Early Roman Armor and Costumes

Roman Armor Costumes – रोमन कवच वेशभूषा Those early Roman legions greatly helped in balancing and expanding modern Roman civilization. A Roman soldier always fought with an unusual formation of 5000 soldiers. People used to recognize these groups as Roman legion. This sort of orderly fighting tactic was a crucial factor at that time as this tactic severally helped them to crush their foes in a war. This Roman infantry came with an armory that enabled them to offer a rock-hard defense system. However, the irony is Roman General Armor missed the main thing, general criterion. Today we are going to explore 10 great ancient Roman costumes and Armor. Let’s take a look.

1. Belts

Early Roman used to call it the ‘Balteus.’ It was an unusual military belt that soldiers used to wear over their shoulders. It was so long that it could easily reach their opposite hip. The soldiers frequently used it for hanging their sword or any essential military equipment.

This single belt could easily support a dagger. Historians found this type of belts in the Augustan era.

2. Legionnaire Swords

Roman legions used the various sort of swords of diverse shapes and sizes. But they called the smallest ones as pugio. Gladius which is the Latin name of the sword was much smaller than the medieval swords. It was minimum 18 to maximum 24 inches long.

It was during the 2nd-3rd century AD when the Roman legions started using the long swords named spatha.

3. Tunic

The military made this tunic from a rectangular clothe. At first, the military tunics were sleeveless. Later on they started wearing full sleeve tunics.

4. Helmet

Roman soldiers wear this helmet to protect their head against foes in battlefields. Diverse units of Roman cavalry and legions wore helmets of different shapes and styles.

These types of helmets came with crest holders. Even these helmets had “U” shaped detachable holders at the back.

5. Segmented Armor

This ancient Roman armor was famous by the name Lorica Segmentata. It featured metal hoops or strips molded into oval bands that had leather straps for fastening. On the inside, these metal strips had soft iron, and on the outer portion, it had steel. Trajan sculptures show many legionnaires who used to wear this particular segmented armor. Legions only don this armor, and these sculptures were the most significant evidence of that.

6. Greaves

Roman officers used Greaves as protective leg armor. The primary use of this armor was to guard the vulnerable tibia bone of the soldier against dagger or sword attacks.

7. Mail Armor

The Roman military also knows this mail armor as Chainmail. They prepare this armor with metal rings to make a durable layer of protection. At first, Gauls used to wear this armor. Later on, Roman started incorporating this armor. They named it as Lorica Hamata. These small rings had interconnection with at least two other rings which made it a robust shield of protection.

8. Arm Guards

This was a fairly popular armor amongst Roman gladiators during their early years. The Roman soldiers understood its effectiveness when they received thwarting blade cuts on their arms much later. The strong protection of bronze or iron with overlapping metal plates made them a perfect armor of that time.

9. Scale Armor

The scaled armor became a popular armor. From cavalry troops to centurions, infantry, or even legionnaires preferred to wear it in the ancient Rome. They named it as Lorica Squamata. It featured small metallic scales with a fabric backing.

It provided even better protection against bludgeoning to the soldiers than the mail armor.

10. Caligae (military shoes /sandals with heavy soles)

Caligae was famous military shoes that the early Roman cavalries and legions wore. These shoes represented the rise of the ancient Roman Empire. It showed that they would extend their border than before.

Conclusion

The Roman Empire won against the Greek; they started extending their borders. The new roman armor types helped the Romans to overcome rough weather conditions and territory for quick expansion. Their more realistic approach made sure that the Roman civilization can reach to the great heights.

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