Timewatch - Roman Legionary

[sulla felix]

Hibernicus,

I think that it is highly likely that equipment supplied to new recruits in rapidly raised legions simply would not fit. I recall my time in the UK forces and virtually every piece of kit issued to me (in haste as nothing happens slowly in the forces!) did not fit and had to be either adapted by me or eventually replaced with something that did fit.

Just a thought.

[Hibernicus]

Sula Felix,

Perhaps. But.... if part of the premise was to use modern soldiers, presumably skilled at soldiering, or at least more so than non-soldiers or even re-enactors, then the use of gear that fit and functioned properly would have served that purpose far better.

I liked the idea of the show. However, one thing the audience drew from it was that Roman gear was ill fitting, that armor was uncomfortable, therefore Roman soldiers must have been some kind of super-bad-asses to have been able to conquer the world under those personal conditions.

I was also annoyed at the inability of some of the soldiers to securely lash gear to the furca! Good grief. Parhaps if they'd've had velcro closures instead....

[sulla felix]

Hibernicus,

Well if they were military "volunteers" then I would agree with you (after all they would have realised the importance of properly fitted equipment having gone through a steep learning curve during basic training). However, I think you may be referring to the second programme noted by Maximio above. The first programme "volunteers' were definitely not military, and were drawn from members of the public as far as I recall.