How much variation in kit?

[Ballista]

Greetings,

Was wondering just how much variation there was in the typical kit for a standard legionary based on where they were stationed.  I can see the needs for clothing and protection from weather varying greatly from Gaul to Egypt.  How did seasonal clothing change?

Thanks in advance for any expert (or otherwise) opinion.  These are the topic that keep me up at night (not really...).

[caldrail]

In a word, lots. Some writers play heavily on the few descriptions of marching legions that list thr equipment they carried with them, and interesting it is too, but I'm very wary of assuming that was in any way standard across the whole of Rome's military. 

Firstly, modern mass production did not exist. Therefore basic equipment was bound to vary. The ranks of identical legionaries in film and tv looks cool but isn't likely to look entirely realistic. Variations in the colour of cloth, armour design, weapon details, and shield shapes might be expected. We have one Roman writer who records that a senior officer saw a legionary spending a great deal of time painting his shield and commented scornfully that the soldier was spending more time on that than sharpening his blade. So the design on the shield surface was probably individualised.

[sonic]

On 10/8/2021 at 11:48 AM, caldrail said:

In a word, lots. Some writers play heavily on the few descriptions of marching legions that list thr equipment they carried with them, and interesting it is too, but I'm very wary of assuming that was in any way standard across the whole of Rome's military. 

Firstly, modern mass production did not exist. Therefore basic equipment was bound to vary. The ranks of identical legionaries in film and tv looks cool but isn't likely to look entirely realistic. Variations in the colour of cloth, armour design, weapon details, and shield shapes might be expected. We have one Roman writer who records that a senior officer saw a legionary spending a great deal of time painting his shield and commented scornfully that the soldier was spending more time on that than sharpening his blade. So the design on the shield surface was probably individualised.

I research mainly the later empire and I agree with Caldrail.  By the later date the shield patterns may have been more heavily unit-based, but the equipment would depend upon the production of the different arms factories which produced the weapons etc.  I am also wary of weapon typologies:  some of these weapons could have been produced at the same time by different factories, rather than fitting into a neat chronology.

[Ballista]

Good points.  Not like all the gear came from a single "factory" near Rome.  I would imagine that there were "vendors" all over the empire that would build/make according to a basic spec or design template.

How about variations in "clothing" along with the kit?  The image of a soldier with a tunic and bare legs doesn't much pass the logic test for a January patrol along Hadrian's Wall.  It would seem to be a bad idea in the middle of Tunisia too - when in North Africa, do as the North Africans do (and cover your bare skin).

How much was the Roman army willing to adapt to local conditions when it came to establishing what the standard for that duty assignment was?  Was it, "Okay men, I know its hot, but we're Romans and we wear our armor uncovered even when it means it will get so hot that it will burn out skin to touch it!"  Or was it, "Okay men, I know its hot.  So we've decided that you can cover your armor with your cloak to keep the sun directly off it."

I served in the Army many moons ago.  Each day, the senior NCO would set the "uniform of the day".  But... there wasn't much wiggle room for him to vary things much.  We weren't issued shorts - and therefor didn't wear them, even when it made sense to wear shorts.  BUT, if you got shipped somewhere far away with a much different climate, your "kit" could vary,  Temperate vs. tropical vs. polar.

[caldrail]

The Romans tended to see trousers as a barbarian item of clothing, at least until the late empire. There's very little evidence for climatic variations in kit but for practicality it's not hard to imagine that some adaption to local conditions took place. I note the Romans stress the use of cloaks for cold or bad weather. Incidentially the colour red as used by media and re-enactors is likely to be wrong. Romans saw 'red' as a symbolic of status, so officers may well have dressed in such colours, and we know that deliberate over-dyeing of material was used to make a fake purple, a high status colour if ever there was one. Legionaries were probably dressed in natural off-white shades of clothing, though some earthy colours have gained support in recent years. In previous era's to our own much was made of the quality of clothing, which would indicate the status of the wearer as much as any rank symbol does today. The clothes worn by senior officers were probably quite different from those of the rank and file.

[Ballista]

But... the red is so... striking!

I reject your rejection of red.  SPQR - the R is for red, right?

Kidding aside, thanks for your insight.  So cloaks more likely than pants for the majority of the time... how much "campaigning" happened during the colder months in colder climes?  I know post Marius, the campaign season extended quite a bit since making it home for the harvest was not a priority.

[caldrail]

By tradition the Romans had a specific campaigning season linked to religious observances. Obviously if conflict is forced upon them out of season for any reason then so be it. Note that as Rome extended its reach the campaigns tended to last for years rather than months in the days when they raided Italian neighbours. 

By tradition the season began in March - the name is derived from Mars, the Roman God of War - lasting until the Festival of Armilustrium in mid-October, considered the point where the weather would get too cold and wet for practical warfare.

There are mentions of legions camping for the winter, most notably after the punitive expedition against the German tribes that had attacked the 5th Legion in Gaul and soundly defeated them. The legionaries spent the winter in Germania beyond the empire for that winter here and there, and the locals appeared to tolerate that given the strength of the Roman response. So encouraged were the Romans by this that Augustus sent Quintilius Publius Varus, a man known to be greedy after his governorship of Syria, to tax the Germanians in the occupied areas 'as if it was already a province'. It led to the Varian Disaster of ad9.

[Ballista]

That's what you get for marching into a forest...

I've traveled through Oldenburg more than once - sadly, I was not keyed in on the history of that battle at the time.  Plan to visit the site on my next trip to Germany.  I understand that the archaeology is under some debate as to the exact site of the battle(s) - but still worth a stop.

Thanks for the discussion!