AD SIGNA

Welcome to the second issue of Ad Signa (“To the Standards!”), the newsletter of Legio VI Victrix. Publication (normally on the nones) has been delayed somewhat this month, due to a major crush of events in May/June. But I think you’ll agree that the results—full reports on our biggest events to date—are well worth the wait. Be warned: This is a LONG issue, chock full of stories, and images, and even an ad!

June 29 (Saturday) –Fabricum at the home of the Praefectus Castrorum (Caius). Concentrate on preparations for Old Fort Macarthur Days military timeline appearance with the lads and ladies of Legio IX Hispana. Finish brass edging on as many scuta as possible. Make a few palisade stakes to define the perimeter of our encampment. Get our gear properly de-rusted and polished. Maybe get one or two Newstead loricae started or even completed (ambitious, but not impossible, if the gods smile). Also, WORK ON DRILL (more anon).

July 6-7 (Saturday-Sunday) – Old Forth McArthur Days, a multi-period military timeline at a World War I-era defensive fort at 3601 S. Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. After a few misunderstandings and false alarms, it now appears we WILL be able to do this event along with Legio IX Hispana, representing the greatest army in history. As we did with the recent Renfaire walk-throughs and film shoots, we will come up with a coordinated plan to carpool to the site and set up our fledgling encampment in a timely and efficient manner. The PC will post this to all Leg VI members and camp followers at least one week before the event.

July 14 (Sunday) – Educational presentation before the Los Angeles Ancient Coin Club in Northridge, starting at 1 p.m. Flavius and one or two volunteers will present a 30-minute program on the development of Roman arms, armor and strategy for 15-35 club members. Flavius will don his early 2^nd-century gear; at least two other volunteers are needed to portray Augustan and 4^th-century legionaries. A female perspective on Roman fashion would also be appreciated. Flavius will do his usual slide show, in-character lecture and Q-and-A (other legionaries can feel free to chime in). This will be a good opportunity to get our standard educational program worked out before a pretty forgiving, Classical-minded crowd. Contact Flavius at palladium@aol.com or (661) 753-9771 for exact location and timing.

September-- Appearance/Encampment at Fresno State University or Fresno City College, perhaps in conjunction with other legions. Not making much headway on getting this going at the moment, but stay hopeful and stay tuned.

September/October -- Weekend appearance and demo at the Santa Barbara Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, 21 W. Anapamu St., in beautiful Santa Barbara. Details will be worked out shortly. This promises to be a wonderful event for the entire family.

Well, it’s been another month and a half of frenzied activity for the Sixth. We’ve gone to the Rennaisance Pleasure Faire and Anza Borrega State Park since last we published. We’ve completed a half dozen of the new Scuta and started our Balteus and Calegae factories. And our revised Handbook and bylaws are underway.

I’d like to thank Sean Richards of Legio IX Hispania for inviting us to the film shoot at Anza Borrego. Regardless of the shocking heat, it was one of the most enjoyable things I have done in many years. I’d also like to thank Jeff Lutz of Legio X Fretensis for making five additional primrose yellow tunica for himself and his sons to wear at the shoot to bolster the apparent numbers of Legio IV and make the sides a touch more even. Also, thanks are in order for Dave Michelson, one of our own members who donated his gear for use despite of his own inability to attend. I could go on for pages about the events of the weekend, but Drusus and Flavius beat me to it in the article below.

The trip to the Renaissance Faire was a fun one as well. We had the opportunity to meet some of the members of the Temple Religio Romana from Orange County and meet with a couple of new prospective recruits as well. The Temple folk seemed to be a friendly and sincere group interested in learning and portraying the Roman lifestyle as well as pursuing their religious devotions, and we have entered into a dialog to possibly collaborate with them at events. We will help them look and act more Roman, and they will provide additional civilian numbers for us and help us look like more devout soldiers by providing a ceremonial displays.

The new Scuta look great, and photos will be posted on the website shortly. Thanks go out to Ron for coming up to mid-week Fabricum sessions to get them done in time. They held up well in mock combat, taking only a few nicks to the canvas covers that we will easily repair. The first contract set of Calegae came out of our Sutore’s shop last week as well, and fighting at the film shoot broke them in nicely. No blisters at all, and they leave a “VI” in the footprint of every step. Thanks, Doug. The Beltarius’ shop turned out several baldrics and a couple of Baltaeus’ in time for the shoot as well, though I understand Dave sacrificed a considerable amount of sleep to make that happen. Thanks to you, too.

Also, the Legion’s handbook is getting a new look. Recent discussions have concluded that the current “Handbook for Legionaries” reads more like a primer course on armorsmithing and has considerable amounts of information that is unnecessary to many of our members. It has therefore been decided that the handbook should therefore be broken down into two publications.

