AD SIGNA!
“To The Standards!”
The Publication of the Sixth Legion Victrix.
Volume I, no. III.
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the third issue of Ad Signa (“To the Standards!”), the publication of Legio VI Victrix. Due to logistical considerations, we’ve decided to make Ad Signa a twofold enterprise: A lengthy quarterly edition, with full-scale reports and write-ups of our activities as well as articles and reviews, and a monthly Newsletter that will provide a calendar of upcoming events and announcements. This is the quarterly edition. Enjoy!
Upcoming Events:
2002
October 26 (Saturday) – A program on “Roman Military Technology in a Modern World” for the fall meeting of the California Classical Association-South. Gaius Manilius is slated to do most of the talking; Flavius will do his slide show; other legionaries are welcome to provide support. Time: 1:30 p.m. Location: Garland Theater, Polytechnic School, Pasadena. From Los Angeles, take the 10 east to the 110 north into Pasadena until the freeway becomes Arroyo Blvd. Right on California Blvd. Right on Wilson. The Garland Theater is at Cornell Road and Wilson.
October 27 (Sunday) -- "Soft fabricum" at home of Drusus Caelius Salto, (Doug Kihn), 2017 Butler Avenue, West L.A. Noon-4 p.m. Work on clothing (tunics, etc.), footwear and other fabric and/or leather items. Call 310-477-1684 or email swingdancer@earthlink.net for directions.
November 3 (Sunday) -- 11am: Ceremonies in honor of Jupiter conducted by Temple of Religio Romana in Tustin. All with an interest in things Roman are encouraged to attend. For exact location and other details, contact Octavia at romancivis@aol.com
November 7 (Thursday) – Educational program at La Mesa Middle School, Valencia, CA. Time: 1 p.m. Location: Multipurpose room, La Mesa Middle School. This will be similar to the Classical Association gig; Flavius Crispus will do the lecturing, but at least one or two other legionaries will be needed to provide backup. We’ll meet at Flavius’ place in Valencia around 1 p.m. and carpool to the school.
November 9 or 16 (Saturday) -- Monthly fabricum at home of Caius Manilius, Praefectus Castrorum. Exact date and details TBA.
November 17 (Sunday) -- Monthly hike at Griffith Park. Meet at 9 a.m. in Griffith Observatory parking lot. Roman military kit or other period clothing encouraged, but not required. Bring the whole family!
November 24 (Sunday) -- Soft fabricum at Drusus' place, details as in October 27 entry.
December 6 (Friday) – Educational program for the Biblical American Archaeology Institute in Monrovia. Time, exact location and details TBA.
December 14 (Saturday) – Saturnalia party at home of T. Flavius Crispus, 27039 Edgewater, Valencia. The fun starts at 5 p.m. Period clothing with a whimsical edge encouraged.
2003
July 5-7 (Friday-Sunday) -- Old Fort MacArthur Days, Fort MacArthur Museum, San Pedro, CA. The biggest multi-period military timeline event on the West Coast (read the After Action report on this year's event). We have already put in a request for a much expanded encampment for next year, and will establish a checklist of needed items. This event will be our yearly target for upgrading and improving our encampment and impression.
After Action Reports:
Old Fort MacArthur Days
San Pedro, CA, July 6-7, 2002.
By T. Flavius Crispus
The weekend after the Fourth of July witnessed the grandest military reenactment event ever attended by this reporter, as well as the official debut of Legio VI Victrix on the reenactor circuit.
Fort MacArthur, located on a picturesque cliff overlooking San Pedro harbor, defended the Los Angeles coastline between 1914 and 1974. It was turned into a museum in 1985 and hosts a marvelous collection of weaponry from Civil War cannon to Nike Ajax missiles. It also boasts a large grassy enclosure perfect for setting up encampments like the annual Old Fort MacArthur Days, a multi-period timeline event depicting soldiers from the ancient world through Operation Enduring Freedom. Along with our fraters Legio IX Hispana, Legio VI provided the “opening act” for this fabulous pageant.
