Ancient Roman military clothing

Common card · No. 285336

The legions of the Roman Republic and Empire had a fairly standardised dress and armour, particularly from approximately the early to mid 1st century onward, when Lorica Segmentata (segmented armour) was introduced. However the lack of unified production for the Roman army meant that there were still considerable differences in detail. Even the armour produced in state factories varied according to the province of origin. Fragments of surviving clothing and wall paintings indicate that the basic tunic of the Roman soldier was of red or undyed (off-white) wool. Senior commanders are known to have worn white cloaks and plumes. The centurions, who made up the officer ranks, had decorations on their chest plates corresponding to modern medals, and the long cudgels that they carried. Examples of items of Roman military personal armour included: Galea or soldier's helmet. Variant forms included the Coolus helmet, Montefortino helmet, and Imperial helmet. Greaves, to protect the legs. Lorica...

Read on Wikipedia · Image by Albert Kretschmer, painters and costumer to the Royal Court Theatre, Berin, and Dr. Carl Rohrbach., Public domain