The Contributions of Reenactors

In this photo and the images on the next few pages, Steve Oster models a very accurate reproduction of a Praetorian officer's uniform and armour. The helmet, cuirass, and greaves were made by Lonely Mountain Forge, a custom armourer in Tallahassee, Florida from brass. Though originally of bronze and somewhat harder and able to withstand heavy blows delivered in the heat of battle, the reconstruction is of brass which is much easier to work.

The helmet, cuirass, and other pieces of armour are patterned after relief carvings found on Trajan's Column in Rome. Depicting many of this early Second Century emperor's campaigns and victories, this monument is an important source of information about armour, tactics, and weapons of the period. The gladius is a reproduction weapon patterned after an intact sword found buried in the ruins of Pompeii.

One thing students of Roman history find out sooner or later is that they can't completely trust the art and monuments the Romans left us when it comes to absolute accuracy of detail concerning their garb and equipment during any particular period.

They often portrayed their heroes and military figures wearing traditional style armour from a much earlier period. It has also been discovered that the cheekpieces on the helmets depicted on Trajan's column are not quite accurate, but are shown much more open and farther apart in the area of the soldier's chin. Actual helmets discovered at archaeological sites have the cheekpieces closer together, affording the soldier much better protection. Some scholars believe that the reliefs on Trajan's Column were carved in this way to better show the grim, purposeful expression on the soldier's faces. The Romans always did place a high value on the quality of gravitas in a man.

In this and the next page, Steve wears a helmet whose design is based on the findings of research and archaeology rather than the artistic license displayed on Trajan's Column. Though the stern expression on his face tells us that his character posesses a generous measure of that gravitas so necessary in any stout legionary, we are not treated to the full spectacle because of the accurate reconstruction of the cheekpieces on his helmet!

Return to Roman Army Table of Contents - Up one level.