Evolution of The Roman Soldier | Animated History

We are now selling a limited-edition Roman uniform poster over on Armchair History TV. Sarge and officer-tier subscribers to the AHTV membership get a discount on all merchandise. Grab a poster today before it goes away forever on October 23rd. The ancient era of the Roman Kingdom is shrouded in mystery. However, we do know that it was far from the cultural and dignified years of the Instead, the Roman Kingdom was a place marked by poverty, filth, and violence. In the early days, it is likely that the Roman way of waging war was not significantly different from that of other Italic peoples. Local wars and raids often had several clans acting cooperatively. Within these The concept of a uniform was non-existent. The quality and quantity of weapons and equipment would vary widely. Clan warriors were without armor, and their typical war gear consisted of a shield and two spears, one to be thrown as a missile weapon while the other was retained for stabbing. During this period, a clan warrior who gained enough power and prestige would inevitably find himself in the position of chieftain. The chieftain acted as the leader and kept the restless clans together. His other, equally important function was to carefully divide the loot. A chieftain's prestige was judged by the plunder he could afford to his clan. This also extended to his own equipment. Chieftains were often resplendent in shining bronze helmets, pectorals, and greaves. Their swords, also bronze, were designed mainly for cutting but also could be used to thrust or jab. It was above all the sword, which was the chieftain's insignia, which proclaimed his authority in society and prowess in combat. Under the rule of Rome's sixth king, Servius Tullius, a major reform of the military was initiated which reorganized the state exclusively for war. Here began the creation of a citizen army, which induced Rome's citizens to arm themselves. A census of all adult male citizens recorded the value of their property and divided them accordingly into five economic classes. A citizen's economic class determined the level of their military contribution. The Romans also adopted more Greek equipment to augment their gear, complementing the new professional standards of the new citizen army. Special thanks to the sponsor of today's video, OpusClip. Over the past week and a half we created a bunch of shorts using OpusClip, the number one automated video editing tool that curates, reforms, and edits your long form content into shorts with one click, and we've been thrilled with the results. Editing a full video into short form content is a time-consuming and expensive process, which is why we've turned to OpusClip to help us edit down the best moments from all of our videos for you to enjoy as YouTube shorts. OpusClip is affordable and we can't recommend it enough as a great tool for creators of all sizes who want to get the most out of their content. So whether you're already a successful creator or have always wanted to create a channel, start transforming your videos into short form content in moments with OpusClip by using our link in the description to get a 50% discount on an annual plan. First class citizen soldiers, the wealthiest, fought with the complete armored set typical of a hoplite. A helmet, two-piece corslet, and greaves, all of bronze. They also carried the kleipeos, a bowl-shaped shield. In this new style of spear and shield warfare, the weapon of wealthy citizens was the long thrusting spear. First class citizen soldiers also carried a sword, but in contrast to prior clan leaders, the sword was now very much a secondary weapon. Men of the second class were equipped similarly to those of the first, but were not expected to provide a full breastplate. They also did not use the round kleipeos shield, and were instead equipped with the oblong skutum shield, which was cheaper and offered better protection to the torso and legs. Furthermore, with the skutum, a soldier could be both defensive and offensive, parrying but also punching with its metallic boss plate. The less well-off citizens would have had nothing so elaborate as the bronze or linen breastplates that wealthier citizens wore, but those who could supplied themselves with a small bronze breastplate. To compensate for their lack of armor, these soldiers used the oval skutum instead of the round kleipeos. The fourth and fifth classes marked the lowest rung of the Servian system. Soldiers fighting in these classes were armed as skirmishers and little else. Fourth class soldiers were expected to be equipped with an oblong shield, spear, javelin, and sword. While fifth class soldiers were most often left with nothing but slings and stones, with the occasional soldier scraping up enough funds to equip himself with a javelin. The end of the monarchy ushered in the Roman Republic. Under this republic, the old Servian system would be developed further into a society whose citizens were obligated to defend their property by contributing to the military. In terms of equipment, the Roman soldier in this period was still heavily influenced by Greek standards, with bronze helmets, breastplates, and greaves. Their arms were most commonly spears, swords, and daggers. The fourth century gave the Romans a lesson in humiliation. Their defeat by the Gauls at Alia in 390 BC led to the city's and possible destruction, if not for the legendary