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Sometimes, a sash-like band of material was wound around the waist and worn under the belt and cingulum when the armor is not worn. If worn, this band should be approximately five inches wide and at least three feet long, and should definitely be visible under the belt.

The debate in the world of Roman reconstructionists as to tunic color is considerable. Historians studying the scanty available evidence have tended to favor either red or the off-white of undyed wool as the standard color* (a few think there was no "uniform" color at all). The most extensive study thus far is by Graham Sumner in his book Roman Military Clothing Part I (Osprey, 2002). His array of evidence suggests that the average Roman legionary possessed at least two tunics-- a red one for wear under his armor, and an undyed white or off-white tunic for all other occasions. Centurions and senior officers may have worn white tunics with either a narrow (equestrian) or wide (senatorial) stripe along the hem, depending on their societal status. Legio VI has adopted this approach as our standard.  The color of the Legio VI Victrix tunic for a standard miles (line legionary) is dark red of a properly subdued shade. It should be noted that bright, vibrant colors were considerably more expensive to produce in ancient times. Your tunic must be approved by the authenticity officer prior to wear, to avoid any obvious discrepancies that might compromise the look of the unit. The use of clavii, vertical stripes woven into the tunic, usually in pairs, was apparently not restricted to senators as once thought. They are not to be worn on the red military tunic, but may be worn on off-duty tunics.

The material must be either linen, wool, or a suitably rustic-looking blend of the two; no cottons or synthetics are allowed, as these materials either did not exist or were not in use by the Roman army.

1) Cut two rectangles of cloth. The size will vary according to the size of the legionary.

a) For a larger person with a chest of 46“, the measurements will be: 39” across by 45” long.

b) For a smaller person with a chest of 40”, the measurements will be: 37” across by 42” long. Adjust these measurements to your own size. (Note: reenactors invariably make their first tunics closer to a sundress than to the actual garment… most are shocked when they make a real one and find out how baggy it is! Worn properly, however, you’ll soon get over this.)

2) Sew the shoulder seams first, from the arm hole inward towards the neck. Leave the center ten-twelve inches undone; this will be the neck hole.

a) When sewing, hold the two pieces of cloth against one another, then sew a half-inch below the edge. Do this for all of your seams. When finished, pull the tunic inside out, so that all of these edges are on the inside. This is how it is worn.

b) If your material has a selvedge, use this as the top side of the tunic. This way the neck will have a naturally finished edge, and a neater appearance. This is how the Romans sewed their tunics, with the selvedge at the neck.

3) Now go to each side. Measure down twelve inches, and begin sewing down towards the bottom. Do this to each side,leaving the last inch unsewn.

4) Now fold the bottom edge over (towards you, not inward). Fold up about one inch, then sew across the bottom edge, creating a hem that will not unravel.

5) Pull tunic inside out, iron once initially if necessary. You may finish the open edges or not; I leave mine unfinished because I like the effect.

* In our earliest incarnation, Legio VI employed neither red nor white, but a primrose yellow tunic. This is why earlier images of our unit show legionaries clad in what appear to be slightly dingy white or pale yellow tunics. We had based this decision on a tidbit of information that suggested Julius Caesar's Legio VI may have ordered several amphorae of yellow dye while based in Alexandria, Egypt. It wasn't too great a leap of logic to imagine that the dye may have been used for tunics. With the publication of Sumner's book in late 2002, Legio VI's membership voted to switch to the red / white tunic combination. If nothing else, this demonstrates our willingness to change our standards to suit new evidence or scholarly consensus!
 

While there is evidence supporting the use of socks by the Romans, it is of a very particular type of sock. And one, frankly, that modern reenactors almost never get right! The Roman sock typically was stitched together from a pattern, not knitted as modern socks are. Often it had no toe or heel section, and only a half inch of material at most was visible above the boot top. Socks would, of course, be cumbersome to troops on the march, who wore footwear that facilitated easy draining of water and fast drying properties. The sock would negate these valuable abilities. Consequently, they are generally not worn by our legion.

The Roman military belt (balteus), with its studded hanging apron (cingulum), was the proud mark of a soldier in or out of uniform, and many legionaries spent lavishly on embellishing their belts. The purpose of the apron is something of a mystery: While often described as a "groin guard," it certainly provides no real protection for this area and studded straps swinging between one's legs could even be considered something of an added danger. Probably the jingling sound produced by the dangling pendants became another mark of a soldier, a la the jingling spurs of a gunslinger in the Old West. At left, Doug Kihn of Legio VI models a nicely silvered balteus with a proper second century-length cingulum.

