Ancient Roman military clothing

The legions of the Roman Republic and Empire had a fairly standardised dress and armour, particularly from approximately the early to mid 1st century onward, when Lorica Segmentata (segmented armour) was introduced.

[1] However the lack of unified production for the Roman army meant that there were still considerable differences in detail.

Even the armour produced in state factories varied according to the province of origin.

Fragments of surviving clothing and wall paintings indicate that the basic tunic of the Roman soldier was of red or undyed (off-white) wool.

The centurions, who made up the officer ranks, had decorations on their chest plates corresponding to modern medals, and the long cudgels that they carried.