Basic Equipment

 Cassis- helmet
 Lorica Segmentata- armor
 Gladius- sword, 18-24 in. long
 Pilium- medium-length throwing spear
 Scutum- shield
 Red Battle Cloak
 Sandals

The cassis was a bronze general issue helmet. Many say it resembles a pot.

The armor was the lorica segmentata. It consisted of many plates of armor layered
upon the one before it.

The gladius was a very effective sword. It was a smaller sword used for thrusting
instead of a long, heavy one, because a long, heavy one took too much energy to fight
with.

The pilium played a vital role in battle. It was a metal point attached to a wooden rod.
The pilium was jabbed into the shield of an enemy and would break. The enemy could
no longer use his shield, making him more vulnerable to death.

The Roman soldier's frontal protection was the scutum. It was a shield that stood 40
inches tall, and 30 wide. It was curved to give protection from the flank as well.

A long red cloak was worn during battle also. This no only kept the soldier warm, but
it put fear into the eyes of the enemy as well.

A soldier is nothing without shoes. At that time, they had sandals. They were rugged
and easy to repair.
Artillery

Many men never saw the men they killed. They were the artillery men. They killed the enemy
from hundreds of yards away. Four main artillery pieces were used:

 Scorpio
 Ballista
 Onager
 Catapult

The scorpio was similar to a crossbow of the later middle ages. It fired an arrow by
pulling a strap back as far as it would go and letting it go.

The ballista was similar to a catapult. It flung large rocks over walls of a town. It was
also fired by pulling back a strap.

The onager was a smaller version of the ballista. It flung medium-sized rocks in the
same fashion of the ballista.

The catapult is probably the most famous of the four. It had a spring which was coiled
and released and caused the rock to fly through the air and inflict injuries to the
enemy.

Note: The stone flinging artillery used many types of ammunition. Flaming balls of
pitch are one example. They were not limited to just rocks.