Early Roman Warrior 753–321 BC by Nic Fields

Author:Nic Fields
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Early Roman Warrior 753–321 BC
ISBN: 9781849088336
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2011-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

EQUIPMENT AND APPEARANCE

Unfortunately for military historians, the Livian battlefield is a confused and contradictory place. On the other hand, excavations over the last century or so have produced a wealth of archaeological evidence, which enables us to build up a tentative picture of the early Roman warrior. Italic armies were fundamentally infantry armies, and pictorial evidence and archaeological finds make it clear that during our period of study, the principal weaponry available consisted of the sword and the spear. Other weapons included the javelin, the axe and the dagger. Warriors also had access, to varying degrees, to defensive equipment, notably helmets and shields. During the 9th century BC the objects deposited in graves were noticeably uniform, suggesting communities of people of relatively equal status. However, during the 8th century BC, especially in the later decades, the first signs of social differentiation are distinguishable. Grave goods became increasingly varied both in type and tone. There were more, and better, helmets, body armour and weapons, and the first imports began to appear, from southern Italy, Greece, Phoenicia and central Europe.

The shield was the most commonly used item of defensive equipment, but it was not the only one: helmets, pectorals and greaves were used to protect the head, torso and shins respectively. Most of what we know about these objects comes from examples that were fashioned in sheet bronze and have therefore survived, but it is highly likely that the majority of such items were made of more perishable materials, probably of wood, hide and bone. After all, these were materials that could have been used in a variety of ways, to give food and shelter, to adorn or to destroy. In addition, archaeology can tell us much about arms and armour, but never about the actual use of the weapons.

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