2000 Years from now your great greaat great great great great great grandson will do a RUclips video on how to train like a US Marine or Brittish SAS or Spetsnaz and he will be like, "they trained wearing heavy rucksacks" and "they shot a very small targets" and "they shot their guns like this", then he'll pull out an AR-15 or AK-74M and start shooting. LOL #History ;)
TribuneTestudo Hmmm true, BUT the weapons could be 3D printed by then. Similar to making replica gladius and armor from modern materials. See 3D printed gun documentary by Vice news on RUclips. :3
TribuneTestudo Why would Metatatatrons buy aincent shitty re-creations of lorica segmentata and gladius when he can have nice tactical AR15s and Kevlar body armors? :3
I'm not sure if the sound your armor makes when thrusting is accurate, but if that's the case a full legion thrusting and making that machine-like noise must have been pretty terrific for the enemy
Hold the sword parallel to the ground in all thrust positions. It will slide between ribs instead of sticking on them. There is a better chance of slicing the femoral artery when using low thrusts, and the carotid artery using high thrusts. They also learned to parry with the sword because shields were sometimes damaged or unavailable. Using the shield boss to punch the face of an opponent was a tactic they learned early on. Another was getting low then thrusting up into the genital/low abdomen region which caused great pain; the sight and smell of intestines everywhere was discouraging to anyone other than a hardened warrior. Their usual formation was nearly shoulder to shoulder, being protected by, and protecting, fellow soldiers, and that spacing and teamwork was an important part of their training. After a few years saving money earned from looting a soldier could afford a much better sword made of Spanish steel, a prized weapon much superior to Legion issue. [from 'Marching With Caesar' by A.W. Peak]
30km in full Roman pack and armor in 5 hours is extremely good comparing to today's military. I can do full battle order 24km in 8 hours with breaks in every 5km when I was 18 years old. Now at 33, I don't even bother trying
Modern day Royal Marines do 30 miles (48.3km) in under 7 hours with weighted webbing, rifle and daysack, are you sure you’re not confusing km with miles? Like 24km in 8 hours is really slow, are you sure it’s not miles?
That is a brisk pace without gear. Add to that Roman roads and hob nailed caligae and 60ibs of gear and that is blistering speed non stop for 5 hours . I can do two hours like that no gear 😂
People were harder in those times generally speaking and the Roman military preferred to recruit farmers because they were already used to long days of manual labor and were physically robust.
I got a riot control shield and gladius in the bedroom it does wonders against a few would be burglars and a couple of crackheads that think they can enter my house for whatever reason. My house has a lot of hallways that you can rush someone not anticipating that pretty easy to subdue them. Police has yet to say about anything about me using a sword in my house. And my house is secure.
@@Rickygrines The average Roman was around 5'5 but like all populations there are shorter and taller around that average and nobles probably trended toward taller due to better nutrition and general food security.
Amazed by how much your English has improved over the period you have been uploading. Thank you for your efforts really exceptionally good, informative and well researched.
Love the scissor-like sound the armor makes when he thrusts with the gladius... a thousand men doing that at once had to sound terrifying on its own. Very mechanical.
I am going to train and become like a Roman Soldier! I do LARPing and i'm joining a Legionnaire that requires me to fight in the same Roman outfit. Thanks for posting this up! i really needed it! Pliss notice me senpai
+Edward Nammur Put your back into it! Stab the wooden poles with your wooden sword! Work hard Legionaire! You will make Centurion someday if you work hard :)
Good vid...I have a couple of vids that address training with a rudis on pell (wood stake)...you are correct in stating the Romans trained for precision strikes...i have found that after 50 repitions of each type of thrust....close your eyes and repeat for another 50 reps...seems crazy but youll be surprised at how good you'll get with the gladius...Salve!!!!
ave, omnibus, qui spectaculum Metatron sequentem. ego, Metatron sum Hail to you all, who follow Metatron's show (I wasn't sure if he said sequentem or not so I'm just assuming). I am Metatron. bit of rusty Latin there
Great video like always, but I think you forgot to mention that the gladius was used indeed to cut, but only when you could hit an unprotected spot, also during trusting drills, Roman legionaries were taught to rotate the blade in order to conserve energy and at the same time being equally effective, the same principle was later used in Asia, by martial artists. Also when in formation, instead of attacking the opponent in front of you, a legionary would have been taught to attack the opponent on his right, protecting the men on his right, while still being protected by the shield. Love your content, and keep the good work.
Roman legionares did not have beards and were skin heads too /They did that for hygiene an not to get cought by the hair in the batlle and get their throats sliced. ROMANian here, we even have in my town the bigest roman colloseum from East Europe . Cheers !
Salve Imperator! Love all your videos, idk why these topics aren't more commonly taught. Please do an analysis of the Witcher franchise's swordplay for the witcher-specific style combat at least, it seems to be both overly stylized and yet highly effective. I would love to see your opinion on this.
Lighter pilum for the initial volley, then as the enemy gets within almost melee range you would throw the heavier pilum. The heavier bulb would be really effective at stopping power, which is good for a charging enemy. As the pilum hits it's target i.e. shield or body, the weight should be a bit to slow someone if not seriously injure. Hope that was helpful :)
Romans stabbed with the sword and didn't hack, you can tell by the design of the sword, less energy used and most officiant way of causing damage to the enemy. Plus when you study the stab and thrust technique its hard for the opponent to see the attack in time, just like the martial arts punch, the straight punch covers more distance and the opponent cant see it in time. Where as the hook or a looping punch is seen very easy and can be dodged. Add the shield into it and the shield covers the start of movement, covers your body language.
Not exactly. The Romans prefered to stab but also slashed, we know because in the ancient sources we have mentions of the enemies of Rome being dismembered. You dont cut an arm or a finger or a hand with a thrust.
