step toward an impression… 3 or 4 guys can influence another 3 or 4 guys to join up, and so on and so on. Or 3 or 4 guys can join up with an existing legion too.

My advice is... if you want to do it, just do it. Start working on your armor one piece at a time and have FUN!

BTW: It sounds like your time period would be after the time of Caesar, if you want to go with Segmentatas.

[Magnus]

Do a soldier first...by the time you're done researching that and constructing/purchasing the gear, you'll have a good handle on what you'll need for an officer, and what's allowable and what isn't.

[Nerva]

DB, apart from the time frame in which Ammianus was writing in, why do you date the Onager to the 4th century?