The first will be a general “Citizens” handbook describing the organization and goals of the group and information that will be valuable to all members, civilian and soldier alike. It will include sections regarding what life in 130 Eburacum would have been like, what the Emprie was like and how the Colonae were organized, and basic costuming and character concerns, like tunica and naming. The intent being that we encapsulate the basic information for presenting a reasonable facsimile of Roman life at public events. While most of us will already know a fair bit, or all, of the information contained in this general book, it will serve as a primer for new recruits, to get them “on the same page,” and as a resource for merchants and other groups who might attend any Classics Faire or Grecco-Roman Faire that we may later sponsor or be a part of.

The second publication will be a “Fabrication” handbook. It will contain many of the chapters from the current edition regarding how to make the gear of a soldier. It will be heavily revised as we go, to reflect what we’ve learned as we’ve gone along. It will also include detailed information on what to look for when purchasing equipment from retail suppliers, so that even those who don’t wish to make gear will be able to get accurate and serviceable equipment.

Anyone who would like to make contributions to the new handbooks is welcome to drop me a line and make suggestions. Particularly regarding the sections that encapsulate the Empire and Britannic province and life therein. The new work is underway, but the more voices write pieces, the faster it will go.

All that said, I shall conclude by saying thanks again for all the hard work of the men and women of Legio VI Victrix. Without all of you, I’d be a pretty sad looking legion.

Editor’s Note: Since Drusus and I each penned different accounts of this epochal event, I thought I’d put them together in the form of a “dialogue,” with alternating passages. I apologize for the mammoth length of the resulting piece, but I think you’ll agree it makes for pretty entertaining reading—Flavius Crispus.

FLAVIUS: A film shoot in the Desert? Anza Borrego to be exact? Thanks to a gracious invitation from Legio IX Hispana, who had landed this gig via a production company attached to Oregon Public Broadcasting, that was the mission confronting us the weekend of June 15-16. Having visited the incredibly desolate Anza Borrego state park in my kidhood, I had a vague sense of foreboding about spending long periods encased in metal while being pummeled by a blazing sun. Still, who’s gonna pass up a chance to strut their stuff before the cameras? Not me, nor any of the other intrepids of Legio VI. Gaius Manilius (Caius Man), our Praefectus Castrorum and Postumus Scaeviola (Ron Glass) spent Friday frantically banging umbos and wielding paintbrushes to finish our six scutae on time, while I worked into the wee hours making baldrics for our newly acquired swords. Dave Michaelson also loaned us his Newstead cuirass, sword and helmet, so we had three complete sets of gear. By Saturday morning, we were all bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, but ready for a Roman ruble.

DRUSUS: Gaius, Flavius, and I left L.A. Saturday morning, and after a 3-hour drive [in Gaius’ spacious, spanking-new blue Toyota pick-up], arrived around noon at the film site in Anza Borrego Wilderness Park. The site looked like an ancient desert in North Africa, the Levant, or Turkey, with lots of sand and rocks, a scattering of scruffy desert plants, and beautiful towering mountains surrounding the area. And hot. Very hot.

FLAVIUS: Very very hot—maybe 115 degrees at midday. So hot it sucks the perspiration from your pores before you can get properly sweaty. And beige. Not a scrap o’ green to be seen. And, no shade, except maybe in the lee of your car/truck/van.

DRUSUS: Frater Hibernicus (Sean Richards), Centurion from Legio IX Hispana in San Diego, met us and we all started unloading equipment. Our first job was setting up three large army tents and a lean-to, while the film crew set up their equipment in front of our encampment. I left my house that morning already dressed in tunic, sandals, and sunhat, so I wasn't bothered too much by the heat. (Did I mention that it was hot?) There were about 25 reenactors there (excluding we 3), and about half a dozen film people from P.B.S. intent on depicting on film a story about the history of the Jewish people, which will be aired at some point in the near future.

FLAVIUS: The show has the working title “Kingdom of David,” from which you can deduce it might be about Israel and Jerusalem in particular, though everyone was kinda cagy about revealing the exact events we were supposed to be portraying. The crew and gear seemed to be pretty professional, all around: Two Panavision 35mm cameras (not, surprisingly, hi-def video, which means there must be some MONEY behind this show), track dollies, steadicams, the whole nine yards. Also, a prop-costume truck with lots of ancient garb and weaponry, most of it typically Hollywood hokey.

DRUSUS: The reenactors consisted of five members of Legio VI Victrix (Postumus Decimus and Ioanna were to arrive the next day at a critical juncture), about 18 members of Legio IX, male and female, including some members of the Ninth Legion SCA warband loosely associated with the IX Hispana.

