1. и 2. Roman centurion Bibracte, 58 BC
Uniform
The centurion is the veteran of over 20 years' worth of campaigns and battles, the numerous phalerae that he wears testament to his experience and valour. Despite his fine clothing and equipment, he is happy to be at the heart of the fight, signified by the dust, dirt and scrapes that he has accrued. He is in the act of shouting orders to his legionaries, stiffening their resolve in the face of yet another charge by a band of furious Gauls. He stands resolute, a scutum from a fallen legionary gripped in one hand and his gladius outstretched in the other, pointing towards the heart of the enemy line.
Weapons, dress and equipment
The centurion is armed with a gladius (sword; 1) suspended from a baldric (2) on his left hip and a pugio (dagger; 3) suspended from his relatively plain leather cingulum (belt; 4) on his right hip. His gladius is of the newer Mainz type, with an elegantly ‘waisted' blade that was a little shorter than that of the gladius Hispaniensis style that had been in use since the Punic Wars and which was still common during the late Republic.
He carries a legionary's scutum (shield; 5) that bears a design inspired by those found on the Triumphal Arch of Orange, erected sometime during the Augustan Principate (27 bc–ad 14). For protection he wears a bronze Coolus ‘B pattern' helmet (6), likely common during the 1st century bc through to the early years of the Empire, decorated with a transverse crest of feathers; a lorica hamata (coat of mail; 7) decorated with a harness of phalerae (8), awards that demonstrate his personal honour and glory (based on examples from the funerary stele of the centurion Quintus Sertorius Festus, 1st century ad); and a pair of well-worked bronze greaves (9). The use of greaves (singular or pairs) had fallen out of use among ordinary legionaries by the time of the Gallic Wars, but they were still (and would continue to be) worn by centurions, as much a mark of their rank as for any protection they offered.
Beneath his armour he wears a leather subarmalis (padded jacket; 10) and a white linen tunic (11), his uniform completed by a sagum-style military cloak in pale blue (12) fixed with a bronze fibula (brooch) at his right shoulder and leather boots (13) based on those worn by the centurion Minucius Lorarius on his funerary stele, c.43–30 bc.
1. и 2. Gallic warrior Bibracte, 58 BC
Uniform
The Gaul is a man of some status, as evidenced by his fine arms and armour, not to mention the thick golden torc that he wears around his neck. He is charging forwards in a fury, intent on setting an example for his fellow tribesmen and hacking his way through the resolute wall of Roman legionaries in front of him. His battered shield shows evidence of the fact that this is not the first charge he has led this day. Like most Gallic warriors he would have also been armed with a spear (most likely as his primary weapon), but that has long since been lost in the maelstrom of the fight. Now he is coming at the Roman line again, driven on by his furious pride, his long bright blade ready to deliver a killing blow.
Weapons, dress and equipment
Having lost his spear earlier in the fight, the Gaul's main armament is his sword (1), a traditional weapon much feared for its high quality and slashing blows. He also carries a fairly simple dagger on his left hip (2).
He is protected by a helmet of the Agen type (3) distinguished by flowing manes of white horsehair, a lorica (coat of mail) with shoulder doubling (4) that is for all practical purposes identical to that worn by his Roman enemies (who likely copied their own loricae hamatae from earlier Celtic influences), and a shield (5) modelled on one found at the site of Alesia, marked with a traditional Celtic design (based on a representation of captured Gallic shields found on the Triumphal Arch or Orange).
His golden torc is a sign of status, worn in addition to a wheel amulet (6) – a common symbol of the god Taranis – and a boar pendant. He also wears a cloak of finely woven patterned cloth (7), a padded vest (8) under his mail shirt – both to protect his tunic (9) and make the armour more comfortable – long trousers (10) and leather shoes (11). He carries his sword scabbard (a fine piece of iron workmanship) on his right hip (12), with both the sword and dagger attached to a traditional chain belt (13).
