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It seems that Roman soldiers in movies are always wearing different gear depending on which movie you are watching. It seems to me that Roman soldiers should be wearing the same armor regardless of which movie they are being portrayed in. I decided to go on a fact finding mission to see if I could determine what kind of armor the soldiers really used in combat situations. This article was written to let others know what my findings were and what I learned through my search.

The first thing you need to know is that the Roman army tended to change their armor to make it more efficient, so some of the differences are real. The Romans were smart warriors and knew to adapt when they came across gear that would work better for them. Better armor and weapons can easily save lives and the soldiers valued their lives as well as their nation.

Roman armor and weaponry did have some main themes with each change. Their fighting gear was always light, mobile, and great for long marches. This is because they never covered their arms or legs to any large degree. Foot wear and head gear was also light when compared to the heavy armored boots and heavily armored faces of the middle age knights. They believed that the light gear enabled them to travel swiftly and thus conquer even more people than slower armies with heavier armors.

The short fighting swords used by Roman soldiers were the main slashing weapons of these warriors. These weapons were great for parrying and thrusting and did not tire out a soldiers arms. They also carried small throwing spears so that they could begin engaging the enemy from far away.

The typical Roman soldier armor was usually chain mail armor. Although this armor was not as light as the leather armor that the original Roman soldiers wore, it was still very light in comparison to other armors of the times.

The shields that Roman soldiers wielded were quite large and protected the entire body of this soldier. They were also great for linking up with fellow soldiers and forming a nice protective shield wall to fight behind. The Roman soldier coveted his shield even more than his weapon or suit of armor.

It was fun and interesting to read about the armor and weapons of ancient Roman warriors. My research gave me more respect to the directors and actors of Roman soldier armors because now I know that they are accurately portraying these warriors. I hope this article taught you some things as well and that you enjoyed reading it. Please add it to your social book marks and link to it so that other people can enjoy it as well.