FLAVIUS: Also, a father-and-two-son team of Legionaries from Legio X Fretensis in northern California who (Jeff Lutz and sons), amazingly, made up a bunch of primrose yellow tunics exactly like ours and carried our Legio VI scutae to make our unit look twice as big! Thanks, guys—you can kit up with us anytime! The Leg IX guys actually suited up three of their female members in loricae and helmets for some of the shots. Here’s a challenge: When Kingdom of David finally airs, see if you can spot them! (Hint: They’re the ones with the smooth, shapely legs…)

DRUSUS: After a quick lunch, we prepared for the first scene to be filmed. I donned Dave Michaelson’s lorica segmentata, as well as my new [bone-handled] gladius and pugio (for the first time!) and helmet. The director, a very friendly but focused man in his late thirties/early forties, started casting us in our roles in a scene depicting the torture of a Judean rebel. He looked me up and down and said he wanted me right in front of the camera, operating a tool-sharpening grinder with Hibernicus. What he didn't tell me was that the thing wasn't operating properly, and that I would have to bend over in armor for extended periods of time and eventually chew my hand up trying to keep the damn wheel turning! Ah, the price of glory.

FLAVIUS: Gaius’ facial hair got him picked out to be a Judean “slave prisoner,” so while we kitted up, he went off to the prop van and came back in a ragged brown tunic, his face daubed with faux mud. He got right into character, cringing and cowering before us brutal oppressors. I volunteered to join a contingent of legionaries prodding Gaius and two other “slave prisoners” from the top of a rocky outcrop and down through the camp. Obviously, I had forgotten rule No. 1 of any military outfit: NEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING. After placing us atop the outcrop, in full glare of the blasting midday sun, the director and crew proceeded to leave us there for what seemed like, oh, nine hours or so while they futzed with their camera and track dolly. Gaius, his hands bound with leather straps, couldn’t even fan himself and had to watch the blood drain from his hands while sweat seeped into his tunic. I’d gotten a wicked sunburn on the back of my upper right arm and shoulder the day before while doing some gardening, and no matter how I turned, the sun seemed to blaze RIGHT ON THAT EXACT SPOT. Every time I moved my arm, the raw skin came in contact with one of my shoulder plates, which seemed just shy of red hot, with an audible hiss, usually followed by a burst of profanity. Anyway, when we finally did get the “action” command, we moved on down off the rocks (try that in hobnailed caligae!) and through the camp. I had to strongly resist the urge to give Caius a sharp prod in the posterior with my pilum point. And, of course, after undergoing that ordeal, the director yells “OK, places everyone… we’re doing it again!”

DRUSUS: Well, the wind started blowing at sub-gale force, bringing the smoke and heat from two campfires directly into my face. Add to this the 3-digit temperature, the backache, the hand pain, and the unbearable pain in my trapezius muscles from wearing armor that wasn't fitted to my body, and it wasn't long before I had to be relieved half-way through each take by Marius from Legio IX and our own Flavius. My job was to turn the wheel while pouring water from a helmet onto the wheel that Hibernicus was using to "sharpen" a "torture tool". During the next-to-last take, I really didn't need to pour any water, because the sweat from my brow and the mucus dripping from my nose (caused by the smoke) was sufficient lubrication. Not good.

FLAVIUS: Having undergone the “wheel torture” for several takes, I can only concur with Drusus. Behind us, the “Judean rebel”—a scrawny old guy wearing nothing but a brief loincloth (and lots of sunscreen, I hope), was undergoing “torture” on a nasty looking contraption, stage blood dripping everywhere. He did a great job looking agonized, while I did my best to keep cranking the #@^$*!! grinding wheel without the strain and pain showing on my face. As I looked at the “torture victim,” thought, he’s probably more comfortable than I am.

DRUSUS: I’d finally had enough, and before the last take, blindly staggered into one of the tents, which was about ready to collapse, and myself collapsed into a camp chair. I removed the armor and took off my thoroughly soaked tunic and underwear, and put on a fresh tunic. My face was burning up as I consumed several bottles of cold water, which the crew was constantly supplying us with. And so ended Drusus' film debut. After hearing numerous other horror stories about that scene, I began to wonder just who were the real torture victims.

FLAVIUS: We soon dubbed Dave Michaelson’s cuirass the “Lorica of Pain.” In addition to being exceptionally snug in the neck and arm openings, and quite stiff in the shoulders and torso, it also seems to be made of 14-guage metal—maybe TWICE as thick and heavy as it needs to be. Helmets off to Drusus, and later Gaius, for enduring it for as long as they did. We did bring our nice chain mail lorica along, but the film crew actually borrowed it to put on one of their “professional” stunt fighters. By the end of the first “torture” sequence, legionaries were dropping like flies. The ladies of Legio IX sensibly decided to doff their armor, and a number of men also started swaying unsteadily as their brains slowly broiled. Somehow, by slugging down copious quantities of water along with the occasional hit of Gatorade, Gaius and I soldiered on and kept from joining the growing list of casualties.

DRUSUS: We took a long break and then suited up for the next scene. I borrowed some armor from Legio IX which fit much better, while poor Gaius donned the armor I had just escaped from. (Later, his trapezius muscles deeply regretted that decision!) Twenty Roman soldiers trudged over to a flat area where we were to be filmed marching around in formation. Again, the director wanted me in front of the camera (charisma or what, I don't know), so I held the standard in front of the ranks. We marched back and forth several times over broken ground, desert plants, and burning sand. You should try it some time in sandals and tunic. Your feet and legs will never forgive you.

