11-26-2015, 08:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-26-2015, 09:14 PM by Nathan Ross.)
I'd have to agree with Adrian about the effectiveness of the later Roman army.
There never really was a Roman 'uniform' as such. Trajan's Column might present a very unified appearance for the legionaries and auxiliaries, but other monuments of the same period (Adamklissi, for example) suggest a much more diverse look. Tunics and other clothing may have been similar for most soldiers (especially in the third century), and legionaries certainly took pride in their belts, decorations and weapons (the belt was the identifying mark of the soldier), but as far as we know the type of armour they used had no wider significance.
Roman soldiers fought each other frequently and enthusiastically - in the civil wars of the 40s BC, again in AD69, again in AD89, again in AD193-6 and throughout the third century. There are suggestions that individual soldiers may have identified first with their legion, then with their province or home base and only then with the overarching idea of Rome; they may have had little idea of belonging to a corporate entity called 'The Roman Army'.
Segmentata went out of use very gradually - there are finds from Spain dating to the late third or perhaps early fourth century. Eagles and triumphal arches were still around in the early fourth century too, after the 'third century crisis'.
Armour, like all military kit, adapts and evolves to suit the exact requirement of the day. If the legions stopped using segmentata, it was because it no longer fitted their purpose, not because they themselves had lost something.
There never really was a Roman 'uniform' as such. Trajan's Column might present a very unified appearance for the legionaries and auxiliaries, but other monuments of the same period (Adamklissi, for example) suggest a much more diverse look. Tunics and other clothing may have been similar for most soldiers (especially in the third century), and legionaries certainly took pride in their belts, decorations and weapons (the belt was the identifying mark of the soldier), but as far as we know the type of armour they used had no wider significance.
Roman soldiers fought each other frequently and enthusiastically - in the civil wars of the 40s BC, again in AD69, again in AD89, again in AD193-6 and throughout the third century. There are suggestions that individual soldiers may have identified first with their legion, then with their province or home base and only then with the overarching idea of Rome; they may have had little idea of belonging to a corporate entity called 'The Roman Army'.
Segmentata went out of use very gradually - there are finds from Spain dating to the late third or perhaps early fourth century. Eagles and triumphal arches were still around in the early fourth century too, after the 'third century crisis'.
Armour, like all military kit, adapts and evolves to suit the exact requirement of the day. If the legions stopped using segmentata, it was because it no longer fitted their purpose, not because they themselves had lost something.
Nathan Ross
