What were the Legionaries equipped with During Caesar's Gallic Wars

What were the Legionaries equipped with During Caesar's Gallic Wars What were the Legionaries equipped with During Caesar's Gallic Wars? I have a latin culture summative and need information. If you could also put the source of Information that would be helpful. Also on the Celts. SPeciafically on the type of armour
 

Flubber

Banned
Try this link

And try Google more often too.

To quote another board I frequent: "We're not here to do your homework."
 

Flubber

Banned
And can't trust google.


Where do you think I got that link from in the first place?

You use links as you would books, examine each and discard the ones which are insufficiently researched, footnoted, etc.

You're supposed to be learning how to learn, not learning how to be spoon fed.

Rather get help from intelligent people

Rather have someone think for you instead, am I right? After all, didn't you just ask a question based on the events shown in a Mel Gibson movie?
 
Short answer: we don't know exactly.

Long answer:

Roman legionaries in the very late republican era most likely still used the same type of shield that we find depicted on the Aemilius Paulus monument and that may well be represented by the now lost, inadequately published) Fayum scutum. They certainly used something much like it, which would be a very solid, plywood construction shield about 120cm in height and 60 cm across, curved in the vertical axis, but not dished. It was held by a central, horizontal griup without auxiliary fixtures and probably already had a metal boss, though some may have retained the wooden spina of earlier designs. This is their primary weapon, held with the left arm extended downward and used agrressively. It is heavy for a shield and takes considerable training, but damn it hurts.

Their first attack weapon was a sword, very likely of what we call the Delos type, though older models and even not traditionally Roman ones may have been in use. This weapon had a very roughlöy leaf-shaped, double-edged blade tapering to a point and a wooden hilt with a large, bulbous pommel and guard. The later Mainz type - characterised by more weight forward in the blade, a stronger stabbing point and metal plates on the sheath, though those may be an artifact of survival bias - may already have been in use.

They also carried daggers, though probably not yet of the elaborately constructed "typically roman" type we find later.

Their ranged weapon was a hreavy javelin, the pikum, which at that time may have come oin many varieties. some authorities say the soldiers carried a heavy and a light one, and archeologiusts have tried to identify both versions, but it is equally possible that there were simply different pila around. THe "typical" pilum consists of a relatively short wooden shaft topped by a large, pyramid-trunk shaped protrusion into which a long iron shank tipped with a thin, square-sectioned hardened point was fitted. There were also pilum points that had sockets, so they were likely fitted on plain shafts without the protrusion. Some believe that leaden balls were attached at the bottom of the shank to increase mass. Pila are a bitch to throw accurately, but if you hit someone, you get their attention.

Helmets were most likely the fairly simple-looking but technologically quite demanding Coolus or "jockey cap" type, a copper alloy bowl with a short neckguard and cheekpieces. Other types may well have been in use alongside. At that date, I would expect to still see pilos and Boeotian helmets.

Armour varied, though at this point mail was becoming commonplace, some soldiers may have lacked it. Caesar reports that later in his career, he purchased decorated armour and weapoins for his troops, so I would expect a Caesarian legionary of the civil wars to be armoured with mail and have a fine helmet and a decorated Delos or Mainz type gladius. The "typically Roman" segmented armour may already have existed - finds keep pushing the date earlier - but was not yet in common use. The Typical roman mail shirt was hip-length and had short or no sleeves, but a round or square doubling over the shoulders that was held together in front with a distinctive bronze hook (we often find those).

Greaves and arm protection may have been more common than we think, but we don't have good evidence on those at that date.
 
Yes but this is for my latin culture summative. Now my latin teacher is so old he was there during the Punic wars but I doubt that he will accept that
 
avigno12.jpg

This statue is from the Ist century B.C second half.

This is often analysed as the representation of a gaulish leader (maybe of Transalpine Gaul, before the conquest of Comata).
If the shield and the torque are clearly of celtic origin, the mail coat would be of roman origin. It could be an indication of the widespreading of mail, at least amongst gaul auxiliaries and/or leaders.

But as the mail coat was of celtic origin, and used by legionaries only after repetated contacts with Gauls (of cisalpine or transalpine), we don't know at wich degree it was used. Probably that the equipment diverged following where the places where they stationed, and that Caesar using troops recruited amonst colons of Transalpine and Cisalpine, the mail could have been largely used.

As it was said before, though, it's mainly suppositions.
 
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