FLAVIUS: Drusus fails to mention that the reason he got singled out to march in front was not due to his “charisma,” but because Gaius had good-naturedly told him to bear the beautiful Legio VI vexillum (painted by Postumus), despite the red tunic and rather rusty, gappy, hand-me-down lorica he was now wearing. It was that lovely vexillum the director wanted in front! Anyway, when we got to the “flat” area (actually hummocky and studded with nasty, dry proto-tubleweeds that tore at our exposed legs), our vexillum was joined by some big, purple, bejeweled thing that I gather was supposed to represent Constantine’s Labarum (though I couldn’t see any chi-rho symbol or cross on it). To and fro we marched, trying to keep some semblance of order over the rough terrain, while they filmed. It was a pretty ragged display, especially since no one had seemingly practiced basic drill in a good long time. Orders to wheel or face got turned into “uh--- go THAT way…” Still, it felt good to be marching in a large body of sweating, clanking, armored legionaries again.

DRUSUS: The last scene was a fight scene. The fight coordinator set up all the individual fights, arranging us in groups of two and three soldiers each. My job was to "bash" Flavius in the face with the signum pole, after he'd been stabbed in the back by another guy. I guess it's true - you only hurt the ones you love. During one take, Gaius and some others came close to getting impaled by some thrown javelins. No big deal, apparently.

FLAVIUS: Since this was supposed to represent a civil war battle between two Roman legions (those of Constantine and Maxentius, maybe?), our differing shields came in handy, though somewhere along the line the idea of lining up soldiers in yellow tunics vs. those in red tunics got nixed and we ended up in a multicolored hodgepodge. The “professional fighters” arranged us in pairs, using Gaius and I to choreograph a simple “A” fight that everyone could basically copy. “First, he aims a cut at your head--you block it with your shield--you aim a thrust at his shield, which he parries—he then sklonks you on the helmet with his sword pommel, which drives you around—you recover, reversing positions, and start all over again…” Now, finally, we were having some real FUN! As we ran through our routines, the stunt guy added another gag, which Drusus already mentioned: A young Legio IX legionary (Darius Germanicus) runs in from the side and stabs me--I go down, writhing in the sand—Drusus follows along and slams poor, grievously wounded Flavius in the face with the vexillum poll then stabs him with the butt spike for good measure. Gaius and the kid exchange nods and run off to further adventures. At the call of “action!” we all counted three seconds, then went screaming— YAAAAAHHH!—into battle. We ran through the fight sequence three times, getting a little better and smoother with each take. In the fourth take, young Darius got a little overenthusiastic with his gladius: He made a good, solid thrust, missing the lower plates of my cuirass, poking me rather sharply in the upper groin, and making about a 1” cut in the knuckle of my right forefinger for good measure. If the camera was pointed our way, the look of surprise you’ll see on my face— “whooo!” —was very real. Still, I stayed with the gag and went down hard on the sand, tried to struggle up, and got whapped and stuck by Drusus. When they called “cut,” I discretely staunched the blood flow on my hand and checked my tunic, finding a small hole but no blood. (Later, I found a silver-dollar sized hole in my underwear!) During one take, as Gaius ran off with Darius, he watched three pila thunk into the ground a few feet from them. Hmmm, maybe things were getting a little too realistic…

DRUSUS: We finally called it a day. And what a day! Half a dozen reenactors had wilted from the heat and wind throughout the long afternoon, and had to drop out. The rest of us dragged our corpses back to camp and nursed our wounds. I was so hungry I consumed two TV dinners and a salad. I had drunk enough water to fill a small swimming pool, and yet didn't feel the need to urinate except once late that night!

DRUSUS: We built a campfire at sunset, in spite of the continuing heat and wind, and sat around the fire yakking and joking like you're supposed to around campfires. I only lasted a half hour before I crawled over to my sleeping bag, and passed out underneath the stars. So many stars. When I came to a few hours later, there were still a few die-hards sitting around the fire. We joked and laughed and guffawed till midnight, and I learned all about the joy of breaking bones and knocking out teeth from a couple of veteran S.C.A. fighters.

FLAVIUS: I did the campfire bit for an hour or so, listening to Gaius and Hibernicus swap “can you top this” tales of life on the Ren Faire/SCA circuit before dragging my weary sack o’ bones to bed. I didn’t feel like joining Drusus on the desert floor and risking a scorpion sting, so I bunked down in the back of Gaius’ pick-up. It had been years since I’d seen the Milky Way so clearly. After while, Gaius crawled into his sleeping bag and we talked and schemed in low voices like a couple of kid brothers until finally drifting off to….(yawn)…

DRUSUS: When I awoke at dawn, the desert was absolutely peaceful and lovely. Normally I'm not hungry in the morning, but this morning I was ready to eat a dead camel. I couldn't believe the number of fresh muffins and bagels I was putting away.

