A Clearer Picture of the Imperial Roman Legionnaire

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Hello enthusiasts of archaeology and military history.

Today's newsletter is all about the Roman body armour from Kalkriese. A brandnew reconstruction has been presented on the facebook pages of the Varus Battle Museum today.

Good enough a reason for me to write on the subject, in particular because once again I was given the opportunity to contribute as an illustrator.

I hope you will find the information below useful and the images enjoyable.

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Battleground Confirmed

In 2018 a Roman body armour, a so-called lorica segmentata, was discovered right at the door step of the Varus Battle Museum in Kalkriese (watch a video documentation here).

The place has recently been confirmed as the actual site of the Teutoburg Battle in 9 AD. Analysis of the characteristic composition of chemical trace elements in non-ferrous metals such as bronze or brass from various Roman contexts, carried out with a mass spectrometer, allowed to assign finds from Kalkriese to the 19th legion which had taken part in the battle (read more here). Quite amazing what science can do!

Thus, the set of armour had indeed been worn by a legionnaire who fought in the famous battle – and probably died a miserable death as a captive sacrificed in a pit.

As of now, this is the oldest and most complete find of a lorica segmentata.

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Peeling away the Layers of Time

In 2020, the find was still undergoing conservation. Layer by layer it carefully had to be freed from the block of earth that surrounded it. As ct scanning had already revealed, the harness segments had collapsed and sunken down, possibly after the corpse of the unfortunate soldier had decayed. In order to better explain to public and peers the relevance of the find, a preliminary reconstruction of the armour was suggested by the museum's conservators and archaeologists – and I had the privilege of illustrating it.

Their was massive academic and public interest, and so it is not surprising that this illustration is probably my most widespread work.

With the armour’s conservation finally completed, the museum is currently in the process of preparing a special exhibition in order to appropriately present this crucial archaeological find to the public. It will be exhibited next to a true reconstruction.

Alas, the making of the harness by conservator and armourer Maximilian Bertet yielded new and unexpected insights. It turned out that the original reconstruction was flawed. The crescent-shaped plates, which could be considered the signature parts of this type of armour, would originally have been placed on the wearer’s back, not at the front as was previously assumed.

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A Revised Interpretation

So the experts revisited the excavated pieces and reconsidered all data. They finally came up with a new version that offers optimal mobility and protection.

Because the initial illustration had been well-received, a new one was commissioned, and I had the pleasure and the privilege to make it. (This is one of the tasks that had me postpone work on the sword and buckler online course – I guess now you understand why I chose to do so!)

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In the briefing for the illustration, the museum head Stefan Burmeister asked me to give the depicted legionnaire a somewhat bolder look and posture. He said it was appropriate at the time to show the person in a somewhat introvert moment, fastening the buckles of his harness. However, this time he wanted an obvious contrast in appearance, also reflecting the researchers’ confidence in their interpretation.

I think that was a great idea, and I had fun creating this character. I spent quite some time on creating the kind of look and lighting I had in mind.

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My friend Ingo Petri who works at the museum, too, send me a good number of photos of the newly made armour as a reference to work from. As you can see, the new version provides better protection of the vulnerable armpits, and the gaps at the chest are closed now.

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The additional rear view shows where the crescent-shaped plates are currently assumed to have been located. The fact that their rounded edges are facing inwards makes perfect sense as it would facilitate them sliding over the plates beneath when the wearer raises and lowers his arms.

This is a great example for how archaeological research works. Its conclusions are almost always preliminary. Every new piece of evidence, each new find, or technology has the potential to confirm previous interpretations, or shake them. At best, a hypothesis is revised and improved – like was done here.

This case also shows the benefits of creating actual reconstructions for practical experimentation. Combat is first and foremost a physical affair, and the study of arms and armour is not complete without wearing and testing carefully made reconstructions. So I am looking forward to the reviews of re-enactors wearing examples of this type of armour in action in the future.

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So, that's it for today. Take care, and keep your blade well-honed and your armour polished.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please recommend it to your friends. They can sign up here. If you wish to read more, find hundreds of related posts on my Patreon. Also, if you feel like dropping a coin into my tip jar, you can do so here. Thank you for your time and your interest.

Yours,

Roland

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