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Metal Jacket
This flexible armour was made up of metal strips held
together with metal ties. They were so heavy that soldiers
had to help each other to put them on. |
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Tunic
The tunic was worn underneath the armour. This was made
of rough wool and reached down to the middle of the thigh.
It was not until later that short trousers were worn down
below! |
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Sandals (caligae)
These sandals were designed to help the Romans march for
long distances. They were strong, well ventilated
and allowed the soldiers to march very quickly. The sandals
often had metal studs at the bottom to make them last longer. |
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A Belt (cingulum)
The decorated leather strips gave protection during a
battle. These belts jangled as the army marched to scare
the enemy. The most important soldiers wore the nicest,
most expensive belts. |
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A Sword (Gladius)
This short sword was also called a 'Gladius' and it was
a terrible stabbing weapon. The soldiers could use them
easily in the crush of a battle. |
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Equipment
Each man had a heavy pack with a tool kit, a dish and
a pan. The pack held personal items and 3 day's food rations.
They may have also carried things like a cloak and a leather
bottle for water or wine. |
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Helmet
Centurions and other Officers wore crests on the top of
their helmets so that the other men could follow them in
battle. The helmets helped to protect the head, face and
neck in a battle. |
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A Javelin
These had a sharp point to pierce shields and armour.
Groups of soldiers would throw their javelins through
the air at the same time in order to break the enemies
charge. |
Real Roman Artefacts
Birmingham Museum has lots of facinating objects that
were once used in the time of the Roman Empire. A few examples
are listed below:
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A Hercules Figurine
This is a figure of the god Hercules. He is about 12cm
tall and made from bronze. He used to hold a club in
his right hand, but this has broken off.
Hercules was very popular god in the Roman Empire especially
in Britain. Lots of figures like this were left as
gifts in temples or may have been kept in homes as
ornaments
that people
prayed to.
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A Roman Sling Bullet
Both Romans and Greeks used bullets in battle. They
fired them using a sling. This bullet is made from lead
so it is quite heavy, others were made from stones or
clay balls.
Some bullets had little messages for the enemy marked
on them. This bullet has the Roman name Musaeus
on
it but we can't quite make out the rest. |
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A Mystery Roman Object
This strange object is made of bronze. It has 12 sides.
Each side is a pentagon shape with a hole in the middle.
On every
corner except one, there is a little ball.
Objects like this have been found on Roman sites in
Britain. People don't really know what they were used
for. Maybe a candle holder? Maybe a dice? What do you
think?
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A Roman Tombstone
This is a square stone used to mark a grave. The carved
writing says: 'To the departed spirits.
Chrysopolis, his sister, set this up for her most dutiful
brother Dionysius, who lived for 21 years'.
We think that Chrysopolis and Dionysius were probably
slaves. It was fashionable to give
slaves Greek names like this. Roman
people had names like Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (for
a man) and Aurelia Antonina (for a woman). |
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