3.1 Training the Roman army

The Roman army was a well-fed and healthy group of men. Their uniform and equipment varied between types of soldier and also across time, but what they ate and what they wore is known from finds at Roman military sites as well as from literary texts.

Now watch Video 5. In this video, filmed at Caerleon, Helen King and Dr Patty Baker investigate the armour the Roman army wore and the conditions in which they lived, including what happened when they were ill or injured. As you learned in Healing the eyes [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   from Week 2, not all those who were listed as sick were suffering from battle wounds, and most of the time soldiers were in camp or building roads and military structures rather than fighting.

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Transcript: Video 5 Training the Roman army

HELEN KING

Patty, where are we now? What’s this room?

PATTY BAKER

We’re in the reconstructed room of a Roman barrack. It would have held about eight to 10 people and a barrack would have held about 100 people. A sentry would have been placed in a barrack. And so this is how we think they may have looked.

HELEN KING

Awful lot of people in a very small space, isn’t it?

PATTY BAKER

Yes, it is and we’re not sure if they slept together at the same time or if they were off on different duties, but they seem to have also cooked in here as well.

HELEN KING

Wow. So that’s why we’ve got an oven?

PATTY BAKER

Yes. And given the climate, it’s probably also good for the temperature.

HELEN KING

So what do they do to keep fit?

PATTY BAKER

As far as we can tell, they were supposed to train every day, and they were supposed to train in their armour so that way when they went into battle, it would be very easy for them. And there are stories that they actually carried heavier weapons as well so-- But, again, going into battle would have been quite light with the real weapons.

HELEN KING

So, what does that mean in terms of what they actually had on them at any point? We’ve got a full set of armour here. We can--

PATTY BAKER

OK.

HELEN KING

We can see. I mean, what’s the-- OK, that’s light.

PATTY BAKER

Yes, this would have actually gone on the head. We’ll save that for a sec-- later.

HELEN KING

OK. This is the sort of under-- ooh, gosh, that’s quite heavy.

PATTY BAKER

Yes.

HELEN KING

That’s the under thing.

PATTY BAKER

Yes, it’s padded armour and it’s-- I’ll put it on. So it’s based on representations we have from Trajan’s Column.

HELEN KING

So all this, obviously, is reconstructed armour, but it’s done to as accurate a standard as we possibly can get.

PATTY BAKER

Yes, and in some of it, we actually have bits of the armour left in the archaeological records so we can recreate that and look at the images as well. What we have here is lorica segmentata. It’s segmented armour and it goes on over the tunic so--

HELEN KING

Ooh, it’s heavy.

PATTY BAKER

Put this on. It’s very heavy. So if I go in--

HELEN KING

OK. Oh, you got your arm in. OK. That’s very impressive.

PATTY BAKER

Yes. And then we would have the belts. OK. And--

HELEN KING

So that’s the front.

PATTY BAKER

Yes.

HELEN KING

Mind the dagger.

PATTY BAKER

So, normally, this would go around the waist. It alleviates some of the weight as well on the armour.

HELEN KING

Yes, that’s the front bit.

PATTY BAKER

Yeah. The front would have an apron and the apron was thought to protect the groin area, and it’s leather straps with decoration on it. And then we would have the helmet.

HELEN KING

OK, so that’s your--

PATTY BAKER

Yes, they would put something on underneath to keep the helmet from slipping. And then-- oh gosh. [LAUGHTER]

HELEN KING

It’s so heavy.

PATTY BAKER

And the helmet underneath.

HELEN KING

Fabulous.

PATTY BAKER

And then also-- so I’d have a little dagger, which is already on the belt.

HELEN KING

Yes.

PATTY BAKER

And my gladius or long sword. And then my pilum. [LAUGHTER] Right.

HELEN KING

And you’d have to train in that every day?

PATTY BAKER

Supposedly, yes.

HELEN KING

Or possibly something even heavier.

PATTY BAKER

Yes, carrying heavier weapons and then they were also supposed to swim in it.

HELEN KING

No.

PATTY BAKER

Vegetius, one of our main sources on Roman military, says that the soldiers should know how to swim because not everywhere had a bridge. They may have to run to escape, so they may have to swim across in their armour.

HELEN KING

OK, let’s get this off.

PATTY BAKER

OK, thanks.

HELEN KING

It’s going to be weight off your mind, isn’t it? Literally.

PATTY BAKER

That’s a relief.

HELEN KING

Goodness. So in order to do all this incredibly heavy training, what did they eat? What was their diet like?

PATTY BAKER

Well, interestingly, their diet was basically, on campaign when they were actually marching and setting up camp every night, they were given a ration of grain. And we think they probably made gruel or some kind of porridge out of that. They had a ration of wine called acetum, which was a stronger wine, more like vinegar. But while they were stationed in a camp like here at Caerleon, they actually had bakeries so they would bake their own bread. So they had a ration of bread every day, and then they also hunted. So we have evidence for wild animal-- wild game such as hare and possibly wild boar is often hunted. And then there’s evidence for chicken and pigs as well. So they may have been raising their own animals.

HELEN KING

So they got lots of exercise, and they got lots of food. What happens when they get ill?

PATTY BAKER

OK, when they did get ill, there were a couple of things that we have evidence for. They did have doctors in the army called a medicus, and their doctor may have had a little office. There may have been something called a hospital or valetudinarium. But sometimes, we actually know that they were cared for by their barrack mates. There’s a letter from Egypt of a soldier writing home apologising to his parents for not writing home, but he’d been ill with food poisoning and his barrack mates took care of him. And we think he was actually just looked after in his barrack.

HELEN KING

So one of these rooms might have been your hospital ward as well?

PATTY BAKER

Perhaps.

End transcript: Video 5 Training the Roman army

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Video 5 Training the Roman army