Roman Costume - Toga Legionnaire Or Centurion

When we think of a roman costume most of us would imagine a roman soldier, perhaps a roman centurion but of course the Roman period was a civilization so there are many other types of roman costume available. There are roman senators in their togas and of course the roman emperors such as Caesar.

There were of course, lots of tradesmen, slaves and the less well off, so there are a lot of different types of roman costume apart from simply roman soldiers. We must not forget the women of Rome. There were ladies in their finery, poor women and slave girls so there are a variety of costumes available.

Here we will consider the Roman Soldier Costume as this is the most popular type of roman costume.

Just like modern soldiers a roman legionary would not have worn his armour and fighting kit all the time but this is how we see them so that is what a roman soldier costume would normally include.

We start with a helmet for the head and this would usually include some sort of plume of feathers in the center of the helmet. The cheeks are protected by metal sides but the face is clearly visible. The roman legionnaires helmet was more of a metal protective hat than a full face helmet as later worn by knights in armour.

Body armour varied depending on the rank of the soldier and how much money they had but an ordinary roman soldier would have had largely leather body armour but a centurion or a general would have metal crafted into beautiful decorated fitted breastplate.

Roman Soldiers wore a cloth tunic underneath their armour and this was basically a large shirt that went down, nearly, to the knees. This would have been the soldiers daily wear when carrying out their various duties and when battle called they would put their armour on over the top of the tunic.

The usual footwear for a roman soldier was sandals but in colder climates boots may have been worn. The sandals was attached by long leather thongs which were tied over the foot and around the ankles.

In addition to the basic body armour there were also some other features to protect the roman legionnaire. An apron made of strips of thick leather or leather with a metal face would give some protection to the sensitive parts of the soldier while amulets or arm protectors would give some protection to the forearm.

The lower leg would be protected by leg guards once again, usually made of leather but probably metal for the roman centurion costume. The final and very important part of a roman costume would be the sword. Famously shorter than many of their opponents the short stabbing sword is great for persuading other guests to get out of your way at the bar.

The roman soldier costume is great for making an impression on anyone so if you plan to go to a costume party a roman centurion outfit would be a great way to impress the event hosts and other guests and if they are not impressed just show them your sword.