Evolution of the equipment of the Roman military

[guy]

 

Sebastian, who does excellent videos on the late Roman Empire, does an informative video on the evolution of the appearance of the Roman military over the centuries.


 

The rectangular shield (scutum) and the sword (gladius) of the early Empire would be supplanted by the equipment of the late Roman equipment, for example.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8 by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

Tempus fidgets, as they say. Styles change. Technology changes. Romulus, Remus et al built huts and lived a stone age lifestyle very similar to that of pre-Columbian American Indians. Over the course of the next 1200 years they adopted bronze then iron and then steel....Over the course of that same 1200 years, Europe also saw average weather change from warm to cold (Hannibal lost half his men to cold weather in the Alps) to warm (Caesar never mentioned snow or ice in the Alps) to cold again ,(poor crops contributed a great deal to the fall of the western empire). Styles no doubt changed according to weather.

Methods in warfare also changed. War at The Founding was probably little more than skirmishes between small raiding parties, again, more like Indians than Grand Armies maneuvering on battle fields. Accounts often claim 1000s og casualties, but the Palatine Hill is only 63acres, and most of that was pasture for the sheep--how many men of military age could have lived there?...Early battles were disorganized clashes of gangs. Later, the Greek phalanx style was adopted, and then the Roman acies style. Each had its own best style of weapons.

 

 

 

[guy]

On 3/8/2024 at 3:42 AM, guidoLaMoto said:

Tempus fidgets, as they say. Styles change. Technology changes.

Thank you for reading my post. I think the point of Sebastian's video above was that changes after AD 165 were not necessarily a function of improved technology. The changes, instead, were a result of pressures on production and increased need for the recruitment of barbarian troops in the ranks, as well as persistent pressures from barbarian tribes.

The difference between an American Revolutionary War soldier and a modern soldier reflects improving technology and tactics. The difference between a legionary in Augustus' military and a probably-barbarian Roman soldier in the Late Empire was not an improvement. It was an adaption to increasingly dire circumstances and exogenous pressures.

 

Edited March 9 by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

Thank you for continuing to post all these excellent topics for further study and thought.

My comments were merely to point out the many pressures to change styles over the course of 1200 years.

Of course the regional differences in style as the military came to rely more heavily on non-Italian  personnel was a heavy pressure. Even today, it ,s pretty easy to sit in a cafe in Rome and pick out the American tourists from the European or Asian by their clothes.