EuroCamp 2014 ITALY - assoraider

EuroCamp 2014
ITALY
InfoLetter to Patrol Leaders
“SCOUTING FLOWS THROUGH PATROLS”
Dear Patrol Leaders
and dear Scouts,
we are sure that you know everything about the Ancient Romans,
the town of Rome and the Roman Empire, anyway we want send
you a summary about tha way of life, clothing, etc, at that time.
You can take some ideas for a better ornament of your camp, or
of your Roman clothes.
The Ancient Roman
The Ancient Romans loved splendour and spectacle, but wore very
simple clothes similar to those worn by the Greeks, also if developed
into styles of their own. We’re all familiar with their tunics and togas,
which we’ve seen in lots of movies and TV shows set in
Ancient Rome and pictures painted at the time that have
withstood the centuries, but that’s not all the
Romans wore. All their clothes though were very
simple and draped around the body or fastened
with
clasps
and
brooches.
That’s
because
needles at the time were coarse and unhandy,
and so sewing was something done only when
strictly necessary.
The Ancient Romans wore also different types of shoes. In the
streets, the Romans wore “calcei”, which were a sort of cross
between a sandal and a shoe made of soft leather. Indoors, they
would change and wear sandals instead. They were made by fixing
strips of leather to a tough leather or cork base. Usually, when the
Romans visited a friend at their house or attended a banquet, they
would carry a pair of sandals with them which they would put on once reached their
destination.
The Roman legions and “castrum”
A Roman legion was an infantry unit
consisting of
equiped
with
heavily armed soldiers,
shields,
armor,
helmets,
spears and swords.
Each legion had its own special banner, its
own name, and its own number.
Within the legion, centuries (groups of 100
men) also had a banner.
In the early republic, the
strength of a legion was
about 3,000 men; there were 4,800 legionaries in the days of Julius
Caesar; the twenty-five legions that defended the empire during the
reign of Augustus counted more than
5,000
soldiers
each.
They
were
the
backbone of the Roman army, supported by
auxiliary troops.
When a legion moved camp (“castrum”), they would totally
break apart the old camp and march away. When stopped
for the night,
they would
build a new
camp, complete
with walls towers and even roads.
Their armor - in spite of what you might have seen
in the movies - most probably did not shine.
Some armor was made of leather, with metal on
the inside, A legionary’s uniform included a
rectangular shield, a short sword, a dagger, jacket, belt, helmet, kilt, shirt, and
hobnailed sandals.
The legion wore special hob-nailed sandals which
were designed to make a loud noise and even create
sparks on rocky ground, so a Roman legion on the
march was certainly spectacular.
The Roman legion was very organized, and very
successful.
Toga
The toga was worn by both genders and bore no distinction of rank. The
differentiation between rich and poor was made through the
quality of the material; the upper-classes wore thin, naturally
colored, wool togas while the lower-classes wore coarse material
or thin felt. They also differentiated by colors used:
-the “toga praetextata”, with a purple border, worn by male
children and magistrates during official ceremonies
-the “toga picta” or “toga palmata”, with a gold border, used by
generals in their triumphs
-”trabea” - toga entirely in purple, worn by statues of deities
and emperors
-saffron toga - worn by augurs and priestesses, white with a purple band, also worn by
consuls on public festivals and “equites”.
-Red Borders - worn by men and women for festivals
Pax Romana
“Pax Romana” (Latin for "Roman peace") was the
long period of relative peace and minimal
expansion by military force experienced by the
Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
Since it was established by Augustus, it is
sometimes called “Pax Augusta”. Its span was
approximately 206 years (27 BC to 180 AD).
The Pax Romana is said to be a "miracle" because
prior to it there had never been peace for that
many centuries in a given area of human history.
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted many aspects of Ancient Greek architecture,
creating a new architectural style.
The Romans were indebted to their
Etruscan neighbors and forefathers
who supplied them with a wealth of
knowledge
essential
architectural
for
solutions,
future
such
as
hydraulics in the construction of
arches.
The Romans absorbed the Greek Architectural influence both directly (Magna Grecia)
and indirectly (Etruscan Architecture),
Roman architecture flourished throughout the Empire during the Pax Romana.
Languages
The language of the Romans was Latin, which Virgil
emphasizes as a source of Roman unity and tradition. Until
the time of Alexander Severus (reigned 222–235), the birth
certificates and wills of Roman citizens had to be written in
Latin. Latin was the language of the law courts in the West
and of the military throughout the Empire, but was not
imposed officially on peoples brought under Roman rule.
Looking forward to meet you all in August !
Ruggero
EuroCamp 2014 Coordinator
[email protected]
&
[email protected]