Everyone is obsessed with the segmentata armor and you see it used in every depiction of Roman soldiers, but I heard somewhere else that the chainmail was more popular. When and where was lorica segmentata actually used?
+NorseHorse that is actually true, the lorica segmentata was used for a relatively short time during the height of the Empire, then they stopped. There's also a heated debate about whether segmentata was indeed used by infantry, some suggest it was actually used by heavy shock cavalry or city guardsmen (the last because of more exposure to backstabbing and darts to the torso during urban assaults). There's also to add that there's almost no historical source pointing directly at the use of segmentata by the infantry, on the Colonna Traiana (Traian Column, in Rome) there are depictions of soldiers building camps and fortresses wearing what looks indeed like a lorica segmentata, though it's important to note that on those depictions the armor is much more adherent to the body than it would actually be on a soldier, thus some researcehrs suggest that what is represented is more likely a laminated leather/linen armor, others suggest it is merely a stylistic oversight or decision. Anyway, lorica segmentata was indeed used, but lorica hamata (maille, or chainmail) was much more common (easier to make, no need for exact measurements, cheaper). sorry for the lengthy post XD
Yes, mail was the most popular metal armour in Europe for about >1600 years. However, what we now call lorica segmentata is easier to craft from modern stamped mild steel so it's more often used for TV, movies and reenactments.
Interesting as always Metatron. Always enjoy watching these videos I always manage to learn things I didn't know or had forgotten. Looking foreword to more this year.
I'm really glad you pronounce things correctly. V sound like Ws and Is at the beginning of a word sounds like a Y. Is replace Js at the beginning of the word. I took Latin in middle school and high school.
+FlyingWalrus I wouldn't call it "correct", classical pronunciation is classical, so it is closer to how they spoke, but if you pronounce Latin with ecclesiastical (so V remains V) it's also correct in a way, as you are just using another pronunciation.
0 dislikes→ that's what I want to see. Great job on this video, Raff as always you are gathering good information used for great video content→ you the best!
This video really brings to light something I've always wondered about: The noise a suit of armour would make as the wearer moved. It took me a minute to figure out the sound you were making as you thrust was the the pauldrons. I wonder if anything was ever done to mitigate this? It may seem inconsequential, but Imagine spending any significant amount of time walking around with, say, mail worn against plate. Good lord the noises would drive you crazy! I'm ex infantry, so I tend to be more fascinated by the minutiae of day to day life for a troop. Tactical considerations aside, If I ever had something that jingled around with every step I took I'd figure out a way to stop it real quick.
Richard Boylan maybe it's a bit late to answer this. I don't know of any way nor intentions to put those sounds to a stop, but it's supposed the noise made by armor was intentional and meant to frighten the enemy. You stated that sound could drive you crazy, well...imagine what effect that noice coming from thousands of men would have had on their enemies
You can not string lorika segmentata cross-to-cross, like sneakers. each pair of hooks should have its own separate cord. Otherwise, when one common lace is cut through, the entire lorica is revealed
Think all doing a three day training camp with some of your friends. We would love to see that and much could be learned about how the Romans marched and set up a over night camp.
Hey, Raff! I was sitting around during the holidays without much to do. I let my mind wondering during this time and realized I don't know much about Eastern armors. Japanese armor is the one that came to mind specifically. I know very little of it, namely how it was assembled and worn as well as its development across time in regard to changing weaponry, tactics, etc. I just can't seem to find a reliable source of information to look at! Would you perhaps consider doing a video over this some time? Regardless thanks for taking the time to read this. Happy trails!
+OhMyTwitch Samurai Armour would've been better quality than Ashigaru (conscript, mercenary, common foot soldier), and have Shin Guards, Shoulder Armour (which seemed to increase in size as time progressed), and Grimace Mask. Ashigaru would've had the Iron cone hats called Jingasa as their head gear, as opposed to the Kabuto used by Samurai. Originally, Japanese Armour was heavily influenced by Chinese Armour, but eventually adapted ones similar to the Bulletproof Pike and Shot Plate Armour of the Europeans as firearms became increasingly popular. The legendary Sengoku Daimyo, Date Masamune was said to have equipped his entire army with that kind of armour. Originally, Samurai were horse archers. However, they eventually adapted the Yari as battles started to see such things as the increased use of Ashigaru (e.g. massed walls of Yari, volley fire, etc.). The Naginata polearm was also in use, but was almost entirely supplanted by the Yari in the battlefield (though became known as the weapon of monks and women (to a point that it was part of a woman's dowry upon marriage)). They also eventually took on the role of fighting on foot. Then, in the early 1500's we see the rise of the Tanegashima Musket, which was inspired by Portuguese firearms (with notable improvements). Then you eventually see massed formations of musketeers and archers working with infantry, especially among daimyo who could afford to purchase and/or manufacture the weapon en masse. To illustrate, the 1st of the 3 Great Unifiers, Oda Nobunaga, is famous for the use of firearms in winning Nagashino, as well as his strategic campaigns against the gun wielding Ikko Ikki monks (NOTE: These weren't peace loving monks, but more akin to highly privileged, corrupt, and power-hungry mercenaries that held sway over a sizeable part of the common populace) and strategic acquisition of a number of arsenals to make more muskets. It could be argued that the number of firearms in Japan would rival the number in Europe (e.g. The 1st wave of Hideyoshi's campaign in Korea saw the deployment of 160000 battle-hardened troops, a quarter of which were gunners). It seems that muskets were used alongside bows in order to disrupt enemy formations, not that different to Roman and Pike-and-Shot tactics. One favourite tactic seems to have been to fire a volley (or two) to break an enemy formation/charge, and then follow up with a furious charge at the disorganized enemy. I'd suggest Stephen Turnbull's books on Samurai for further reading.
