Sleep?

What did the Roman soldiers sleep on while marching? Did they find material while on the march, or did they bring things?:help:

I need fast response as I need it for writing my book.:embarassed:

Every Roman soldier carried a cloak which he used for sleeping and in addition each 8 man "squad" was alloted a tent which, was carried upon a mule.

It should be noted, individual legionaries would've carried the equipment they needed to be comfortable, without sacrificing combat efficiency. Thus it's possibly that in extremely hot weather with no chance of rain, the squad may decide not to pack their tent. Or if they believed food supplies would be plentiful along the march route they might decide to carry less food/water.

The point is that small unit leaders would plan accordingly and tell their legionaires what gear was to be carried and how it was to be arranged. In addition the small unit leaders probably left room for interpration, and allowed individual legionaires to make their own decisions so long as it fit with the overall plan.

The ground....

I bet they had some sort of bedroll, but really I have no idea.

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Originally Posted by mercian billman

Every Roman soldier carried a cloak which he used for sleeping and in addition each 8 man "squad" was alloted a tent which, was carried upon a mule.

It should be noted, individual legionaries would've carried the equipment they needed to be comfortable, without sacrificing combat efficiency. Thus it's possibly that in extremely hot weather with no chance of rain, the squad may decide not to pack their tent. Or if they believed food supplies would be plentiful along the march route they might decide to carry less food/water.

The point is that small unit leaders would plan accordingly and tell their legionaires what gear was to be carried and how it was to be arranged. In addition the small unit leaders probably left room for interpration, and allowed individual legionaires to make their own decisions so long as it fit with the overall plan.

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Thank you.:bow:

I thought this thread was Sheep man was I wrong

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Originally Posted by Csar

I thought this thread was Sheep man was I wrong

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Yes you were.:oops:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mercian billman

Every Roman soldier carried a cloak which he used for sleeping and in addition each 8 man "squad" was alloted a tent which, was carried upon a mule.

It should be noted, individual legionaries would've carried the equipment they needed to be comfortable, without sacrificing combat efficiency. Thus it's possibly that in extremely hot weather with no chance of rain, the squad may decide not to pack their tent. Or if they believed food supplies would be plentiful along the march route they might decide to carry less food/water.

The point is that small unit leaders would plan accordingly and tell their legionaires what gear was to be carried and how it was to be arranged. In addition the small unit leaders probably left room for interpration, and allowed individual legionaires to make their own decisions so long as it fit with the overall plan.

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Interesting, did the cavalrymen also bring their stuff by mule?

I don't know the exact practice of Roman military on the subject, but as a rule cavalry forces made a point of transporting the absolute minimum possible on their war-mounts (which, obviously, had to be kept fresh and well rested for battle if at all possible) and all they could on far cheaper and less important pack animals. Medieval Europeans actually only rode the actual war-mounts in the actual battle (this is where the expresison "getting on your high horse" comes from AFAIK) and lesser steeds otherwise, but the Romans probably didn't get quite that elaborate.