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Fizzil View Drop Down
Pretorian
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Posts: 197 		  Quote Fizzil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Roman related questions.
    Posted: 07-May-2005 at 13:28

Besides the lorica segmentata and lorica hamata what did the romans use for body armour?

Also whats the difference between a manipular legion and a cohort one? as far as i can tell, they functioned almost the same, the hastatus and principes where not so different compared to marian legionnaires.

My last question is, where there triarii who fought with pila? i always thought they used the phalanx style but carried scutums instead of hoplons, but from a recent discussion with a friend he told me they also fought like the principes and hastatii (ie using pila not spears).
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TheodoreFelix View Drop Down
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Posts: 694 		  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2005 at 14:07
There were many different armors the legions used. During the Polybian legions, you had the hastiti( the legionaries who made up the front ranks) who had no metal armor outside of what looked like a chest plate.

a cohort is simply a bigger group made up OF maniples. 600 soldiers was the common cohort divided between 6 centuries. While a maniple was just about 120-160. For instance you had maniples of hastiti making the front-ranks, maniples of principes making up the second and maniples of trarii making up the third.

I have not heard much of trarii fighting in phalanx formation. They did not carry pila but long spears reminicent to the hoplite warfare and a scutum
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Lannes View Drop Down
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Posts: 439 		  Quote Lannes Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2005 at 14:13

Originally posted by Fizzil

Besides the lorica segmentata and lorica hamata what did the romans use for body armour?

There were a a great many.  Loricae Squamatae(scale), the square back and chest plates (earlier on), etc.

My last question is, where there triarii who fought with pila? i always thought they used the phalanx style but carried scutums instead of hoplons, but from a recent discussion with a friend he told me they also fought like the principes and hastatii (ie using pila not spears).

The Triarii fought with the long thrusting hasta.  They acted as shock troops to allow the other two (more numerous) lines to regroup behind them.
τρέφεται δέ, ὤ Σώκρατης, ψυχὴ τίνι;
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TheodoreFelix View Drop Down
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Posts: 694 		  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2005 at 21:40
I cant help thinking how brutal those must have been. Imagine walking in a african desert, the sun glaring ad you are walking for hours around and on you is a 20 pound, sun sucking chain mail.
Ouch!

That was one of the best things about the segmentata. It was only around 7 pounds but was much more effective.


Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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