OhMyTwitch Hi again! If you're interested in an overview of some Samurai battle formations, you can also google it. The content and illustrations in some sites are very similar to the ones in one of Stephen Turnbull's books. I remembered briefly stating one of the favourite tactics earlier among Samurai. If I remember correctly, the formation's name translated to "Arrowhead".
I made a study of Roman march pace based on Vegetius's numbers. It turns out the Romans marched 132 steps to the minute; 66 Roman paces. That is fast but doable. A Roman march was exercise in itself. With a 5 hour march and a fortified camp to build at day's end, it seems the Roman armies lacked time for lunch. It seems likely that the men of the Roman army ate only 2 meals a day.
+Metatron Please make a video like this about Spartan training, how to train as a samurai , gladiator and knight! That would be awesome id really like to see that.
There is a strike that the legionary would perform, that comes from above, over the shield, if they're facing other legionaries. It is why they have the flat saucer like back to the helmet because those strikes come from above and injure the back and shoulders.
I would think they rotated their swords to the horizontal plane when they made a thrust.. this would increase the likelihood of cutting a major blood vessel when they sank the blade. I don't always agree with you, Megatron, just almost always. 😎 I do, however, like your work. You, sir, are a valuable resource!
I tuoi video sono carini. Ti scrivo in italiano per questione di praticità, ma quando colpisci non dovresti ruotare le anche come si fa con un diretto della boxe? Non sono un esperto di combattimenti con le armi, ma sembra che i tuoi colpi così manchino di potenza, sia i fendenti che gli affondi. Non era previsto un particolare tipo di footwork nelle tecniche di combattimento dei legionari? Possibile che fossero solo attacchi di braccia?
Wondering whether they used any games to prepare for war as well. The Irish used hurling as a preparation for war, the Vikings and several other Germanic peoples used forms of football and ice hockey as well as wrestling matches (in which were contained most martial arts moves for unarmed combat) to train for war. The Americans use their American Football for it. In a society as militarised as Rome, it seems impossible that the only games were gladiatorial games and chariot racing, which were pretty much spectator sports.
***** The Ancient Irish, the medieval Scots, the Vikings and my ancestors the Old Frisians all worked the land and-or the sea as well. If you've ever played a game like hurling, you'd know exactly what I mean with it too. It's not just about muscle and stamina built through working hard, it's about building speed and agility and the ability to deal with pain. A lot of the techniques you use in wielding the hurl also transfer to sword and axe fighting. The Scots used shinty, a game derived from hurling. The Vikings used forms of football, ice hockey and wrestling for those very reasons.They also held swimming contests, wrestling contests in the water and possible an early form of water polo. From a young age boys, but girls as well, were trained in unarmed combat first and then armed combat as well, and played these games to toughen themselves for warfare. That part is also still found in American Football, as is the team play and the following orders. With that also comes the highly militarised American society, especially present in Football. Ringen is from a much later period, and not universal. Apart from some areas, like Great Frisia, where an almost Viking style of society continued until the 15th century, commoners were not usually taught to fight at all. Even the English disallowed peasants from learning to fight. They banned swords. They made archery mandatory, but they forbade football and banned hurling in Ireland. That was all to ensure the regular armies would always rout any rebellion. And to this day most martial training starts with unarmed combat, not with weapons training. If you do not have the ability and discipline, putting a weapon into your hands is far too dangerous.
***** Bud, my cousin joined the Royal Dutch Marines and I played rugby with a number of guys in the Belgian Para's. They did not touch a weapon until half a year into their training. Even Danish conscripts don't get weapons training until the second month of their two month training. Before that it's all about physical conditioning and hand to hand combat. I got black belt in Goju Ryu Karate and trained with Viking weapons after that. I can tell you, you do learn discipline there. Playing rugby and hurling, there's another level of discipline there. The danger of seriously hurting someone if you are careless or have bad technique, is so big you really need discipline and presence of mind. And the question was of course whether the Romans had games like that. Because games like these other peoples used taught them discipline, agility, toughness and conditioned their bodies in ways that hard work alone would never do.
***** Did my black belt exam two days before I moved away a few years ago. Have not really been able to get to a dojo since. Not that it means much, because some things do depend on your sensei. Mine was okay with me doing all kata up until Seiyunchin perfectly and having mastered Sanchin. Other sensei's demand you know everything up to Shisochin. You should start on Gekisai Dan Ichi... all the fighting techniques are in the kata. The bunkai of that are pretty straight forward and it will help a lot perfecting your movements.
Cool video. It would be good if you could share everything that the Roman legionaries had to carry during their march including all their personal gear & mess kits. 30KM in 5 hours is a very capable accomplishment. I doubt modern infantry can match this type of feat.
Ever since getting into History, I've always wondered how people lived and this was a great description of how soldiers at the time trained. While the Romans were cool, I think the Gauls and Germanic tribes were more interesting (Because Teutoburg Forest), since I am descended from them . Would you consider making videos about them?
Fascinating video, especially you doing thrusts and slashes in full armour! But after watching it I still can hardly understand why Roman soldiers did have absolutely no kind of arm or at least wrist protection (I know this was discussed in another of your vids and the comments there)! Your wrist is exposed every time you do a thrust, the enemy literally could wait for that moment of exposion and quite easyly hurt you. At least some kind of hardened leather around the wrist would not add significant weight and be not expensive. It seems weired to protect the torso twice and well bei lorica and scutum and leave the most exposed parts unprotected...
My question: on which side would a legionarie carry their gladius? How would he draw it in tight formations? Also, could I request a video explaining the Roman Pretorian.
I have a quick question. When you are thrusting you use your arms a lot instead of using your body behind it. Is there a reason for this? Is that proper form or was it just a small mistake?