Marcus Forius Camillius. Later defeats to the Samnites forced Rome to rethink their strategy. After the disaster of Caudine Forks in 321 BC, the Roman army instituted the Chameleon Reforms, dropping their rigid phalanx in favor of a manipole system, splitting the legion into several blocks spaced out for maneuverability. The new legionary, like his hoplite counterpart, excelled at close quarters combat, but the legion had greater freedom of movement and flexibility. In the new legion, the first line contained maniples of hastati. These were soldiers of few means who were unarmored except for a bronze helmet and a pictorial plate. They carried a scutum and two throwing pila spears, one heavy and one lightweight, plus a short thrusting sword. The second line was made up of maniples of principes. These were men in the prime of their lives, they were fairly wealthy, and were able to afford decent equipment. They were armed with two heavy pila and a sword, which was used after the spear had been thrown. They usually carried a scutum, either in the oval or rectangular style, and wore bronze helmets, often with feathers fixed onto the top to increase stature. Principes wore heavy armor, most commonly chainmail, which offered good protection without hindering movement. The third line was made up of the oldest and most mature men, consisting of maniples of triarii. Many triarii were battle-hardened veterans. They sometimes wore a distinct Etrusco-Corinthian helmet, which was usually adorned with upright feathers and a horsehair crest. They equipped themselves with a long ironmail shirt and an italic strap-on bronze greave on their left leg. Though many triarii would equip themselves with a pair, they also carried a scutum and a long thrusting spear, or hasta, with a large socketed iron spearhead and a bronze butt spike. Key to their kit were the gladius, a short thrusting sword, and a knife, the pugio. Despite the early successes of the manipular system, the Middle Republic saw Rome's legions brutalized in the Punic Wars. Tactical weakness and eventual manpower shortages highlighted the need for a new pool of recruits to draw from. Short of the desperation in conscripting slaves, the next best thing was the lower class of Rome's citizenry, the proletarii. These younger and poorer citizens made up the bulk of skirmisher infantry, the velites. These skirmishing troops had been around since Rome's earliest days, but became a staple of Roman armies by the early, middle, and late Republican periods. Characterized by their helmet's wolfskin cover, which was used to be distinguished from at a distance, velites were armed with the gladius and a bundle of javelins. In 107 BC, a general and statesman by the name of Gaius Marius implemented a new system of reforms aimed at revitalizing the Roman army, which had struggled to keep up with the new demands of an expanding empire. The Marian reforms established a professional standing army, replacing the property-based system with standard pay and entitlement for full citizenship and land ownership upon completed service. The army's structure shifted from maniples to cohorts, enhancing flexibility and cohesion. More importantly, it standardized equipment and dress, leading to the conception of the soldier we know today as the typical Roman legionary. The legionary was equipped with many carryovers from the pre-Marian troops, such as the pila, scutum, pugio, and gladius. In addition to this, they wore armor pieces like the montefortino helmet and chainmail armor. These were not the only pieces available to a legionary, but would have been the most common. An important addition to the legionary's kit was the calige, or hobnail boots. These were heavy-soled, open-toed military sandals built for durability, protecting the feet while also allowing flexibility and ease of movement. Following the civil wars of the late Republic, Gaius Octavius emerged as Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Augustus cut down the bloated and opportunistic legions of the civil war period, remodeling the army into a permanent force of 28 legions and instigating the greatest period of Roman expansion. He was the first leader to lay clear terms of service, rates of pay, and pensions. The legions were no longer a citizen militia. No one but Augustus had the right to new legions, which now owed their loyalty to him alone. In this period of military reform, equipment was once again further centralized. An important development in the early Principate era was the clear distinction in military identity through military belts, the balteus and calige, which identified a man as a soldier. Many cohorts were still equipped with the chainmail common to the troops of the late Republic. However, the Montefortino-type and Culus-type helmets were beginning to be phased out as legionaries were equipped with more elaborate Gallic and Italic style designs. These helmets featured ear guards and hinged cheek guards covering the largest possible part of the face without restricting the soldier's breathing, sight, and shouting range. The first century saw the legionary equipped in what is now their most well-known look. This included the adoption of segmented plate armor made of circular bands of metal fastened to internal leather straps. Known today as lorica segmentata, this armor was virtually impenetrable to ancient weapons. In addition, the legionary scutum had evolved from the oblong