The Sword: Swords early on in the empire were usually made of bronze and were forged into the classic leaf shaped blade. In about the first century B.C., a new sword emerged in the Roman army. It had a double edged blade, with a point, and was about two feet in length. It had a short cross guard and was worn on the soldiers right side, being attached to his person with a shoulder belt.
The Spear: The spear, or pilum, has been considered the most important weapon to any Roman soldier. Since there is no exact representation of an ancient pilum, it is difficult to say exactly how it looked. It supposedly had a large iron head and was attached to the thin, wooden shaft with a socket that extended for a third of the length of the weapon. The pilum was aproximatley 6 to 7 feet in length. The weapon was primarily used to disable an enemies shield. It was hurled at the enemy at a distance. The enemy would try to block it with the shield, but because of its size, it would penetrate into the shield, making it almost unusable. Then the soldier would kill them with his sword.
The Imperial era Armor: The armor, or cuirass, was made of seven strips of steel wrapped around the soldiers trunk. The strips were divided into two pieces and were joined in the middle of the back and in front. Four more strips were attached to the front and back of the armor, and went over the shoulders. At the bottom of the armor were four more strips to protect the soldiers mid-section. The steel strips were sewn to a leather cuirass which extended above the top of the steel portion in order to protect the neck.
The Helmet: The soldiers received a helmet that was shaped like a skull cap, that had hinged cheek guards and a small visor in front. It also had a neck-guard and the cheek pieces could be tied down with a leather strip under the chin.
The Shield: There were two main shileds in the Roman army. One for the cavalry and on for the legions. The legions had a long, rectangular shield while the cavalry had an oval-shaped shield. The legions shields were about two and a half feet long and was made of two sheets of metal forged together.
Ashdown, Charles Henry: European Arms and Armor. Barnes and Noble Inc, 1995. 384 pgs