Armatura similar to English word amateur. I know that’s just a coincidence though as we got it from French (same spelling) which came from Latin ‘amare’ or love.
I have a (probably) simple question. I understand 100% why they would need individual training with weapons, but what do we know about group training? As I understand the power of the Roman army was its ability to move as one, adjusting as necessary as a group. As an ex-football player, we had plenty of individual training, strength training, special groups training, but the most important part when it came to actually functioning as a team was when we brought it all together and practiced working together. Are there any texts, or diagrams left from a contemporary period that show how group training worked out?
Aardvark Yeah there was lots of evidence for things like that, in fact I could be wrong on the second part of this but Romans lived in tent parties of eight men who they trained with for most of their army career. I recently wrote an essay on why the army was so successful so you can trust me.
Isn't your Lorica Segmentata a bit too short ? There is a visible gap between the pectoral plates and the highest abdominal plate (pretty inconvenient in real combat since the heart is just behind that gap)
One thing I have noticed about the scutum is that they tend to vary in the relation between width and curve. Some pictures, like the one at 6:47, shows that some scutums does not curve as much around the body as the others, giving more width in front of the scutum. Is there any particular reason why some curve less than others?
I would like to criticize the camera positioning in 2 regards: 1) it is tilted up too much, your head is near the center and upper half of the scene is blank. 2) the positioning/direction of the camera wrt to the sun/light-source makes for a very dark silhouette of yours surrounded by very bright flora. Hope this helps,
Hello Metatron, When legions went on Summer campaign (as in the case of Varus in Germania 9 AD) and left their castra who staid behind? I don't believe they just locked the gate and left. Was there some kind of guard or administrative staff that remained there?
Hearing the sounds the armor makes alone makes me think that ancient battlefields would have been almost deafening in pitched battles. Hundreds to thousands of clanking sets of armor, swords on shields, everyone doing battle cries, people screaming and dying. Crazy to think about.
Loïc Rebts Oh, I know rifles, grenades, RPGs, tanks, etc, are insanely loud. Some things would be different in each experience, neither of which I'd want to encounter.
2000 Years from now your great greaat great great great great great grandson will do a RUclips video on how to train like a US Marine or Brittish SAS or Spetsnaz and he will be like, "they trained wearing heavy rucksacks" and "they shot a very small targets" and "they shot their guns like this", then he'll pull out an AR-15 or AK-74M and start shooting. LOL #History ;)
As if he would shoot ancient weapons with ancient calibres that would be worth hundred thousand of (future currency) by then.
TribuneTestudo Hmmm true, BUT the weapons could be 3D printed by then. Similar to making replica gladius and armor from modern materials. See 3D printed gun documentary by Vice news on RUclips. :3
Strange Person! xP Why would you print ancient shit weapons if you can have nice plasma weapons?
TribuneTestudo Why would Metatatatrons buy aincent shitty re-creations of lorica segmentata and gladius when he can have nice tactical AR15s and Kevlar body armors? :3
Strange Person! xP Because a gladius won't be effective in modern warfare.
I'm not sure if the sound your armor makes when thrusting is accurate, but if that's the case a full legion thrusting and making that machine-like noise must have been pretty terrific for the enemy
lorenzo galotti ...
*terrifying? *horrific?
Luis Cabrera both
It would not be heard over the screams of the injured and dying.
@@ammoalamo6485 or war cries
Hold the sword parallel to the ground in all thrust positions. It will slide between ribs instead of sticking on them. There is a better chance of slicing the femoral artery when using low thrusts, and the carotid artery using high thrusts. They also learned to parry with the sword because shields were sometimes damaged or unavailable. Using the shield boss to punch the face of an opponent was a tactic they learned early on. Another was getting low then thrusting up into the genital/low abdomen region which caused great pain; the sight and smell of intestines everywhere was discouraging to anyone other than a hardened warrior. Their usual formation was nearly shoulder to shoulder, being protected by, and protecting, fellow soldiers, and that spacing and teamwork was an important part of their training. After a few years saving money earned from looting a soldier could afford a much better sword made of Spanish steel, a prized weapon much superior to Legion issue. [from 'Marching With Caesar' by A.W. Peak]
Caesar said to his drill instructors and I quote "March them till they drop, then march them until they don't"
Ave, true to Caesar
+Power Reef Ave :D
+Power Reef patrolling the mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter
Sith'ari Azithoth i am Hungarian not Romanian and Hungary had put up razor barbed wire fences
I came, I saw, I conquered ~ Julius Caesar
Slaves have been spreading rumors about the burned man again.
30km in full Roman pack and armor in 5 hours is extremely good comparing to today's military. I can do full battle order 24km in 8 hours with breaks in every 5km when I was 18 years old. Now at 33, I don't even bother trying
Constantine Joseph yep, it's 6 kilometres an hour for 5 hours, with all their gear.
You have to also consider that their food wasnt as nutritional as ours. And when that is a fact through your whole life it will limit what you can do.
Modern day Royal Marines do 30 miles (48.3km) in under 7 hours with weighted webbing, rifle and daysack, are you sure you’re not confusing km with miles? Like 24km in 8 hours is really slow, are you sure it’s not miles?
That is a brisk pace without gear. Add to that Roman roads and hob nailed caligae and 60ibs of gear and that is blistering speed non stop for 5 hours . I can do two hours like that no gear 😂
People were harder in those times generally speaking and the Roman military preferred to recruit farmers because they were already used to long days of manual labor and were physically robust.
*Cling cling cling* sound of the legions :D
+PontifexMaximus Indeed :D
Thanks Metatron, I've always wanted to train like a Roman soldier in 2019.