Arriving early Saturday morning, our beloved Praefectus Castrorum, Gaius Manilius, Flavius Crispus and Flavius’ 12-year-old daughter Alexandra set up the spanking-new encampment, consisting of our new contuburnium tent (read about it in the PC’s article), a series of fearsome-looking palisade stakes (sudes) arranged like giant caltrops around the perimeter, and, of course, the lovely charging bull vexillum. Drusus Salto arrived a short time later, giving us an opening day continent of three combatants and one female civilian. Setting up the camp made us a little late for the opening ceremonies, but we joined Legio IX at the conclusion for a sprightly march winding through the awe-inspiring encampments of WWI and II, Civil War, Rev War, Medieval and even Viking reenactment units on the way back to our own campsites, located at the base of a grassy hill. Since the Romans were the earliest units represented (and certainly the grand mater of all civilized armies since), Legios VI and IX got to lead the way in a literal “march through history.”
Crowds of spectators wandered through the encampments as the day progressed (paid attendance for both days was an astonishing 5,000, according to the organizers!). Since Legio VI’s camp was located near the base of the hill at the very beginning of the timeline, many spectators clustered around our tent to listen enthralled as Gaius, Flavius and Drusus described the history, equipment and training of the greatest army (and civilizing force) of all time. Around mid-afternoon, we marched over to Legio IX’s nearby encampment to participate in a joint tactical demo. Legio IX’s centurion Hibernicus (Sean Richards) provided expert commentary as an impressive array of more than a dozen legionaries demonstrated Roman fighting tactics and formations, including a rather ragged testudo (still not bad considering we hadn’t practiced it beforehand). Afterward, we headed off to a pilum range set up by Legio IX and honed our skill by heaving pila at a pair of burlap targets. Alexandra, meanwhile, occupied herself by alternately portraying a slave girl and haunting the other encampments, particularly those with horses…
Even the weather cooperated, providing cloudless, sunny days combined with cool ocean breezes. Towering old trees provided plenty of shade, and we brought along a nice selection of period food—nuts, dates, beefstick, white grape juice, and the like—to make things complete.
A delegation from the Temple Religio Romana, a group dedicated to the revival of Roman religious customs, arrived in the early afternoon at Drusus’ invitation and spent a few hours visiting and taking notes. They seemed quite impressed at our setup (and that of Legio IX), and made tentative plans to join us at future events.
We passed a mellow evening, hanging out with our Legio IX brothers in their very impressive encampment. While Drusus departed for a swing-dancing date, Gaius, Flavius and Alexandra bedded down in the tent—quite a breezy affair, since it as yet lacks ends! But the perfect weather and good company made for a good night’s sleep.
Early the following morning, Gaius and Flavius represented Legio VI in the opening parade, where ribbons were handed out for participation and excellence in various categories. The 14th Century reenactment group Red Company won a well-deserved first place in the “Ancient and Medieval” division (watch out for us next year, though!) The arrival of Drusus and Postumus Scaevola at midmorning brought our total strength to four (half a contuburnium), and made for some lively tactical demos as the day progressed. We were also able to break away from time to time and watch some of the other groups go through their paces. A big “wow” was the Spanish-American War society’s restaging of the Battle of San Juan Hill, complete with an 1876-vintage Gattling gun cutting loose at the crucial moment!
In short, this was one fabulous weekend for all concerned, and we all packed up and left Old Fort MacArthur Days on a definite high. None of those who participated can wait for next year, when Legio VI’s numbers will undoubtedly be greater and our display even more impressive. Next year, that coveted colored ribbon will be ours. ROMA INVICTA!
Mail Call with R. Lee Ermey
Santa Clarita, CA. August 16.
