Briton Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Why do i see pictures of legionarries with either Red blue or green tunics? Is it a cock up on the part of the publisher or producer? is it regimental or General based ornimentation ie like the royal navy with admirals of the blue for example, Info plz Thanks Pax Romana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 There is no complete consensus opinion on tunica colors, though most historians tend to agree that the typical 'uniform' consisted of a dark red tunic. Some think there may have been a second off-white one issued as well. I'm not sure what the green and blue tunics are that you're referring to. Where did you see this published? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerfectimusPrime Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Under the republic many of the legions uniforms were not single colored. Imperial legions had dark red, but late empire had many times white, with little bit blue on it, if memory serves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Indeed, my reeference was only regarding imperial legions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominus Posted May 13, 2005 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 That's a controversial topic. To date, no one's been able to provide any conclusive evidence of any "uniform" colors for Roman units across the board for any time period. The current thinking is that most Legionary tunics were standard off-white/beige natural wool fiber. Dyeing processes back then were very expensive, and probably cost prohibitive. Hollywood always goes with red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decimus Brutus Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 I remember in a book it said most soldiers wore a red tunic because it was the color of the gods, and rome was very superstitous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 The red color (as opposed to the normal citizen's off-whitish) was symbolic of changing from citizen to soldier...the state of mind that had to change and you became something else when you put the tunic on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 The red color (as opposed to the normal citizen's off-whitish) was symbolic of changing from citizen to soldier...the state of mind that had to change and you became something else when you put the tunic on. Hi there. Where did you get that information from? I'd be interested to read it. Cheers, Jim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 unfortunately I forget the name of the book at the moment (and I got it from the school library grr) I think it was called something like "The Roman Army" (simple huh?) it was a big, flat book with lots of pretty pictures lol but the information seemed valid. And from what I know of Roman culture, it seems perfectly plausible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 From what I know, the legionnaries wore red tunics during battle to disguise blood stains and white tunics during parade duties. Not sure where they got blue and green from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacertus Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Peter Connolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 From what I know, the legionnaries wore red tunics during battle to disguise blood stains and white tunics during parade duties. Not sure where they got blue and green from. this makes sense, but logically I would think that with the cost of red dye, it would be the other way around. Plain old whitish shirts were cheaper, and disposable. And lets face it: a shirt is not really gonna last very long in battle. The red would be more "show off the might of Rome"ish and would be more likely to be used in parades, by my thinking at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 the cost of red dye Not necessarily. States through history have always found a way to make their army look more impressive. Madder red dye has always been one of the most cost effective, hence the British Redcoats. the legionnaries wore red tunics during battle to disguise blood stains and white tunics during parade duties. Another 'maybe', and there is no contemporary evidence of this to my knowledge. The show of blood on a white tunic could actually put off an opponent, because the bloodied guy had survived a bloodbath. Think about it. There is a good reason to believe white was worn at parades, but that is not defintitive of combat colours. Cheers, Jim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 OK guys, I am not as much as an expert as you, but I was told by an archaeologist that a Roman tunic could be any colour as long as it was earthy tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Hence, my original reply that there is no consensus opinion on this issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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