Roman Military Personal Equipment - Clothing

Clothing

  • Tunic: basic garment worn under the armour by all soldiers in the Republic and early Empire. Normally made of wool. Tunics originally consisted simply of a piece of rectangular cloth sewed to an identical piece, with holes for the arms and head left unsewn. Later, it became fashionable for tunics to be produced with sleeves, and worn with braccae.
  • Focale: scarf worn by Roman legionaries to protect the neck from chafing caused by constant contact with the soldier's armor (typically lorica hamata or lorica segmentata) and helmet.
  • Balteus (sword belt): sword belt.
  • Braccae: woolen trousers.
  • Subligaria: underpants. Their existence was confirmed by one of the Vindolanda tablets.
  • Cloak: two types of cloaks were used, the sagum and the paenula. Both were made from wool, which insulated and also contained natural oil to repel water. It was fastened by fibulae. The paenula was hooded in colder climates.
  • Caliga: military boots worn by Roman legionaries and auxiliaries throughout the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. The boots were made from leather and laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. Iron hobnails were hammered into the sole for added strength. Similar to the modern cleat.
  • Pteruges: skirt of leather or fabric strips that is worn around the waist to protect the upper legs. Pteruges could be fitted with small metal studs and plates to provide additional protection.

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