Thanks to our appearance at Fort MacArthur, Legio VI landed a prime spot on the History Channel program Mail Call, hosted by R. Lee Ermey, drill sergeant par excellance of “Full Metal Jacket” and “Stripes” fame. Seems a producer for the program witnessed one of our impressive demonstrations at Ft. Mac and decided we’d be the perfect outfit to instruct Sgt. Ermey in the use of the “Roman secret weapon,” the pilum.
“Mail Call,” which has a prime Saturday night time slot on the History Channel, is a write-in program on military matters, many of them historical. Viewers write in their questions to the show’s producers, and Ermey spends all or part of a segment trundling around in a time-traveling Jeep to answer them.
Gaius Manilius Magnus, aka Caius Man, our beloved PC, served as point man, with support from Flavius Crispus (Dave Michaels) and Postumus Scaevola (Ron Glass). Conveniently, the crew chose a scenic, undeveloped area in the Santa Clarita Valley for the shoot. We showed up at noon and were treated to a nice catered lunch while the crew plotted the day’s sequence of shots.
After lunch, we set up Legio VI’s encampment (tent, palisade stakes and all), and got kitted up. The producers provided a “target”—a bunch of planks held together with two-by-fours. Finally, the star of the show put in his appearance, dressed in his trademark green fatigues and gunny sergeant cap. Though on-camera he speaks in a string of drill sergeant jargon (“Wipe that smile of your face! Let me here you’re war cry! You call that a war cry? ARAAGHHH! That’s a war cry!”), when the cameras were off, Mr. Ermey was quite a personable fellow and seemed genuinely interested in our gear, encampment, and Roman stuff in general. When the cameras started rolling, Gaius Manilius gave Mr. Ermey a tutorial in Roman arms and equipment, including the proper use of the dreaded pilum, while Flavius and Postumus stood guard over the campsite, modeled their gear and provided the visuals for Gaius’ commentary. The highlight of the afternoon came when the good sergeant donned a tunic, squeezed himself into one of our loricae, and joined Caius in chucking pila at the target. He scored a direct hit on his first toss and achieved a full penetration on the third—not bad for a gunny past retirement age!
Post scriptum: The program officially aired September 8. Our segment was edited down to about 8 minutes of tight, compelling television. The camp and gear looked great, Gaius Manilius sounded informed and confident, and overall, our appearance was quite a triumph! As Sgt. Ermey might say, BUUU-RAH!
A SOJOURN TO BRITANNIA
Nothing beats making friends and connections in distant places, and a recent business trip to London provided this soldier with an opportunity to do just that. Not only did I get to visit two great cities of Roman Britain, Londinium and Camulodunum, I was also given the imperial treatment by two wonderful natives of Britannia—Mark Martin of the Colchester Roman Society and his lovely ladyfriend, Cora.
Since my trip was called on rather short notice, I sent an “I’m coming over” email to several British Roman reenactment units, including the CRS, which depicts a cohort of Roman auxiliaries, Coh. I Vardullorum Millaria, stationed in Camulodunum ca. AD 70. A link to their website is here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mark.martin/CRS/index.html
I didn’t really expect an answer, particular since this was also the week of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and, more importantly, the opening weekend of the World Cup, but Mark replied almost immediately and said might be making a visit to the British Museum that same weekend, providing an opportunity for us to meet.
After another exchange of emails and a bout of cellular telephone tag, I went to the British Museum on the appointed day. Again, I was a little unsure of how I’d meet up with Mark and Cora, since I had no idea what they looked like. I went straight to the Roman Britain galleries and spent an hour or so poring over cases chock full of fascinating artifacts. These included many displays of military gear—helmets, weapons, belt plates and the like, including the famous “sword of Tiberius,” a Mainz-style gladius with a gorgeously decorated (and well-preserved) scabbard.
While I was so engaged, a bearded and bespectacled chap in black jeans and shirt approached me and said, “excuse me, but are you Dave Michaels?” This was indeed Mark, with Cora by his side. After exchanging pleasantries and marveling over some of the displays, we retired to the BM’s new enclosed courtyard for a bite to eat. Mark produced some superbly crafted belt fittings and assorted knicknacks, made by a CRS member Mark identified as “Nodge,” which he proceeded to sell me at very fair prices. We made arrangements for me to visit Colchester the following day and parted company.
