One of the best parts of my Masters was the forensic archaeology course; although I did get a clip around the ear when I was asked what a particular bone was and I said toe.

Cheers

Baaa

Indeed there is no such bone.

I know that now.

Cheers

Baaa

I can follow you logic that they might not have wanted to spend too much on the die, except the compared to the soldier's other war gear the cost of a died tunic is pretty small.

Hang on, hang on.

You mean to say that Starz's Spartacus is not historically accurate? You're telling me that gladiators didn't speak with Aussie and Kiwi accents.

My world just came crashing down.

The thing is though all the other equipment of lets say the smallest (non tactical) grouping of legionaries... a contubernium; well all of its expenditure/cost including its tentage, cooking gear... even its mule is necessary to keep them in the field.

Dying tunics for *every* legionary would have just been a frivolous expense and on the large scale of things cost a fortune... a fortune that could be spent on more necessary logistics like food, drink and repairing arms and armour.

Having a 'colour' for your army to distinguish who was who was less of an issue in those days.. you were the guys wearing some semblance of a uniform and marching in formation.. the bad guys were the beardy smelly ones charging at you with funny hair cuts. (from a roman perspective)

I'd also have thought that the realities of campaigining would mean you would at some point wear your tunic/shirt ragged and have to locally supply one. Again, its going to be a lot easier to gets ones in white, brown or black wool.

Or in some cases it was the roman guys in armor against the ravening barabarians with no clothes on!

Ah that was that charming belief that shields and armour were for 'girls' who were scared of dying

(i actually know there was a little more to it than that)

Yup, no chance of cloth fibers or chainlinks being pressed into the wound and thus cousing infection.