DRUSUS: Our first scene was a fight scene between Greek soldiers and Maccabean (humorously referred to as "Macadamian") defenders. About this time, we were invaded by bees. Lots and lots of them. Someone said they were "flesh-eating" bees. I thought they looked like Macca Bees. So it's either bees or wind, I guess.

FLAVIUS: As you can guess, we soon got REAL tired of Drusus’ “Macca bee” joke… Anyway, the previous night the producers had designated some of us—mostly the fair-haired, clean-shaven ones—as “Greeks” while the darker, fur-faced ones were designated “Maccabees.” Drusus and I got tagged as the former, while our hirsute Gaius Manlius was dubbed the latter. Early that morning—before 6 AM!-- we trooped over to the prop truck for costuming.

DRUSUS: I was issued a Greek tunic, sword, shield, and plastic helmet, as well as a loincloth the camera never saw. I couldn't figure out the reason for the loincloths, unless it was the lecherous brainchild of the women organizing the wardrobe department.

FLAVIUS: I think this was because of the rather short brown tunics we were issued. In case anyone got filmed from a low angle or got killed, the director didn’t want to see any modern-looking fruit-o-the-looms smiling at him. The high-impact plastic helmets and breastplates were, of course, a lot lighter than our real gear of the day before, but that enclosed Corinthian helmet was a tight fit for my big head (no comments, please!). I also had to inform the prop people that they were putting the breastplates on us backwards, with all the buckles in front. Oops! Caius got to wear a strange kind of leather lorica segmentata and a helmet that looked like, well, a female breast. We dubbed it the “nipple helm.”

DRUSUS: We noticed that the Greeks were getting painted with a lot more blood by the makeup guys than the Maccabees, so we figured the Greeks were going to be the losers, in spite of the fact that the Maccabees were outnumbered two to one.

FLAVIUS: More or less tracking history. The Seleucid Greeks got their butts kicked by the guerilla Maccabees, allowing the Jews to reclaim Jerusalem and give the world Hanukah. The Seleucids also won a few battles, but ended up signing a treaty giving the Jews partial autonomy in Israel (this was all happening in the reign of Antiochus IV, ca, 175-164 BC).

DRUSUS: I and another "Greek" spent an hour beating on this Maccabean's shield. During the first take, the whole thing just seemed so funny that several of us, including myself, were giggling. "No laughing!" said the director, so I growled and shouted instead. Because they were so outnumbered, the Maccabeas were all getting "killed". Halfway through, we got the word from the fight coordinator that the Maccabees were supposed to win. That's when I started getting "stabbed".

FLAVIUS: Gaius and I teamed up again and repeated our fight of the previous day, this time with plastic prop swords and thin metal shields. Which means I had a “die” a bunch more times. I hit the sand so often, I ended up digging the equivalent of a small Middle Eastern nation out of my left ear.

DRUSUS: For the final scenes, we all changed into Maccabee wardrobe. Guys like me with close-cropped hair (or none at all) had to wear turbans instead of nipple-helmets. I instructed the wardrobe person to leave a tail on my turban.

About this time, our own Ioanna and Postumus Scaevola arrived. The director loved the wild hairy look of Postumus, and promptly had him in makeup, getting him ready to portray the dead king being carried back home after a major battle.

FLAVIUS: I think he was supposed to be Judah Maccabee himself, after catching a bad one in his final battle. Postumus spent more than an hour in the makeup chair, getting a very gruesome and realistic “slashed throat” appliqué installed. Ionna took Caius’ camera and got plenty of great pictures (I hope!). Myself and three other dudes were supposed to hoist up the “body” of our dear departed leader and carry him across the crest of a hill for a “parting shot.”

DRUSUS: For those who don't know, postumus has a double meaning in Latin. It was a common praenomen given to a child who was born late, i.e. after the father had died. But it also means "late.” Ron picked that name cause he told us he's usually late to events. So here's King Postumus with a nasty bloody wound on his throat and fake blood dripping from his mouth and beard, long hair trailing, being carried by four Jewish soldiers. The star of the scene. Good timing, Postumus!

FLAVIUS: Having hogged a good deal of camera himself over a couple of days, I think Drusus was getting a little jealous someone else was stealing the scene…

DRUSUS: Once again, the director looked me up and down and said, "I like the tail on his turban!" and picked me to be the "leader", marching in front of the single-file column.

FLAVIUS: Of course, the fact that he was constantly in the director’s face going “me, me, pick me!” had nothing to do with it. (What a ham!)

DRUSUS: We trudged several times across the flat toward the camera. We ambled along a ridge in profile, shot at a distance. And finally we trudged down the slope right toward the camera. Just before the last trudge, the directors said something like, "OK guys, you're all tired after the long battle and march. Show us you're tired." Well, I guess I’d spent a little too much time at the "William Shatner School for Overacting", cuz after the first take, the director said, "Where's the lead guy? I wanna talk to the lead guy! You're too tired. Don't look so tired, ok?" So I utilized my "sorta tired but still really determined" face and posture. It worked. We only did a few more takes and that was it. End of shooting.