Sunday dawned sunny and warm, one of the nicest days I’ve seen in Britain, and the one-hour train ride from Liverpool station was a positive joy. As promised, Mark and Cora met me at Colchester station and took me on a driving-walking tour of their town, which happened to be the first large Roman colony in Britain following the Claudian invasion of AD 44. Starting out life as a loose Celtic settlement, Colchester got its name from the famous King Coel (Ol’ King Cole himself). The “chester” part is from the Latin “castra,” or military camp. In any case, after taking control of the site, the Romans wasted little time in making it into a proper colony, complete with a broad forum and a massive temple to the Divine Claudius at its center. Unfortunately, the city’s burgeoning growth was interrupted by the revolt of Queen Boudicca in AD 61. As Boudicca’s rebel hordes descended on the city, the townspeople, mostly retired legionaries and their families, took refuge in the unfinished Temple of Claudius and held out for several days before the Celtic barbs set fire to the temple and slaughtered every Roman soul. (Of course, we all know how Bouddica ended up learning the hard way that it’s not nice to get the legions riled up at you!)
Colchester was rebuilt, this time with a proper defensive wall, and remained a fairly thriving city for the rest of the Roman occupation, albeit somewhat in the shadow of nearby Londinium. Mark and Cora took me first to the Museum of Colchester, which occupies a massive Norman castle built atop the foundations of—you guessed it! – the Temple of Divine Claudius. This place is heaven for Romanophiles, as probably half of all the exhibits are devoted to the city’s Roman phase. And because Colchester started out life as a legionary camp, many of the displays and artifacts are military. Kids and adults are even invited to don some reenactor gear—a lorica hamata and Imperial Gallic helmet, just to get an idea of what all that gear weighed. There is a fairly dramatic full-scale diorama of a legionary in a lorica segmentata battling a Celt in mail. One of the most interesting displays is an Imperial Gallic G helmet restored from scorched fragments found on the temple site; apparently its owner got killed in Boudicca’s little fracas and left his helmet to posterity. If you find yourself at the museum, be sure to take the underground tour, which takes you deep under the castle into the dank vaults, made of original Roman stonework, which formed the foundation of the Temple of Claudius.
After the museum and a bite to eat, Mark took me back to his place, where I got to handle and try on some of Coh. I’s very impressive gear. Mark even let me squeeze into his beautiful scale armor cuirass, which proved more difficult to get off than to put on, owing to my head being a little big for the neck opening. Finally, we paid a visit to the ruins of a Norman abbey which looked oddly familiar. “I thought it would,” Mark said, producing a copy of Dan Peterson’s “The Roman Legions Recreated in Full Color Photographs,” the book that launched Roman reenacting as a widespread movement. Turns out this very abbey is where Dan and the rest of his Legio XIV GMV posed the unit picture in the back of the book. “That’s me there, in the back corner,” he added, pointing to a figure in auxiliary garb in the photo. Lucky dog!
We concluded the day with a visit to an archaeological park on the outskirts of ancient Colchester, the site of a temple complex that has been lightly sketched out on the ground. The fun thing is, anyone can walk around the site and trace the boundaries of the ancient buildings, which included a small amphitheater. As only minor excavation has yet been done on the site, a close look at the ground turned up pottery shards, bits of roof tile, and other bits and pieces dating back to Roman times. I used to think Roman legionaries must have detested being sent off to the cold climes of Britannia, but standing in the middle of this idyllic, grassy field, with the late afternoon sunlight slanting down on us, I got an entirely different perception.
So there you have it, eighteen centuries of history telescoped into a single, delightful afternoon. My thanks to Mark Martin, to his lovely ladyfriend Cora, and all our brothers and sisters of the Colchester Roman Society. Let’s do it again, the sooner the better!