I got a riot control shield and gladius in the bedroom it does wonders against a few would be burglars and a couple of crackheads that think they can enter my house for whatever reason. My house has a lot of hallways that you can rush someone not anticipating that pretty easy to subdue them. Police has yet to say about anything about me using a sword in my house. And my house is secure.
early plate armour : invented by Romans
approved by Medievals
I bet Roman soldiers had shoulders like rocks and legs like oak tree's. They must've been very impressive.
They do love to recruit farm boys rather than city dwellers.
Isn’t it fact that Romans were smaller people, especially compared to their enemies?
I’m sure Romans were lean as f! Strong and lean is what you need on the battlefield. They also walked, what, 20 miles a day with their equipment?
@@Rickygrines The average Roman was around 5'5 but like all populations there are shorter and taller around that average and nobles probably trended toward taller due to better nutrition and general food security.
@@Derly24 yea probably because I think their rations were not created to bulk so prob they were lean and very strong
Amazed by how much your English has improved over the period you have been uploading. Thank you for your efforts really exceptionally good, informative and well researched.
Love the noise the armour makes as the gladius is thrust forward. Mechanical and machine like.
Love the scissor-like sound the armor makes when he thrusts with the gladius... a thousand men doing that at once had to sound terrifying on its own. Very mechanical.
This is the motivational workout video I needed, also is perfect for routine.
I am going to train and become like a Roman Soldier! I do LARPing and i'm joining a Legionnaire that requires me to fight in the same Roman outfit. Thanks for posting this up! i really needed it!
Pliss notice me senpai
+Edward Nammur ahah really cool, enjoy your trining pal :D
Good luck Edward!
+Edward Nammur Put your back into it! Stab the wooden poles with your wooden sword! Work hard Legionaire! You will make Centurion someday if you work hard :)
+Metatron I shall honor you Metatron! training now as it is morning
Edward Nammur
Ave Legionaire. Set a good example for the rest of Rome.
Loved watching your passion for Roman history
Good vid...I have a couple of vids that address training with a rudis on pell (wood stake)...you are correct in stating the Romans trained for precision strikes...i have found that after 50 repitions of each type of thrust....close your eyes and repeat for another 50 reps...seems crazy but youll be surprised at how good you'll get with the gladius...Salve!!!!
SHINY AND CHROME!!
ZEROXX Dirgud I can't kind Roman, it's slippery pls don't kill me **Desperately holding tongue**
WITNESS ME!!
Lol, will Metatron carry you through the gates of Hades himself, shiny and chrome?
Very informative thank you
speak in Latin and give us the English subtitles pleaseeee
ave, omnibus, qui spectaculum Metatron sequentem. ego, Metatron sum
Hail to you all, who follow Metatron's show (I wasn't sure if he said sequentem or not so I'm just assuming). I am Metatron.
bit of rusty Latin there
Great video like always, but I think you forgot to mention that the gladius was used indeed to cut, but only when you could hit an unprotected spot, also during trusting drills, Roman legionaries were taught to rotate the blade in order to conserve energy and at the same time being equally effective, the same principle was later used in Asia, by martial artists. Also when in formation, instead of attacking the opponent in front of you, a legionary would have been taught to attack the opponent on his right, protecting the men on his right, while still being protected by the shield. Love your content, and keep the good work.
Awesome 😎
People like you make the world awesome, keep making videos!
I love this guy.
Roman legionares did not have beards and were skin heads too /They did that for hygiene an not to get cought by the hair in the batlle and get their throats sliced. ROMANian here, we even have in my town the bigest roman colloseum from East Europe . Cheers !
Be a farmer, then take that raw strength onto the battlefield.
Romani ite domum! And there goes all my latin..
Not "Romanus eunt domus"? 🤣
L'oreal likely showed interest in having an ad on this video. All jokes aside, great video. Keep it up and obviously no pun intended!
Salve Imperator! Love all your videos, idk why these topics aren't more commonly taught. Please do an analysis of the Witcher franchise's swordplay for the witcher-specific style combat at least, it seems to be both overly stylized and yet highly effective. I would love to see your opinion on this.
Love the intro finally got to use my latin skills.
Isn't using a pilum twice as heavy a stupid idea?
I understand the increase of power, but you loose muscular memory and aiming.
+Zdzisław Dziąsło I suppose they would have also used pilums with the proper weight.
+Zdzisław Dziąsło They probably used them as weight training before practicing with properly weighted pila
I imagine they switched to lighter weapons once they got the hang of heavier ones.
Lighter pilum for the initial volley, then as the enemy gets within almost melee range you would throw the heavier pilum.
The heavier bulb would be really effective at stopping power, which is good for a charging enemy.
As the pilum hits it's target i.e. shield or body, the weight should be a bit to slow someone if not seriously injure.
Hope that was helpful :)
Lmao ghetto you have no idea what you're talking about
Romans stabbed with the sword and didn't hack, you can tell by the design of the sword, less energy used and most officiant way of causing damage to the enemy. Plus when you study the stab and thrust technique its hard for the opponent to see the attack in time, just like the martial arts punch, the straight punch covers more distance and the opponent cant see it in time. Where as the hook or a looping punch is seen very easy and can be dodged. Add the shield into it and the shield covers the start of movement, covers your body language.
Not exactly. The Romans prefered to stab but also slashed, we know because in the ancient sources we have mentions of the enemies of Rome being dismembered. You dont cut an arm or a finger or a hand with a thrust.
Everyone is obsessed with the segmentata armor and you see it used in every depiction of Roman soldiers, but I heard somewhere else that the chainmail was more popular. When and where was lorica segmentata actually used?
