How does that weight break out for a Roman? Gladius Hispaniensis (sword) - 1-1.25kg Pila (javelins, 2x) - c. 2.2kg total Scutum (shield) - c. 10kg Lorica Hamata (mail) - 5-10kg (av. probs c. 7-8kg) Helmet (Montefortino) - c. 1.6kg. Including the weight of textile armor liners. 9/ - ThreadSky

bretdevereaux.bsky.social • 207 days ago

How does that weight break out for a Roman?
Gladius Hispaniensis (sword) - 1-1.25kg
Pila (javelins, 2x) - c. 2.2kg total
Scutum (shield) - c. 10kg
Lorica Hamata (mail) - 5-10kg (av. probs c. 7-8kg)
Helmet (Montefortino) - c. 1.6kg.
Including the weight of textile armor liners. 9/

Comments

ametria.org•207 days ago

10kg for the shield is incredible, considering it was held with one arm. Not doubting your numbers here, just imagening the load.

ranamar.bsky.social•207 days ago

IIRC from one of the times he's discussed this in the past, this figure has been revised downwards several times as experimental archaeologists get better at their work, and that's still where it's at after those revisions!

momerathe.bsky.social•207 days ago

oof, I would not like to hold out a 10kg shield for the duration of a battle (how long would that be anyway?). Rest of it looks pretty reasonable, particularly as the mail is distributed on the body, not held in the hand.

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

So the combat load for a Roman soldier is actually a bit lighter than a modern typical combat load.

Other ancient heavy infantry end up similar. My estimates put Macedonian phalangites (Alexander's pike troops) around the same as the Romans, c. 20-21kg. 10/

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

(Though the Macedonian kit is cheaper - more wood and textile in place of expensive metal). Elite heavy 'peltast' units in the Hellenistic were a bit lighter, maybe 15-18kg.

Older classical hoplites, I think the more reasonable estimates around c. 20-25kg, 30kg at max. 11/

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

We also see some 'medium' infantry (unarmored melee 'contact' infantry) in ancient armies splitting the difference, often from poorer societies in places like Spain and Gaul.
Celtiberian warriors - c. 11.4kg
Iberian warriors - c. 13.25kg
Gallic warriors - c. 14-15kg. 12/

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

Also probably in this category were Greek thureophoroi, probably at 12kg or so, once javelins are accounted for (we don't know a lot about their javelins except that they had them).

These 'mediums' are often expected to be able to 'switch-hit' as both heavies and lights. 13/

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

So you have true heavy infantry combat loads clustered around 20-25kg, 'mediums' around 12-15kg, and lights at probably 5-10kg (the velites are some of the heaviest 'lights' out there, no surprise as the Romans generally go 'heavy' on most things).

So not super heavy at all! 14/

bretdevereaux.bsky.social•207 days ago

What about marching loads? Average US Army marching loads (https://cnas.org/publications/reports/the-soldiers-heavy-load-1) tend to be around 100lbs or so, c. 45.35kg.

We really only have the evidence to calculate ancient marching loads for the Romans. 15/

riderius.bsky.social•206 days ago

Damn, that's a *heavy* shield 8-)

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