ROMAN REENACTOR MACELLUM
We’ve made a remarkable number of acquisitions on the armor and weapons front in recent months. These include two new Corbridge A-style lorica segmentatae, one from Albion Armorers and one from Legionary Armories; a nifty new Deepeeka pugio from the latter, and a lorica hamata (chain mail shirt) from Arms of Valour. Here are brief reviews on the two Corbridge loricas:
Albion Lorica Segmentata: At $500, this is one of the pricier off-the-shelf loricas on the market (but let us count our blessings: my Newstead lorica cost me $700 nine years ago and took more than a year to custom make for me). Made by International Steelcrafts in India, Albion loricas come in four sizes: Small (chest size 38 or smaller), medium (size 42-46); large (approx. size 46-48), and extra large (50 or larger). I take a size 42, but Albion did not have any medium cuirasses in stock. Rationalizing that we wanted the cuirass to be usable by some of our bigger legionaries, I ordered a large. Since we hoped to use it for the Lee Ermey shoot, we asked for it to be shipped UPS third day. It arrived two days later in a big cardboard box.
The lorica was in pieces, of course, stuffed in a few big plastic bags which emitted a weird, musty solvent smell when opened. The pieces had a light film of grease over them; rust had taken hold in a couple of spots, but overall the condition was fine. Oddly, the inside of the lorica was painted a rust red color; one half of the cuirass had apparently been painted over the grease, as the paint practically wiped off on my hands. The fittings—hinges, buckles, florate bosses, etc.—all looked first-rate. The lorica went together without difficulty. The fit was loose, particularly in the girdle section, not surprising considering it was one size too large for me. (Gaius Manilius later partially remedied this by modifying the cuirass slightly to allow more overlap in the girdle plates). There were a few rather jagged edges here and there, which had to be filed down, and the leather straps seemed a little beat up. Overall, however, the piece is quite satisfactory and looks quite impressive on the body. My only quibbles are: (a) The kit does not include leather ties for the front and back (come on, guys, $500 for a cuirass and you can’t throw in a few leather ties?); the rather poor inside paint job on half the cuirass. Yeah, it’s expensive, but well worth it if you want a nice, accurate lorica and don’t have the wherewithal to make one yourself.
Legionary Armories Lorica: This unit is produced in India under contract by Legionary Armories, an outfit run by legionary reenactor Rusty Myers (Justus Rustius Longinus) of Legio VI Ferrata in Hanahan, SC. The Legionary Armories website can be reached here:
http://legvi.tripod.com/armamentarium/
As Justus readily admits, the lorica we obtained was part of the initial batch and had a few unspecified problems. Hence he was selling them for $200. From the photos on the site, the lorica looked to be pretty accurate, and the price seemed too good to pass up.
Out of the box, the LA lorica actually makes about as good an impression as the (2 1/2 times more expensive) Albion lorica. However, the problems became apparent as soon as we tried to fit the various pieces together. The lorica is supposed to be “one size fits most” with a median chest size of around 42. The collar section is about right on this basis; the girdle section, however, is HUGE, seemingly made for someone with a size 45-50 waist. Furthermore, all the plates were curiously formed, having far too much “bend” in them: Attempting to put the right and left girdle sections together produced not an "O," but something like a figure 8. Since the plates are made of 18 gauge mild steel, they were easily straightened out. However, the disparity between the shoulder-chest and girdle sections is so great the whole thing can barely be fitted together. On balance, we decided that $200 was still a price for a complete lorica, even if we considered it as "raw material" from which to make a proper segmentata, particularly since the overall impression of the hinges, bosses, plates, leather etc. is quite good. (Sean Richards RLQM charges more than $300 for a disassembled kit). We’re now in the process of modifying the girdle section by cutting the plates way down and moving the brass fittings to the proper places. So far, so good. We’ll let our readers know how this whole experiment comes out.