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A warrior would have had a helmet (300386) and sometimes a mail shirt (300170), but always a large round shield (801108). This was most often slung on the back when fighting with a spear or two hand axes (600642). The form of fighting with a shield was very open and swift and anything was fair play. Thought of as a defensive tool, it was actually used as an offensive weapon with devastating effectiveness. When holding the sword and shield an indi...

As for their sidearm, the Roman soldier was never far from his trusty short sword, the gladius (500360). The gladius was normally worn on a baldric (200368) and slung over the shoulder to hang across the body on the opposite hip. History shows us most were worn on the right hip for a pull draw as opposed to a cross draw as this type of draw was impeded by the scutum. There were several patterns of gladius and it was not unusual for mixed types to...

They did not fight as one individual which was often the case with other armies, but as one unit combining strengths of the majority. This allowed them to stand tall in the face of adversity when other military units would fall apart. The Spartan battle tactic centered on a close rank advance that few could stand against. A toughened Spartan unit with no fear, standing shoulder to shoulder was an unnerving sight to behold. The advance was...