+NorseHorse that is actually true, the lorica segmentata was used for a relatively short time during the height of the Empire, then they stopped. There's also a heated debate about whether segmentata was indeed used by infantry, some suggest it was actually used by heavy shock cavalry or city guardsmen (the last because of more exposure to backstabbing and darts to the torso during urban assaults). There's also to add that there's almost no historical source pointing directly at the use of segmentata by the infantry, on the Colonna Traiana (Traian Column, in Rome) there are depictions of soldiers building camps and fortresses wearing what looks indeed like a lorica segmentata, though it's important to note that on those depictions the armor is much more adherent to the body than it would actually be on a soldier, thus some researcehrs suggest that what is represented is more likely a laminated leather/linen armor, others suggest it is merely a stylistic oversight or decision. Anyway, lorica segmentata was indeed used, but lorica hamata (maille, or chainmail) was much more common (easier to make, no need for exact measurements, cheaper). sorry for the lengthy post XD
Yes, mail was the most popular metal armour in Europe for about >1600 years. However, what we now call lorica segmentata is easier to craft from modern stamped mild steel so it's more often used for TV, movies and reenactments.
The mail shirt was called _lorica hamata_ and was used for the last 300 years or so of the Empire.
Interesting as always Metatron. Always enjoy watching these videos I always manage to learn things I didn't know or had forgotten. Looking foreword to more this year.
Much over looked "the sling". Around most roman military sites we find glands. Vegetius "instructing all troops" in it's use.
I'm really glad you pronounce things correctly. V sound like Ws and Is at the beginning of a word sounds like a Y. Is replace Js at the beginning of the word. I took Latin in middle school and high school.
+FlyingWalrus I wouldn't call it "correct", classical pronunciation is classical, so it is closer to how they spoke, but if you pronounce Latin with ecclesiastical (so V remains V) it's also correct in a way, as you are just using another pronunciation.
0 dislikes→ that's what I want to see. Great job on this video, Raff as always you are gathering good information used for great video content→ you the best!
So like why this has 93 dislikes
very good channel. Greetings from Romania, fellow latin descendant!
+Iulian Oniciuc Hi :D
Thank you so much for making this, I plan to do some legion reenactments with a friend so I need to train like a legionnaire to fight like one
Also, where did you get your equipment? I've been meaning to get my armor set
This video really brings to light something I've always wondered about: The noise a suit of armour would make as the wearer moved. It took me a minute to figure out the sound you were making as you thrust was the the pauldrons.
I wonder if anything was ever done to mitigate this? It may seem inconsequential, but Imagine spending any significant amount of time walking around with, say, mail worn against plate. Good lord the noises would drive you crazy!
I'm ex infantry, so I tend to be more fascinated by the minutiae of day to day life for a troop. Tactical considerations aside, If I ever had something that jingled around with every step I took I'd figure out a way to stop it real quick.
Richard Boylan maybe it's a bit late to answer this. I don't know of any way nor intentions to put those sounds to a stop, but it's supposed the noise made by armor was intentional and meant to frighten the enemy.
You stated that sound could drive you crazy, well...imagine what effect that noice coming from thousands of men would have had on their enemies
Thank you sir your videos are always informative and interesting
You can not string lorika segmentata cross-to-cross, like sneakers.
each pair of hooks should have its own separate cord.
Otherwise, when one common lace is cut through, the entire lorica is revealed
Your videos help me learn Latin
I feel like I should incorporate these Roman training drills into my daily workout, it must be useful to thrust and swing a sword with such precision
00:43 Good to see you've charged your shield before shooting the video ;)
it looks like the scutum is fully charged ( i wonder if anyone will get that. look at the scutum carefully).
Nice Video! Greetings from Belgica! :D
Think all doing a three day training camp with some of your friends. We would love to see that and much could be learned about how the Romans marched and set up a over night camp.
Hey, Raff! I was sitting around during the holidays without much to do. I let my mind wondering during this time and realized I don't know much about Eastern armors.
Japanese armor is the one that came to mind specifically. I know very little of it, namely how it was assembled and worn as well as its development across time in regard to changing weaponry, tactics, etc. I just can't seem to find a reliable source of information to look at!
Would you perhaps consider doing a video over this some time? Regardless thanks for taking the time to read this. Happy trails!
***** Yes, I already did! I am super excited for this new series!
+OhMyTwitch Samurai Armour would've been better quality than Ashigaru (conscript, mercenary, common foot soldier), and have Shin Guards, Shoulder Armour (which seemed to increase in size as time progressed), and Grimace Mask. Ashigaru would've had the Iron cone hats called Jingasa as their head gear, as opposed to the Kabuto used by Samurai. Originally, Japanese Armour was heavily influenced by Chinese Armour, but eventually adapted ones similar to the Bulletproof Pike and Shot Plate Armour of the Europeans as firearms became increasingly popular. The legendary Sengoku Daimyo, Date Masamune was said to have equipped his entire army with that kind of armour.
Originally, Samurai were horse archers. However, they eventually adapted the Yari as battles started to see such things as the increased use of Ashigaru (e.g. massed walls of Yari, volley fire, etc.). The Naginata polearm was also in use, but was almost entirely supplanted by the Yari in the battlefield (though became known as the weapon of monks and women (to a point that it was part of a woman's dowry upon marriage)). They also eventually took on the role of fighting on foot.
Then, in the early 1500's we see the rise of the Tanegashima Musket, which was inspired by Portuguese firearms (with notable improvements). Then you eventually see massed formations of musketeers and archers working with infantry, especially among daimyo who could afford to purchase and/or manufacture the weapon en masse. To illustrate, the 1st of the 3 Great Unifiers, Oda Nobunaga, is famous for the use of firearms in winning Nagashino, as well as his strategic campaigns against the gun wielding Ikko Ikki monks (NOTE: These weren't peace loving monks, but more akin to highly privileged, corrupt, and power-hungry mercenaries that held sway over a sizeable part of the common populace) and strategic acquisition of a number of arsenals to make more muskets. It could be argued that the number of firearms in Japan would rival the number in Europe (e.g. The 1st wave of Hideyoshi's campaign in Korea saw the deployment of 160000 battle-hardened troops, a quarter of which were gunners).
