Wear a Roman Tunic at your Imperial Feast

The Roman tunic worn by roman soldier was colored red so their enemies could not see them bleed.

This idea was taken from the Spartans, who were not only hardy but knew that the sight of their blood would give their enemies confidence. It was continued by the British Army who adopted red as the color of their military uniforms, hence the name ‘redcoats’, and the concept was also used by the British navy who painted their orlop red. The orlop was the bottom deck in a sailing ship, frequently used as the surgery during battle, and the red floor hid the blood that covered it.
In fact the tunic could be of any color, and it was only red for soldiers. Mostly tunics would be unbleached and undyed, unless requested in any specific color. Roman tunics were the basic garments over which the garment indicating the status of the wearer was worn. Roman citizens were entitled to wear the toga, but even that had distinctions of class. The so-called equestrian class wore a toga with two thin purple lines running down it, while senators wore two thick purple lines.

The Emperor’s toga would be purple, and he would also wear a laurel wreath on his head. Slaves and freemen would wear only the tunic, and there was little to tell the difference between them. The women’s tunics were fashioned fuller than those of their male counterparts, and were generally worn full length. A Roman soldier’s tunic, as stated, would be red over which he would wear his armor which would be in the form of the lorica which protected his chest and abdomen, and also protection for the legs and arms. The final accoutrement was the Roman helmet that was frequently worn with a horsehair crest or a feathered plume. The feathers would likely be goose feathers in honor of the goddess Juno. (Slightly off topic, Juno, is one of my favorite movies. More to come!)





This just scratches the surface of history about the world of Roman and Greek Helmets. For more information about Roman and Greek war accessories, interesting history articles and museum replica collectibles, visit The Historical Weapons Store

Greek Armor and Greek War

The solid bronze, Corinthian style helmet that the average hoplite wore weighed approximately five pounds and covered the head and parts of the face and neck. Because it was not insulated, many men grew beards or long hair, as the Spartans did, in order to provide shock absorbent padding. The solid metal headpieces also provided no ventilation, often times leading to dehydration. The difficulty of wearing the hoplite helmet also gives evidence to the man to dependence found among the phalanx ranks. The burdensome covering allowed for little range of vision and muffled much of the sounds around a man, including any orders from a commander. The isolation in wearing the helmet led to a battle experience largely based on the perception of pressure each man felt from those around him. The hoplite found body protection in his breastplate, a solid bronze, bell-shaped corset weighing thirty to forty pounds.

As with the helmet, ventilation was nonexistent, leading to immediate discomfort and a drenching of sweat. Greaves, thin bronze sheets, were employed to protect the lower legs. The weapon of choice in the head on battles of antiquity was a six to eight foot long spear. The wooden shaft was made of ash or cornel wood, the head of iron, and the butt pike of bronze. Upon the collision with the enemy, the spear would often times break, thus the necessity of having a butt end available. However, this arrangement also endangered those hoplites in the rear ranks, for misdirection or accidental backward thrusts of the spear often led to the injury or death of one's fellow soldier. In the case that the spear was lost or too damaged to use, a short sword was used during hand to hand combat.

This note just scratches the surface of history about the world of Greek Warfare. For more information about Roman and Greek war accessories, interesting history articles and museum replica collectibles, visit The Historical Weapons Store or www. HistoricReplicas.com

More Battle Helmet Styles: The Roman Gladiator Helmet

Other Historical Styles of Battle Helmets found in Rome and Greece.

Other types of helmets are the Roman Centurion Officer's helmet constructed of 16 gauge polished carbon steel, usually seen with some sort of with neck protector. This helmet is considered the typical mid-first century legionary helmet and it seems to have continued in use on into the early second century AD. Another style is the Roman Trooper’s Helmet. This rugged piece would have been suitable for foot or mounted combat, and this two-tiered helmet was prized by both knights and men-at-arms.


Finally, is the Gladiator Helmet which was designed to immediately intimidate one's opponent. Made of heavy metal, the visor was at times difficult to maneuver could prove to be dangerous to the agile gladiator. To resolve the visors shortcomings the Gladiator helmet features a hard wire cage offering 100% protection from falling dirt or rocks and allows unrestricted peripheral vision. The heavy steel helmet with nose braces and full visors, is the basic helmet that we think of when the word "gladiator" is used.



This is just a basic introduction into the world of Gladiator weaponry. For more information on Roman and Greek war accessories, Battle Helmets and Roman costumes, visit The Historical Weapons Store

The Favorite: Greco Crested Roman Helmet

My particular favorite battle helmet is the Greco Crested Roman Helmet.

The Crested Greco Roman Helmet originally appeared in a more primitive form in Greece around 350 BC, but was most used during Roman Empire. Crested Greco Roman Helmet, or the Centurion Helmet, is a must for any reenactor or collector of fine militaria. Legionnaires, Centurions and Legates found use of this helmet up to 400 AD and varied from plain to decorative.


Although it does not represent any specific helmet, the style appears in many art artifacts through history. Made to be worn afield, the helmet features non-rust construction, adjustable padded liner, padded cheek guards and leather chin strap. The removable horsehair crest enables the helmet to be used for both foot-soldier and officer personae. This helmet is based on an Imperial Gallic legionary helmet of the 1st century AD, with a crest based on artistic representations of similar helmets.



This just scratches the surface of history about the world of Roman and Greek Helmets. For more information about Roman and Greek war accessories, interesting history articles and museum replica collectibles, visit The Historical Weapons Store

Roman and Greek Helmets

There are many different types of roman helmets on the market today. Roman helmet designs vary depending on their use and the great thing with costume helmets is that you can mix and match virtually to your heart’s content. A roman helmet celebrates roman culture and a roman army helmet can have a lot of value as a historical device.


Whichever kind of roman helmet that you yourself are interested in, it is very important to discern which category in which it falls. Doing so will allow you to realize where to look in order to find the roman helmet you want.

This is just a basic introduction to the world of Roman and Greek Helmets. For more information about Roman and Greek war accessories, visit The Historical Weapons Store

The Origins of Roman and Greek Helmets

The Origins of Roman Helmets

An ancient roman helmet could be from any part of the roman society, but the point is that it would still be a historical roman helmet and fit into this broader category. The classic Roman helmet, is what we think of as typical, is adorned with a red plume from side to side. This Roman helmet is based on ancient helmets found in Italy.

Years ago, a historian discovered a 3rd-century Roman helmet, showing attachment holes for peak and cross-bracing. Although the entire discovery has thrilled experts, it is the silver Roman helmet that could cause the greatest impact on the way we see early British history. Styled after helmets worn by the Gauls, variations of Roman Helmets were worn by the legions all over the Empire. The Italic "D" Roman helmet may have been used by the famed Praetorian guard (the Emperor's posse) as a sign of distinction and honor. This is probably the flashiest of the Roman helmet styles in history. Originally, roman helmets were influenced by the neighboring Etruscans, people who utilized the "Nasua" type helmets.

Lastly, the Gauls were the peoples who most impacted the design of the Roman helmet hence the popular "Imperial Gallic" type helmets. It is the earliest Roman helmet discovered in which the post-Dacian Wars crossbars were probably part of the original construction, as evidenced by the brass lunate decorations applied between the crossbars.

These paragraphs just scratch the surface of history about the world of Roman and Greek Helmets. For more information about Roman and Greek war accessories, interesting history articles and museum replica collectibles, visit The Historical Weapons Store