Whenever I watch old movies with Roman soldiers it always seems like they are wearing different typed of armor and fighting with different weapons. I would think that all of the movies would show the soldiers wearing the same gear and fighting with the same tactics. I decided to go on a fact finding mission to see if I could determine what kind of armor the soldiers really used in combat situations. This article was written to let others know what my findings were and what I learned through my search.
The first thing you need to know is that the Roman army tended to change their armor to make it more efficient, so some of the differences are real. The Roman Empire was a formidable force and they knew that to stay strong they needed to improve their gear whenever possible. Soldiers fighting with better weaponry and armor stand a better chance of defeating their enemies and expanding the Roman Empire.
Roman armor and weaponry did have some main themes with each change. Their fighting gear was always light, mobile, and great for long marches. This is because they never covered their arms or legs to any large degree. They also always used light weight sandals or boots and kept their faces completely open around the eyes and mouth. They believed that the light gear enabled them to travel swiftly and thus conquer even more people than slower armies with heavier armors.
Roman weaponry consisted mostly of short fighting swords. Smaller swords did not tire out the soldiers arms as quickly as the larger weapons of their opponents. Small throwing spears known as pilums were also wielded by these warriors.
Roman soldier armor varied between different chain mails and other torso coverings. Although this armor was not as light as the leather armor that the original Roman soldiers wore, it was still very light in comparison to other armors of the times.
The shields that Roman soldiers wielded were quite large and protected the entire body of this soldier. They were also great for linking up with fellow soldiers and forming a nice protective shield wall to fight behind. The shield was a major source of pride for many of the fighting soldiers.
It was fun and interesting to read about the armor and weapons of ancient Roman warriors. It really made me respect the movies I saw because before I thought that maybe some of them may have been inaccurate. Thank you for reading this article on Roman soldier armor, weapons, and shields. Link to this page from your website and increase its visibility.