FLAVIUS: In retrospect, we’d had a ton o’ fun. But if we’d stopped filming in the middle of the hellish previous day, the verdict might have been different.

DRUSUS: We packed up our stuff. The director graciously thanked us for our participation. We said our goodbyes and split. The long traffic-clogged drive home was made bearable only by the air-conditioning and stimulating conversation in Gaius' cab. Legio VI Victrix will receive a check for $300 soon, which will go toward preparations for our next gig at the Ft. MacArthur reenactment faire on the July 6th weekend. And my various swollen muscles, bumps, scratches and blisters are healing nicely.

FLAVIUS: The first of many film gigs for the Victorious Sixth, no doubt. Only next time, let’s convince them to shoot in, say, Malibu, Catalina Island, or Yosemite!

FOOD AND FITNESS THE ROMAN WAY

FOOD: Here's a fun little snack, either sweet or savory, very common in ancient Rome and one of Cato the Elder's favorites. You can munch on these all day while you're checking I.D.s and searching wagons at the gates to Hadrian's Wall. They are called GLOBI:

Ricotta cheese 8oz

Knead the cheese with the semolina, egg and salt. It should be of the consistency that allows it to be rolled into little balls no larger than a golf ball. Drop these into a tall pot of boiling oil. When they turn golden brown, remove and drench in honey, or moisten with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Then roll them in poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Sprinkle either the sweet or savory ones with pepper, if you like. Serve.

FITNESS: While we were wandering around recently at the Renaissance Faire, Kallikrates (Fred Haskin) came up to us and introduced himself to us. We got to talking about the Legion and about him joining, and he mentioned that he had read a post that I wrote on our Yahoo site about a fitness hike. He patted his stomach and said that he couldn't join because he wasn't very fit. I think this situation needs to be addressed.

First off, Kallikrates does not have a big belly. Ok, he's a little hefty in the midsection, but certainly nothing that a well-fitted suit of plate armor couldn't hide quite successfully. However, we need to keep in mind that Legio VI is not a fitness club. We are a Roman reenactment group. Our era is the year 130. We are stationed on Hadrian's Wall. It is quite likely that many of us are doing guard duty in a very cold climate. Extra pounds can be quite useful in keeping us warm. And having been stationed there for some time, we all have a had a chance to engage in a little "private enterprise", doing some special favors for local friends, making a few sestertii on the side, probably eating quite well. A hefty guard here and there in that situation would be quite believable. Remember, this is an occupying army, not a conquering one.

What I'm trying to say is that extra weight should not put anybody off from joining our group, either as a soldier or a civilian.

Now, having said that, keep in mind that a Roman soldier was expected to be able to march 24 miles in five hours fully armed and armored, carrying supplies for three days. If you join with the intention of becoming more fit, we are certainly willing to help you achieve that goal, but only if that's what you want to get out of this experience.

Kallikrates also mentioned that his eyesight was really bad without glasses, and that he was not able to wear contacts. This also is not an insurmountable problem. I know a woman in Brentwood who can reduce your prescription and in some cases even eliminate the need for glasses altogether. Her methods are based on teaching you how to see in a more natural way without stressing the muscles in the eyes. It does take a bit of diligent practice, and a few hundred dollars, but her success rate is very high, she's been doing it since 1978, and her methods work on nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. One of my patients brought her to my attention, after my patient was able to discard her coke-bottle glasses and now uses just a mild pair of glasses for reading. (Her neck also miraculously softened up, something I've never seen in 17 years of treating hard sore necks.) If you are interested, let me know and I'll give you her number.

ARMS AND THE MAN

By Flavius Crispus

Our recent film shoot with Legio IX got me to thinking about one of the most basic aspects of Roman reenactment: Close order drill. During my time with Legio XX, I became very impressed with their commitment to practicing and perfecting their drill, using the original Latin commands. Nothing so impresses an audience as a few basic maneuvers properly carried out (particularly cool ones like forming a testudo!). On the other hand, nothing looks sillier than a bunch of weekend warriors milling around in confusion when they’re supposed to be portraying one of the most disciplined fighting machines in all history.

I’m well aware of how tough it is to memorize commands in an ancient language and to incorporate them into a marching drill, particularly for those of us who’ve never had the experience of serving in the military (my own “service” is limited to Air Force Junior ROTC in high school). That’s why we need to take the opportunity, as soon as possible, to start running through the Latin commands, what they mean, and how to execute them.

Oddly enough, no one bothered to write down the Latin commands used by the Roman army until ca. AD 580, when the East Roman Emperor Maurice Tiberius included them in his book Strategikon. This was well past they heyday of the Roman army and 450 years after the era we portray (AD 130-140), but as far as primary references go, it’s all we’ve got for actual commands. However, other ancient writers give accounts of Roman training methods, and putting the available evidence together with some basic common sense, we can attempt to recreate the Roman infantry drill.

