Total War Rome 2: Legionary

PEGI 16 This film is about the kit and equipment carried on the march by the Roman legionary soldier. In any age, the kit a soldier has to carry is both his friend and his burden. When you're building an empire, you need to be able to get the troops to its furthest corners in a hurry. That means organization and it means supplies. There's no doubt about it that the Roman army ate extremely well and they had a fantastic supply chain. But how were they organized? Well, your basic unit is a contrabernium, which is eight men. But, of course, the larger units, the legions, the cohorts, the sentries, they're all really multiples of that contrabernium. In fact, this here is a contrabernium tent, which sleeps eight men. So it is the simple fact that this unit of eight men, the contrabernium, that broke bread together, that trained together, that stood guard over each other while they rested together, they fought and they bled and lost brothers together. It's that which formed that sacred and unbreakable bond. A perfect size of unit to get that warrior bond. But as an infantryman, you're going to have to carry your own equipment, which is carried on this furka here. F-U-R-C-A, which comes from the Latin word meaning a forked stick, which it quite simply is. So we'll try that on you. You've got to carry your own equipment, your own weapons. Not bad. See what you think. I really like this Roman furka because compared to the modern day rucksack, it makes me feel lighter, more agile and more mobile. What I also like about it is for the modern day soldier under a heavy rucksack, the only way to take a rest and remain alert is to take a knee, putting the elbow on the knee, and that takes the weight off, reduces the burden, and he can still remain alert. However, for the Roman soldier, the only thing that he needed to do was put the pole in the ground, take a step forward, the weight's off the back, and he can rest and remain alert anytime he's ready to go. Okay, so Mike, what do you think? I think I like it better than a rucksack. Oh yeah? Don't forget though, that's not all you're going to carry. You're going to carry this too. Look at that. Wow. So mail. It's not light, but it's about the same weight as modern day ballistic vests, and I imagine it'd give you the same protection for the weapons of the day. I guess so. However, this kit needs cleaning. Well, not by me. Soldier. Now don't forget that that stuff is worn by the auxiliaries and the legionaries up until the first century, but then in the first century, the legionaries get this stuff, lorica segmentata. I see, and I can also see how that'd be very good against projectile and missile weapons. Exactly. I return to you your furka. Thank you. That's defense, but what about offense? All right, now let me show you how they used it. Soldiers! Swap you for that. Okay. First thing you're going to need is your shield. You're not just going to fight with a sword. This is for a unit. Now what I want you to do, without using your sword, shoulder barge with your shield against this guy here. Okay. Now you've got him occupied. There's another guy here, another guy beside you. I'm attacking him, but you are going to attack me, not him. So it's a block and a thrust. In the meantime, the guy beside you is doing exactly the same thing and all the way down. As long as you don't break line, you're strong. It's a block thrust. Very good weapon. Very good formation techniques. But sooner or later, all formations break up and it comes down to individual battle. So this sword is not only good for thrusting as it's designed, it's also excellent for slicing and dicing. It's got a great balance, great weight, a perfect length. This is a weapon a man can take to war. Now if we're on the march, you're going to need to protect your shield. You're not going to be marching with this one, unfortunately, if I can have that back. You're going to need this one here, which has got a leather covering on it, soaked in oils or waxes. And that's going to protect the shield from the weather. Because otherwise, this is going to warp and it's no use. Right. Now I notice even though it's leather, it makes it a lot heavier, but it's very important to protect your equipment above all else. So that makes a lot of sense. Absolutely. This isn't the only weight you're going to carry though. You're also going to be carrying your pilum, which is your throwing spear. Okay, well you got rid of one, but I got some bad news for you. You got a... You're going to be carrying two on the march, I'm afraid. So here's your two extra pilum, but also we need a furker as well. Turn around for you. Okay, so, yeah, all right. Root march for you. Okay, all right, off we go. Good luck. On the march, the legionary carried his weapons, his essential survival supplies, and his shield. And he marched for 20 miles a day. When you're a soldier, there is no easy day. But when you add in the armor, the weight and feel of this equipment is pretty much the same as the modern day light infantrymen. And this, given the times, was excellent equipment to go to war. So how was that, Michael? It was good. Yeah, you enjoy yourself? I like it. How would you like to try the Roman military boot? Let's do it. Yeah? Sandals. Calligae. Okay, I really like these Roman military boots or calligae. The number one reason is because the modern day soldiers' biggest problem is trench foot. And with all this ventilation, you solve that problem, quickly drying out when you go through mud or rivers. The other thing that I like is that they're so easy to break in because they're multiple strips of leather. And the biggest thing I like about them is the traction. Because they have steel from the toe to the heel, for their fighting formation, when they block with the shield and thrust with the sword, they've got the perfect traction. These are superior piece of foot gear. What makes a good army a great army is food in its belly. We have here pusca. Why don't you try some pusca? And what is it? Well, that's wine and water with vinegar. What do you think? Actually, not bad at all. Well, it's good if you have bad local water. It's going to make it safer to drink. Try some. It's really not bad at all. It tastes like feet to me, but I'll take your word for it. Now, as you can see here, all of this stuff, it may seem like a lot, but there's really nothing surplus here. This is absolutely the bare minimum you can do. Wow, so what I see at the end of the day is that the contrabinium was a perfectly self-contained small unit. The Roman army was highly organized. The Roman army had systems. It could be mobilized very quickly and get to a trouble spot faster than any other army of its day.