ovals of the into a smaller, more lighter rectangular shield. Underneath the armor, soldiers wore a short-sleeved knee-length tunic. In cold weather, long-sleeved tunics, trousers, socks, and laced boots were commonly worn. By the time of Emperor Hadrian, Roman territory spanned almost all of Europe, the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Levant. Having reached its farthest extent, the empire began to shift towards a defensive posture, using its legions as garrisons. Given the distance between provinces, it was natural that local cultures would influence the dress and uniform of legionaries in their region. Soldiers serving on the British frontier would look different from those in Italy, Greece, or the eastern provinces. After the collapse of the Severan dynasty in 235 AD, the empire was plunged into 50 years of chaos and civil wars. It was also during this period that the dress and equipment again changed, as the streamlined process of the early principate had buckled under the constant need for new troops. By the 3rd century, the traditional italic and gallic-style helmet was gone. In its place, legionaries wore a heavier helmet of single-bowl construction. These offered excellent protection for the head and neck, but the cheek pieces obscured peripheral vision and did not include ear holes. The soldier's mail now had sleeves extending down to the elbows. Notably, the legionaries would wear full trousers, socks, and shoes known as carbottini. Legionaries used a weighted pilum, a pugio, and a scutum, while the gladius was replaced by a spata, which was still used for thrusting but could also be used for slashing. Later legionaries carried a slightly dished oval shield that began replacing the scutum during the 3rd century. They were of plank construction and had reinforcing bars and stitched on raw hide edging. Soldiers carried a pilum, and their massive swords, despite their length, were still a cut-and-thrust weapon. Despite the change of sword, these legionaries still carried a pugio. Their short mail shirt was worn over a padded arming garment. The iron helmet, a far simpler piece, was composed of many small sections riveted together. Such helmets became the norm, as they were cheaper and easier to produce. Since the 2nd century AD, an important class of people had established themselves within Roman society. The barbarians. These were people who existed outside the Roman perception of civility and culture. They were tribal people originating from the regions of Europe and outside of the empire. Since the early Principate, many barbarians had served the empire as auxiliaries, but following the crisis of the 3rd century, they began to settle in the empire more permanently, transforming their role in the Roman military. To relieve recruitment issues, many barbarians began to be conscripted directly into the army and served under Roman officers. Illyrian soldiers formed the core of the Roman armies in the chaotic 3rd century. They wore bronze scale armor and were armed with a lancea, a fairly light spear that could be thrown just before contact or retained for hand-to-hand fighting. Their shield was a large dished oval, constructed of wood planks, covered and bound with leather. It also had a hollow iron boss, which covered the center handgrip. Under Emperor Diocletian, the crisis of the 3rd century finally ended. To stabilize the empire, Diocletian instituted a wide array of reforms. Among these was the reintroduction of systematic annual conscription of Roman citizens, not seen since the Roman Republic, and a restructuring of the military that split the army into two divisions, Frontier Guards, or Limitane, and Mobile Forces, or Comitatenses. Soldiers would be equipped specifically for the duties required of their division, though the practice of uniform standardization would be superseded by the issuing of a clothing allowance, meaning soldiers had to organize their own dress accordingly. Responsible for manning the defensive outposts and garrisons of the empire's borderlands, the Limitane varied from young conscripts to old veterans. They were lightly equipped compared to their mobile counterparts, wearing a Berkosovo-style helmet with little else in the form of armor. They carried an oval shield, a spear, a small hunting knife, and a pilum. Comitatenses were generally better armed and drilled than the Limitane, serving as rapid responders to any external threats to the empire. They wore a ridge helmet with cheek guards, but without nose or neck guards. The helmet also bore a red plume made of stiffened horsehair. They wore mail with elbow-length sleeves and a hem reaching down to protect the thighs. Underneath, they wore a long-sleeved tunic and leather shoes. They carried a sword and their primary weapon, the lancea, a spear which was light enough to be thrown just before contact. Palatini were the elites of the late Roman army. While they acted similarly to the Comitatenses, these elite troops outranked both them and the Limitane. The Palatini's expertise made them sought after by Roman military commanders. They wore a plumed version of the ridge helmet. These plumes were usually stiffened horsehair and they matched shield colors to help unit identification. Like the Comitatenses, they carried both a spear and sword. Although Rome would fall in the 4th century, the evolution of Roman units would continue for almost a thousand years under the Byzantines.