Legionary
Videos
Page
The Roman legionary was a citizen soldier of the Roman army. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republic and Principate eras, alongside auxiliary and cavalry detachments. At its height, Roman legionaries were viewed as the foremost fighting force in the Roman world, with commentators such as Vegetius praising their fighting effectiveness centuries after the classical Roman legionary disappeared.
A recreation of Roman legionaries wearing the lorica segmentata, 1st–3rd century
Clibinarii, a type of heavy cavalry in the late Roman Empire, grew in prominence along with other forms of cavalry as the Roman legionary declined.
Relief from Trajan's Column showing a legionary with lorica segmentata manning a carroballista
The Roman scutum ranged all the way from flat and oval to curved and rectangular as shown in the image above. The metal boss in all Roman scuta gave them an offensive capability.
Roman legion
Videos
Page
The Roman legion, the largest military unit of the Roman army, was composed of Roman citizens serving as legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 infantry and 300 cavalry. After the Marian reforms in 107 BC the legions were formed of 5200 men and were restructured around 10 cohorts, the first cohort being double strength. This structure persisted throughout the Principate and Middle Empire, before further changes in the fourth century resulted in new formations of around 1000 men.
Depiction of Roman legionnaires
An historical reenactor in Roman centurion costume
Reenacters portraying Roman legionaries of Legio XV Apollinaris