The Legion Of The 5th Century!

[Guest Scanderbeg]

In an attempt to take our minds away from this recent madness that has overtaken this once humble site.

 

I was wondering. What kind of armor exactly did the late late Roman legionary wear? Im interested because I was watching a special on Atilla on the History Channel and saw a rather amusing, but ultimately bad, film on him. Both showed the legions in a fairly similar manner and they looked only a bit different from the pictures I saw. The legion looked more like a mix between the Lorica legion and that of the early republican hastiti, light armor. The breat plate seemed to be made of leather. I thought by then the legions, which were largely barbarian, were wearing light chain mail? Can anyone help me out here?

[Guest Cervoles]

The legion in the 5th Century AD had pretty well disappeared as most perceive it. Michael Grant in his book "Army of the Caesars" claims that Legio V Macedonica existed in the 6th Century however. For the sake of example, it's last reported posting was on the Danube near Dacia in the late 3rd-early 4th Century. It was likely limitanei (frontier force) which would imply a mix of Germans, Samartians and local conscripts as defined by Constantine's reorganization. This would mean a wide mix in equipment. Military losses at Hadrianopolis in 378 and the civil war between Theodosius and Magnus Maximus resulted in the gradual replacement of the legionnary component by foederati (usually Goths or Alans) provided by the Empire's barbarian allies. They were usually equipped with a spear, shield, helmet, with sword and light mail in some cases.

 

Vegetius mentions that the soldiers were vulnerable to arrows since they had been given permission by Emperor Gratian not to wear armour. I'm not sure if that included the foederati.

[Guest Scanderbeg]

I guess it wasnt too far off then. I assumed that the barbarians wore whatever they were were wearing whe they got hired. I didnt think Rome really had the money nor the care to properly protect them. What struck me in awe was when they mentioned Attila's strategy. Initially he would have his archers shoot arrows in the air then the soldiers would bring their shields to prtect themselves from them. Then Attila would should have them shoot horizontally. But had they been using a tetsudo formation sould have protected them from both vertical and horizontal missles. Man was the legion lost.