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Robert.
Where you mention about the ordinary soldier and there being various grades of knowledge and skills then we are coming to the things that make an immunes, I think even today without disrespect in any way there are troops who one has to agree are considered as ordinary soldiers just a front line blood and guts soldier.
Brian Stobbs
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I have often thought, and mind you this is really just a personal opinion, that the optio, signifer and tesserarius could all share a barracks room. IIRC, there are often more than 10 rooms in a barracks block, one or more of which could be storage (tentage and the like) and at least one for the above mentioned 3 principales. I think the centurion is far enough above his men as to have his quarters to himself (and his slave and/or freedmen servants). The optio might very well have had office space in the Centurion's suite of rooms, but I question whether he would sleep there.
As respects armor: I, in my impression as an optio, wear lorica hamata and a coolus/hagenau-type helmet. That is personal preference but perfectly acceptable in my mid first century AD impression. As I have posted elsewhere, my side feathers should not be considered as rank indicators because at least 25% of the found hagenau type helmets have side plume tubes of some sort (per Paddock) and from some of the other postings I have seen here on RAT, they are finding Imperial Gallic, etc. helmets also with side plume tubes. Too many, in my opinion, to represent a particular rank - as there would not be expected to be any more soldiers as optio in rank than there would be in the rank of centurion.
Quinton Johansen
Marcus Quintius Clavus, Optio Secundae Pili Prioris Legionis III Cyrenaicae
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Quote:Too many, in my opinion, to represent a particular rank - as there would not be expected to be any more soldiers as optio in rank than there would be in the rank of centurion.
If you accept that centurions were more likely to die in battle than optios, that might not necessarily be true. Every centurion would (probably) have a nominated optio to support him, but in the event of the centurion's death/retirement, it might take time for the promotion of the optio to become official. We know that Vindolanda was certainly short a few centurions when the Tungrians were first there after all...
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Back to the original topic, since an Optio was a "Chosen man", he may very well upon being promoted kept the armor he enlisted with, which may have been segmentata, scale, or hamata
A subarmalis with pteruges is reasonable, as an Optio is a NCO,
Most Gallic/Italic helmets should fit the bill for a first century impression, which is by far the most common. A crest and feather on the helm has become sort of the norm, but I am not aware of any evidence to back this up, I understand the idea about feathers came about by the Ermine Street Guard? You could use a Coolus helm for the majority of the first century, however I don't like them much, no cut out for your ears
I believe a staff and satchel bag are commonly associated with the Optio as well? Perhaps a wax tablet? Other than that, we have no reason to assume the Optio would not have had all the other basics, tunic, pilum, gladius, caligae...
Quintus Furius Collatinus
-Matt
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Quote:A subarmalis with pteruges is reasonable, as an Optio is a NCO
A subarmalis with pteruges is reasonable, as an optio was a Roman soldier. We don't have any evidence to restrict the use of pteruges to officers. So, any officer, the optio included, could go with or without pteryges, although we see them more often depicted in combination with hamata and squamata than with segmentata, but not exclusively though.
Quote:Most Gallic/Italic helmets should fit the bill for a first century impression, which is by far the most common. A crest and feather on the helm has become sort of the norm, but I am not aware of any evidence to back this up, I understand the idea about feathers came about by the Ermine Street Guard? You could use a Coolus helm for the majority of the first century, however I don't like them much, no cut out for your ears
Yes, like many said before. Just go with a common 1st century impression and you'll almost fine for an optio impression also.
Quote:I believe a staff and satchel bag are commonly associated with the Optio as well? Perhaps a wax tablet? Other than that, we have no reason to assume the Optio would not have had all the other basics, tunic, pilum, gladius, caligae...
Don't know about the satchel bag. I would say he could use a bag as well as every other soldier. However, some suggest indeed het worn also wax tablets with some information on tghe day with him, which he could also carry under his belt (as depicted on grave stelae.)
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