It seems that muskets were used alongside bows in order to disrupt enemy formations, not that different to Roman and Pike-and-Shot tactics. One favourite tactic seems to have been to fire a volley (or two) to break an enemy formation/charge, and then follow up with a furious charge at the disorganized enemy. I'd suggest Stephen Turnbull's books on Samurai for further reading.
+Nemo003 Thank you very much! I'll be sure to check out some of the stuff he has written!
OhMyTwitch You're welcome! :) Granted, there may be other sources out there, but I think he's the leading source for primarily English speakers.
OhMyTwitch Hi again! If you're interested in an overview of some Samurai battle formations, you can also google it. The content and illustrations in some sites are very similar to the ones in one of Stephen Turnbull's books.
I remembered briefly stating one of the favourite tactics earlier among Samurai. If I remember correctly, the formation's name translated to "Arrowhead".
I made a study of Roman march pace based on Vegetius's numbers. It turns out the Romans marched 132 steps to the minute; 66 Roman paces. That is fast but doable. A Roman march was exercise in itself.
With a 5 hour march and a fortified camp to build at day's end, it seems the Roman armies lacked time for lunch. It seems likely that the men of the Roman army ate only 2 meals a day.
now I can declare war on the other class that a feud has been going on between my class and them
An amazing video good work
+Metatron Please make a video like this about Spartan training, how to train as a samurai , gladiator and knight! That would be awesome id really like to see that.
Very nice job with this one.
thank you very much
There is a strike that the legionary would perform, that comes from above, over the shield, if they're facing other legionaries. It is why they have the flat saucer like back to the helmet because those strikes come from above and injure the back and shoulders.
Very interesting! Thanks for posting this subject matter. It is historical.
Very good video very informative and very enjoyable 😊
Great video! Very interesting!
Really good video!
I know, its quite old video, but Metatron, you are great!
i love the sound of the armor
just discovered your channel, youve got a new sub, nice work i really like your passion in roman workship
I would think they rotated their swords to the horizontal plane when they made a thrust.. this would increase the likelihood of cutting a major blood vessel when they sank the blade. I don't always agree with you, Megatron, just almost always. 😎 I do, however, like your work. You, sir, are a valuable resource!
This is an epic teaching video
How do you even wear a helmet with all that hair?
Yellow Mask Dude magic, mr dago- i mean mask dude
You put it on your head! Lol
I have a heavy ass Germanic style shield that I train with, but for whatever reason I never thought to make a heavy ass sword. Thanks for the info!
I tuoi video sono carini. Ti scrivo in italiano per questione di praticità, ma quando colpisci non dovresti ruotare le anche come si fa con un diretto della boxe? Non sono un esperto di combattimenti con le armi, ma sembra che i tuoi colpi così manchino di potenza, sia i fendenti che gli affondi. Non era previsto un particolare tipo di footwork nelle tecniche di combattimento dei legionari? Possibile che fossero solo attacchi di braccia?
Wondering whether they used any games to prepare for war as well. The Irish used hurling as a preparation for war, the Vikings and several other Germanic peoples used forms of football and ice hockey as well as wrestling matches (in which were contained most martial arts moves for unarmed combat) to train for war.
The Americans use their American Football for it.
In a society as militarised as Rome, it seems impossible that the only games were gladiatorial games and chariot racing, which were pretty much spectator sports.
***** The Ancient Irish, the medieval Scots, the Vikings and my ancestors the Old Frisians all worked the land and-or the sea as well.
If you've ever played a game like hurling, you'd know exactly what I mean with it too.
It's not just about muscle and stamina built through working hard, it's about building speed and agility and the ability to deal with pain. A lot of the techniques you use in wielding the hurl also transfer to sword and axe fighting.
The Scots used shinty, a game derived from hurling.
The Vikings used forms of football, ice hockey and wrestling for those very reasons.They also held swimming contests, wrestling contests in the water and possible an early form of water polo.
From a young age boys, but girls as well, were trained in unarmed combat first and then armed combat as well, and played these games to toughen themselves for warfare.
That part is also still found in American Football, as is the team play and the following orders.
With that also comes the highly militarised American society, especially present in Football.
Ringen is from a much later period, and not universal. Apart from some areas, like Great Frisia, where an almost Viking style of society continued until the 15th century, commoners were not usually taught to fight at all.
Even the English disallowed peasants from learning to fight. They banned swords. They made archery mandatory, but they forbade football and banned hurling in Ireland. That was all to ensure the regular armies would always rout any rebellion.
And to this day most martial training starts with unarmed combat, not with weapons training. If you do not have the ability and discipline, putting a weapon into your hands is far too dangerous.
***** Bud, my cousin joined the Royal Dutch Marines and I played rugby with a number of guys in the Belgian Para's. They did not touch a weapon until half a year into their training.
Even Danish conscripts don't get weapons training until the second month of their two month training.
Before that it's all about physical conditioning and hand to hand combat.
I got black belt in Goju Ryu Karate and trained with Viking weapons after that. I can tell you, you do learn discipline there.
Playing rugby and hurling, there's another level of discipline there. The danger of seriously hurting someone if you are careless or have bad technique, is so big you really need discipline and presence of mind.
And the question was of course whether the Romans had games like that.
Because games like these other peoples used taught them discipline, agility, toughness and conditioned their bodies in ways that hard work alone would never do.
***** Even though there's no dojo near where I live now, I still practice my kata's whenever I can.
That style is just great.
***** What kata's have you learned so far?
***** Did my black belt exam two days before I moved away a few years ago. Have not really been able to get to a dojo since.