This work has already been pioneered by the Ermine Street Guard, who fleshed out Maurice’s commands with some common-sense interpolations to create the drill most Roman reenactment groups use today. Based on my own experience with both Legio IX Hispana and Legio XX Valeria Victrix, I’ll attempt to explain the commands and give my view on how they should be executed:

Ad signa!: Fall in. When you hear this command by the Centurio (or the CO for the day), stop whatever you’re doing, pick up you shield and pilum, and proceed to the vexillum and CO, forming a single shoulder-to-shoulder rank facing them.

Mandata captate!: Literally, “observe the orders.” This is the command we use for “attention!” You stand straight, eyes front, shield held by its grip in the left hand, pilum held vertically in the right first just below the square block

Ordenem servate: Keep your position. Or “stay put.” Infrequently used if at all.

Dirige frontem!: Dress the ranks. Look down the rank to make sure everyone is in a straight row. All shield bosses and the toes of your caligae should be lined up as neatly as possible, about two feet between each shoulder (enough to do a “clina,” or facing maneuver, without ramming into your buddy’s shield.

Laxate: “At ease.” You may set your shield down and rest the butt spike of your pilum on the ground. No slouching or chattering, though!

Ad gladium, clina!: [“cleena”] To the right (sword side), face! Push off with your left toe, pivot on your right heel, and turn smartly to the right.

Transforma!: About face. Normally done to the right, unless specified otherwise as in “ad scutum, transforma.” Put the point of your right (or left) toe on the ground behind you, and pivot all the way around on the opposite heel.

Langia (ad dex /ad sin / ambas partes): Open ranks (to right/left/both sides). Shift to one side or the other by one full arm-length.

Intra!: Half-rank fall back one pace. A very important command, this turns one rank into two. Starting with the soldier on the far left, every other soldier takes a step backward, then shifts to the right to stand directly behind the soldier who had been to his right. If this sounds complicated, it’s easy enough to demonstrate.

Exi!: [“exee”] The reverse of “intra” – the rear rank takes a step to the left and then to the front to form a single rank again.

Iunge!: [“yungay”]. Close ranks. Usually, this command comes after an “Intra” to tighten up the two ranks thus created.

Move!: [“moo-way”] March. Start on your left [“sinestra,” or “sin”] foot. By itself, it means simply to march to the front. Proceeded by a “clina” command, as in “ad gladium clina—move!” it means to face the called-for direction, then step off to the front. Keep step by calling out “sin…sin…sin, dex, sin…”

Ad dex / sin depone: [“day-po-nay”] Wheel to the right/left. These are some of the most impressive maneuvers, if carried out properly. In a “ad dex depone” (wheel to the right), the soldier on the far right becomes the “pivot.” He stops moving forward and starts to rotate slowly while marching in place. This soldier, and all others in the rank except for the one on the far left, looks to his left to make sure he is even with the soldiers to his left; the soldier on the far left looks to his right, so he can see the whole line, and controls the speed of the wheel. A wheel to the left, of course, is simply the reverse.

Signo sequute: [“sig-no say-cue-tay”] Follow the standard (or leader). This works best when the rank (line abreast moving forward) becomes a file (single file line moving forward), which can be accomplished with a simple “clina” command. Basically, the front man in line follows the leader and vexillum, and everyone behind follows the man in front of him.

Consiste (or State)!: Halt. Legio XX uses Consiste; Legio IX uses State. I like “Consiste” better. The actual “stop” is made on the last syllable (as in “con-sis-TAY!”).

Muta locum: Countermarch. This is a cool maneuver in which one or two files marching forward double back on themselves from the front. Difficult to describe, easy to demonstrate, so we’ll leave it at that.

Ad agmine: [ad ag-mi-nay]. Form marching column. Form one or two files. This is the standard marching formation, when not under threat.

Ad aciem: [ad ack-ee-em] Form battle-line. This is a rank (or series of ranks) facing the enemy, shield to front, pilum held in a light grip ready to cock and discharge. IT IS NOT A SHIELD WALL. The Romans did not employ shield walls in their standard battle formation, but advanced in an open formation with a gap of one-two feet between shields.

Ad testudinem: [ad tes-too-di-nem] Form testudo. This is widely considered the coolest of all Roman formations, useful in siege mining or advancing under heavy missile fire from above. You need at least six men to form a proper testudo, arranged in two here files of two; nine or more (arranged in three ranks of three) is better. It’s amazingly simple in concept: The guys in front draw their swords and hunker down behind their shields, sword blades protruding from between their shields. The soldiers behind raise their shields and hold them flat and horizontal over their own heads and those of the guys in front of them. The formation tightens up to form just what the name says—a “tortoise.” You then move forward in a halting step—to keep everyone together, you can chant “RO-MA” or “STEP-DRAG” in unison. If properly done, this knocks the socks off of everyone in the audience. Please note: Unlike some artistic conceptions of a testudo (and the one in the movie “Cleopatra”), THERE ARE NO SIDE OR REAR SHIELDS. Only the ones in front and the ones overhead. Won’t work any other way.

