Transcript What was life like for a Roman Soldier in the army?

What was equipment like for a Roman legionary
in the army?
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Learning objective – to be able to know
the uses of and assess the equipment of a
Roman soldier.
I can describe some
of the equipment of a
Roman soldier
Level 3/4
I can explain the
importance of the
equipment of a
Roman soldier.
Level 5
I can explain and begin
to
evaluate
the
equipment of a Roman
soldier.
Level 6
What weapons were given to a Roman
legionary?
Pilum [a javelin]
Gladius [a short sword]
A dagger
A shield
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
A pilum
The pilum was 2 metres
long and a soldier had
two each.
The point of the
pilum was very thin
and on a wooden
shaft. This would
mean the point
would go through
flesh very easily.
A soldier would throw his
pilum at the enemy
before he fought them
face-to-face.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Gladius
The Romans
preferred short
swords, called a
gladius, to fight
with.
The blade was 50cm
long and was
double-edged so it
could cut through
flesh easily.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
These swords were
best used in close
combat where
legionaries would use
them to stab at the
enemy.
Dagger
The dagger was
double-edged which
could slice through
flesh very easily.
The dagger was made
out of iron with a
wooden handle.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
A legionary wore
his dagger on the
left-hand side of
his belt.
Shield
Roman legionaries used
a large, curved shield
called a scutum.
Shields were not only
used to protect a
legionary but also as a
weapon as the boss in
the middle could be
used to punch the
enemy in the face.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Shields were made
out of wood and
leather with a
metal frame.
Shields were very
heavy and
weighed around
8kg.
How were legionaries protected?
The lorica segementata was a
leather tunic with metal strips
attached. This gave a legionary
freedom of movement and
effective body protection.
The groin was protected by a
belt with studded leather
strips.
Underneath
the armour, a
legionary
wore a chain
mail shirt.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Helmets
Helmets were made out of bronze
or iron and lined with felt.
The helmet protected the
eyes with a small peak and
the cheeks were covered with
two metal plates at the side
of the head.
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Centurions
wore
plumed
helmets as
a sign of
authority.
Task
You are the owner the Roman shop, Marcus and Spencius, the best
provider of Roman army weapons around.
You decide to hold a sale of the most important Roman Army
equipment and you need to write an advert designing this sale. On a
double page, design your advert, which must contain the following
points –




A picture of the most important items.
At least four items for sale.
A description of each item.
The cost of each item. The Roman equivalent of a pound is a
sestertius – plural Sestertii
The Hemel Hempstead School - History Department
Plenary
This word cloud is about the
equipment of a Roman soldier
in the shape of an army
helmet.
Pick out what you consider the
four most important words in
the
word
cloud
that
summarise your learning in
this lesson and explain why
you have chosen them.