Tattoos in Roman Military/Society

[Timotheus]

extra material and dyes all cost money ergo white short sleevless were the norm.

Now there's a bold statement. Care to back it up with evidence? You need to justify how a Roman legionary wouldn't be able to afford a coloured tunic. :wink:

i shouldnt have spoken so "factualy" ive just read different opinions on the color and cut of tunics. simplicity and cost seemed what was offered up as explanation regularly. not that a legionare couldnt afford to dye his clothing but as it would be extra cost and time, perhaps why? also some say centurions wore red and legionares wore white....in any case, i elect to wear a red sleeved tunic(to hide tatoo) with adjustable lengths. im sure the legionare had other things to spend his hard fought for "fortune" on besides dyes. if anyone has the definitive answer on tunic colors and constructs please by all means square it away, as it seems to be argued/contested/commented a whole lot....but in short, yeah, i was just sayn "maybe"?

It is a quite common feature of the military. The British Army wore red for so long because it was the cheapest die to use and they were going to be using a lot of it.

Being cheap is like being lazy. It is a great explanation for many things that would otherwise look like a conspiracy. ;-) )