Another function of the belt is to hold the soldier's tertiary weapon (after pilum and gladius), the dagger (pugio). This was usually suspended from a pair of "frogs," or large, hinged studs, on the soldier's left side.

The most common belt plates of the late first century show a simple pattern of concentric circles, or a domed boss surrounded by one or more raised circles. Belt plates are invariably made of brass or bronze; however, many if not most of these seemed to have been tinned to give them a silvery appearance. The legionary’s belt began to take on a different look after AD 130. Open-work belt plates began appearing, and by AD 160, the width gradually diminished back down to just over an inch (from its first century high of about two inches). At right is Dave Michaels' beautiful balteus, which uses openwork plates of silvered brass based on an actual belt plate found in Britain (click on the image for a bigger photo). Note the disc-shaped dagger frogs and the crescent-shaped cingulum pendants. The openwork plates were water-cut on a special jig out of sheet brass; each plate was then filed, buffed and tinned using solder paste. (These belt plates will soon be available for purchase on our Camp Store page.) The buckle and frogs are from HR Replikate in Germany. The cingulum studs and pendants are from Albion Armorers, modified by silvering and punchwork.  Matt Amt's suggestions for making a balteus can be found HERE. Remember, the cingulums shown on these examples are the first century variety! For second century aprons, see below.

The legionary’s studded apron originally extended nearly to the hem of his tunic. However, it became much shorter after 100 AD. In some cases, it seems barely longer than three times the width of the belt!  This is most evident on Trajan’s Column. It does appear in several instances that the cingulum may have been “wrapped” around the belt itself, producing an extremely short appearance; perhaps this was a battlefield expedient. Consequently, a rule of thumb in Legio VI Victrix is that the cingulum cannot extend more than 12 inches in length, with 8-10 inches considered optimal.
 

Period underwear is preferable. The Roman loincloth or subligarium seems to have consisted of a rectangular strip of soft cloth with a narrower strip of cloth attached crosswise at one end, forming a "belt." The "belt" was tied around the waist, and the rectangle was passed between the legs from behind and pulled up under and over the top of the belt in front. However, we understand if reenactors would rather go with something a bit less, um, diaper-like. If modern underwear is worn, we recommend it be the type known as "briefs" as opposed to "boxers." Invariably a gust of wind will bellow out the tunic momentarily, and boxers will be clearly visible, whereas briefs will not. Trust us on this one.
 

The scarf came into use when the lorica segmentata was introduced in the last years of the first century BC. It helped protect the soldier's neck and upper shoulder area from being chafed by the armor plates and, as we have learned from reenactment, by the baldric strap supporting the sword (which can easily bite into your neck if you're not wearing a scarf!). The neck scarf can be rectangular or triangular in shape, and in any [fairly dull] color. Legionaries wear it tucked into the armor; auxiliaries wear theirs knotted and outside their (ring mail) armor.
 

Hair length should generally be kept above the shoulder or shorter. There is no evidence of legionaries with long, flowing locks (however dashing it may look to the modern eye). If a member chooses to wear his/her hair longer, then it must be kept out of sight as much as possible. A pony-tail, smartly-tied and tucked down into the tunic/armor works best in photos, as demonstrated by Ron Glass at right. Unnatural colors are forbidden.

Eyeglasses are naturally a problem, as they “blow the look” rather completely, yet are required for seeing properly. Members are strongly encouraged to wear contact lenses, at least for the duration of the event, or participate in a vision restoration program (RK, PRK, vision training). Regardless, eyeglasses are not to be worn at any time for photographs.

Jewelry should be kept to what was evident in the Roman world. Finger rings, wrist rings, and necklaces, in bone, brass, copper, or bronze, in any of the many styles evident at that time, are authorized. The Celtic world provided many intricate patterns of jewelry that were copied by the Romans, and some Celtic and/or Germanic motifs were creeping into soldierly accoutrement by the mid-second century AD, particularly in items such as cloak brooches and belt plates. Earrings (for men) or other types of piercings (nose, cheek or eyebrow studs, etc.) are not allowed to be worn at events unless evidence for them can be established and proven to the Optio's satisfaction. As tattoos were worn by many Celts, we do not rule out their use with Legio VI; however, any visible tattoos should have an appropriately period look, or else should be covered up in some way.