Not that it means much, because some things do depend on your sensei. Mine was okay with me doing all kata up until Seiyunchin perfectly and having mastered Sanchin. Other sensei's demand you know everything up to Shisochin.
You should start on Gekisai Dan Ichi... all the fighting techniques are in the kata.
The bunkai of that are pretty straight forward and it will help a lot perfecting your movements.
scusa , sono un nuovo iscritto dopo aver visto il video sui ninja , volevo chiederti , sei italiano per caso?
+pippo baudo Si si ^^
mi fa piacere che uno dei miei nuovi youtuber preferiti sia italiano , tanta stima :D
pippo baudo Grazie mille e benvenuto tra i noble ones ;)
Could you teach me Italian
On youtube?
Cool video. It would be good if you could share everything that the Roman legionaries had to carry during their march including all their personal gear & mess kits. 30KM in 5 hours is a very capable accomplishment. I doubt modern infantry can match this type of feat.
+Far East Survival Modern legionaries surely can. (hint - Foreign Legion) ;-)
+bakters or spanish legion
***** Operators? Oh, the probably can fly too. They usually don't do it, because it's not a strict requirement. ;-)
Ever since getting into History, I've always wondered how people lived and this was a great description of how soldiers at the time trained. While the Romans were cool, I think the Gauls and Germanic tribes were more interesting (Because Teutoburg Forest), since I am descended from them . Would you consider making videos about them?
Very good video, nice work. May i ask your bibliography? I don't know many books about this kind of topic.
I love your channel
You are a pro bro!!! thx for made this videos.
It is a bit strange the way they did their slashes,the movement would enable the blade to slide off the sides of a montefortino.
Grazie.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Fascinating video, especially you doing thrusts and slashes in full armour! But after watching it I still can hardly understand why Roman soldiers did have absolutely no kind of arm or at least wrist protection (I know this was discussed in another of your vids and the comments there)! Your wrist is exposed every time you do a thrust, the enemy literally could wait for that moment of exposion and quite easyly hurt you. At least some kind of hardened leather around the wrist would not add significant weight and be not expensive. It seems weired to protect the torso twice and well bei lorica and scutum and leave the most exposed parts unprotected...
Some soldiers used a manica in the Dacian wars
nice video hey have u ever considered doing a video on why the romans beat the spartans?
My question: on which side would a legionarie carry their gladius? How would he draw it in tight formations? Also, could I request a video explaining the Roman Pretorian.
Is the first image of training taken from the book of Ancient History by Andrea Giardina "Il Mosaico e gli Specchi"?
A centurion main, I see you too are a man of culture
I like how you have an British tinged accent. Did you spend some time in the UK, or?
Great vid ! Could you show us how to use the gladius more precisely ?
I have a quick question. When you are thrusting you use your arms a lot instead of using your body behind it. Is there a reason for this? Is that proper form or was it just a small mistake?
Nice vide, nice channel. Why did you use the cheap gladius for this video? (I saw the cheap vs accurate first)
Armatura similar to English word amateur. I know that’s just a coincidence though as we got it from French (same spelling) which came from Latin ‘amare’ or love.
Awesome,and very manly video.
Is it possible you can make a review of the roman caligae boots? Please and thank you
Can you make a video how to train like other warriors such as a knight spartan samurai ninja. Very entertaining and informative.
Can we see a reenactment of Roman Legionaire training by you and Salvo plssss? ^_^ I miss you both.
You are such a charming guy. Your hobby is interesting.
I have a (probably) simple question. I understand 100% why they would need individual training with weapons, but what do we know about group training? As I understand the power of the Roman army was its ability to move as one, adjusting as necessary as a group. As an ex-football player, we had plenty of individual training, strength training, special groups training, but the most important part when it came to actually functioning as a team was when we brought it all together and practiced working together. Are there any texts, or diagrams left from a contemporary period that show how group training worked out?
Aardvark Yeah there was lots of evidence for things like that, in fact I could be wrong on the second part of this but Romans lived in tent parties of eight men who they trained with for most of their army career. I recently wrote an essay on why the army was so successful so you can trust me.
Every time you thrust the Gladys I get worried you’ll catch your hair in your shoulder guard. 😬
Isn't your Lorica Segmentata a bit too short ? There is a visible gap between the pectoral plates and the highest abdominal plate
(pretty inconvenient in real combat since the heart is just behind that gap)
+scarfacemperor I could just fix that buy reasing the plates I am just a bit lazy while I'm not in combat
+scarfacemperor in its most advanced form it was smaler
Dude your language skills are epic, I'm stuck with colloquial American English...
One thing I have noticed about the scutum is that they tend to vary in the relation between width and curve. Some pictures, like the one at 6:47, shows that some scutums does not curve as much around the body as the others, giving more width in front of the scutum. Is there any particular reason why some curve less than others?
I would like to criticize the camera positioning in 2 regards: 1) it is tilted up too much, your head is near the center and upper half of the scene is blank. 2) the positioning/direction of the camera wrt to the sun/light-source makes for a very dark silhouette of yours surrounded by very bright flora. Hope this helps,
Hello Metatron,
When legions went on Summer campaign (as in the case of Varus in Germania 9 AD) and left their castra who staid behind? I don't believe they just locked the gate and left. Was there some kind of guard or administrative staff that remained there?
i remember reading that the also rebuilt roads
Hearing the sounds the armor makes alone makes me think that ancient battlefields would have been almost deafening in pitched battles. Hundreds to thousands of clanking sets of armor, swords on shields, everyone doing battle cries, people screaming and dying. Crazy to think about.
+Dilandau Albatou nothing compared to a modern battlefield. But still, it must have been quite a mess, seeing how loud bohurt can be
Loïc Rebts
Oh, I know rifles, grenades, RPGs, tanks, etc, are insanely loud. Some things would be different in each experience, neither of which I'd want to encounter.