3. Legio X halts the charge of the Atrebates
Belgic view: The goal of the Nervii and their allies had been to overwhelm a single legion, annihilate it and plunder the baggage train before Roman reinforcements could arrive. The disturbing strength of the Roman forces spreading out on the other side of the river dictated that what would have been a large raid now became a full-scale battle. The Atrebates made up the eastern flank of the attack, with the Viromandui in the centre and the Nervii on the western flank. Roman cavalry and light infantry had taken the southern bank of the river but had not dared to venture into the woods – the same woods that now disgorged hordes of Belgic warriors drawn up for battle. The Roman horsemen and slingers were chased off at once and the tribes pounded their way across the river, up the muddy banks and then on up the slope towards the Roman positions. Fit as they were, the men of the Atrebates were hard-pressed by the speed and difficulty of their advance, and it must have come as a severe shock to find solid ranks of legionaries where they expected to see panic and disorder. At less than 20m they were showered with the long iron shanks of pila that punched through their shields and the men behind them. As the Roman line began to move towards them the Atrebates would try to fall back the way they had come, but there was much ground between them and the relative safety of the woods.
Belgic view: The goal of the Nervii and their allies had been to overwhelm a single legion, annihilate it and plunder the baggage train before Roman reinforcements could arrive. The disturbing strength of the Roman forces spreading out on the other side of the river dictated that what would have been a large raid now became a full-scale battle. The Atrebates made up the eastern flank of the attack, with the Viromandui in the centre and the Nervii on the western flank. Roman cavalry and light infantry had taken the southern bank of the river but had not dared to venture into the woods – the same woods that now disgorged hordes of Belgic warriors drawn up for battle. The Roman horsemen and slingers were chased off at once and the tribes pounded their way across the river, up the muddy banks and then on up the slope towards the Roman positions. Fit as they were, the men of the Atrebates were hard-pressed by the speed and difficulty of their advance, and it must have come as a severe shock to find solid ranks of legionaries where they expected to see panic and disorder. At less than 20m they were showered with the long iron shanks of pila that punched through their shields and the men behind them. As the Roman line began to move towards them the Atrebates would try to fall back the way they had come, but there was much ground between them and the relative safety of the woods.
3. Legio X halts the charge of the Atrebates
Roman view: The combined Belgic tribes led by the Nervii had anticipated a great slaughter when they had thought Caesar's legions were interspersed with long baggage trains, making the legions vulnerable to attack one after the other. When the Roman army approached, however, six of Caesar's eight legions were marching together, the baggage following on and two remaining inexperienced legions far behind them. Despite the strength of their enemy the combined Belgic tribes attacked, surging out of the woods, scattering the Roman cavalry, storming across the river and charging up the slopes towards the shocked legionaries, who were in the act of setting up their camp. The men of Legio X were no better prepared than their comrades, but they still had their officers with them and their long years of campaigning experience also began to tell. Even without orders they began to organize themselves, and were soon bolstered by a few words of encouragement from Caesar himself before he made off to shore up the rest of his fragmented line. The tribe advancing on them, the Atrebates, were beginning to slow from the effort of running so far so fast, the last stretch uphill to boot, and it was at this point that the legionaries reared back and hurled their pila into the approaching throng, an act that would be followed up with a charge, scuta raised and gladii drawn. The shock of being showered with many hundreds of deadly spears followed by a fast-approaching wall of swords and shields broke the impetus of the attack and the spirit of the Atrebates.
4. The Gallic testudo at Alesia
Vercassivellaunus, kinsman to Vercingetorix, has been given the task of ripping a hole through Caesar's defences once and for all. The previous two assaults had come to nothing but a bloody mess, so this time a careful reconnaissance was conducted by scouts led by local farmers who probed the Roman lines, searching for that one spot that was most susceptible to a concentrated strike. On the north-western stretch of the circumvallation one camp had been established on the lower slopes of the high ground that anchored that sector, a decision that would give Vercassivellaunus his chance. Having assembled the best warriors from among the besieging Gallic army's tribes, the force (numbering many thousands) marched around the northern flank of the Roman position on the hill, appearing on the high ground in front of the camp. As the Gauls broke from cover and began their advance they showered the Romans manning the watchtowers with arrows and javelins, the high ground giving them an advantage in range. Proving that the Romans were not the only ones who could learn from their enemies, the columns of Gauls assembled into dense testudo formations, interlocking their shields in front, at the sides and over their heads, creating a mass of men virtually invulnerable to the Roman archers and slingers (if not the artillerists) positioned on the earthen ramparts. Using this new tactical formation, the Gauls slowly covered the ground to the wall, neutralizing all the Roman defences as they went. By the time afternoon reached its height the vanguards of the Gallic columns had ground their way into the very teeth of the Roman rampart – a potentially fatal dagger-thrust through Caesar's line that had to be stopped at all costs.
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