Ad cuneum: Form wedge. This is not quite what it sounds like. A “cuneum” is not one guy in front, two guys behind, three behind him etc. to form a wedge-shape. It is simply a “bent rank” with the soldier in the center (the Centurio, when performed by the Ermine Street Guard), as the “apex.” This was apparently a “charge attack” formation, though no one has still figured out exactly how it worked, since the guy at the “apex” would very likely be more exposed than his mates and quickly cut down.

Pila infige: [“in-fee-gay”] Plant your pila (upright). Stick the butt spike in the earth.

Pila iace!: [“ee-ack-ay”] Throw pila! There is a slight problem with this command, in my experience: Since “iace” is essentially a three syllable word, some guys discharge their pila on the first sound, while others wait for the last, resulting in a ragged barrage. With Legio VI, I’d like to suggest the following sequence: “Pila preparate” (everyone gets the proper throwing grip and raises their pilae); “Pila iace” (everyone cocks their arm and wrist); “HAH!” (at first sound, everyone discharges, hopefully resulting in a nice, even arc of steel points). Then, in the same motion, the right arm comes down, draws the sword, and extends it past the shield.

Gladium stringe: [“strin-gay”] Draw swords. This command is not used after the pilum toss, as you draw your sword in a natural sequence after discharging your pilum. The command is used in preparation for a charge, or receiving a charge, when not in possession of your pilum.

Porro!: Charge! (literally, hit ‘em!). Maintaining ranks, advance at double speed, sword drawn, and ideally uttering a bloodthirsty battle cry.

By Flavius Crispus

Since this “newsletter” is already approaching the size of a short novel, I’ll keep this installment to a brief description of all the nifty new stuff Legio VI has acquired:

SWORDS and DAGGERS – From Blacksword Armory, Flavius and Drusus have each purchased some prize new weaponry. Flavius obtained a Mainz-style gladius, while Drusus purchased a bone-handled Pompeii-style gladius and a pugio, or legionary dagger. All weapons came with scabbards. They were made by the Deepeeka group in India. For off-the-shelf items, they are all of remarkably fine quality! The Main has the proper broad, slightly waisted blade, inset brass grip guard plate, a grip guard and handle made of dark wood, and a bone handle. The pommel is of a rather unusual oblong shape instead of the usual ball or disk, but it’s not bad looking and apparently accurate. The bone handle is fairly square, but nicely finished and comfortable. The balance is blade-heavy, but I’m not quibbling. The only obvious anachronism is a fairly obvious hex nut on the tang, inset into the pommel, which needs to be replaced or disguised somehow. The scabbard is very impressive, being covered entirely on the front with some attractive stamped brass sheeting. All in all, this is a real bargain for $129 plus shipping. Drusus’ Pompeii gladius, at only $10 more than the Mainz, is even more impressive. The handle is made entirely out of bone, with some very nice engraved decoration on the guard and pommel. The guard lacks a brass plate, but apparently this is accurate on an all-bone handle. The blade is the proper long, straight-sided shape, and it is better-balanced than the Mainz version. Finally, the scabbard is leather-covered, with a brass locket (top section), decorated with some partially punched-out designs. It should be a simple matter to remove the locket and finish punching out the design to make it more accurate and attractive. Finally, the Deepeeka gladius is a nifty item, with a properly shaped handle and blade and some very fancy stamped brass plates on the scabbard. I’d rate all three items three and a half out of five eagles as far as accuracy and attractiveness goes, and a solid four out of five on value. Blacksword Armory also gets high marks for quickly processing and shipping our orders (in my case, in under a week; Drusus had to wait two and a half weeks, but still not bad as these things go).

The next edition of Ad Signa will include a look at some of the new websites popping up offering Roman-style equipment, an overview of the offerings on ebay, and a look how a legionary can “accessorize” he ensemble.

Freeman & Sear

P.O. Box 641352

Los Angeles, CA 90064-6352

Phone (310) 450-9755 / Fax (310) 450-8865

Offers the finest in AUTHENTIC Roman coins and artifacts.

Also look July 1^st for our new website: www.freemanandsear.com

“Ad Signa!” is the monthly newsletter publication of the Legion Six Historical Foundation and is published in house. Editor-in-Chief is Dave Michaels, aka Flavius Crispus Candidianus Electronic and postal distribution occur on the nones or ninth of each month.. Postal subscription requires Associate or Participating membership in Legio VI Victrix. Electronic distribution requires that you ask to be added to our email list. For information on either, contact the Praefectus Castrorum, Caius Man, aka Gaius Manilius Magnus, at caiusman@earthink.net or Flavius Crispus at Palladium@aol.com . Exiqua pars est vitae quam nos vivimus.

Volume I, no. II. Junius AD 2002 / AUC 2755

FOOD AND FITNESS THE ROMAN WAY

Ricotta cheese 8oz

ARMS AND THE MAN

By Flavius Crispus

By Flavius Crispus