Caesars pride and joy
“Veni - Vidi - Vici!”
By this exclamation the most famous strategist of Rome finalized his conquest and restructuring of Roman society. But would he have been able to utter this remark “I came, I saw, I won” if he hadn’t had more than 60.000 men in almost a dozen legions at his disposal? He - that was a not-so-young man by the name Gaius Julius Caesar, on the peak of a career as politician and general. But he depended on the fighting spirits and value of the Roman legion as well as on its legendary discipline in order to bring the Roman empire to the fame which we still hear of today, as a mainstay in history.
With the kit “veni vidi vici” you will be able to recapture the past and the glory of the Roman legion - right before the eyes of your audience.
Legionnaires - unique personalities in great number
The model kit Roman legion lets you witness a moment in the glorious days of Rome. Though the Roman soldiers had been continuously successful before that, although not always, the military reforms of Marius and the spirited leadership of generals like Caesar enabled them to reach an efficiency to such extent they could help build one of the greatest empires of all times.
The four legionnaires included in our kit show different types of soldiers and positions in command structure: besides two plain foot soldiers in classical combat equipment there is a commanding Centurio (officer) and a Signifer (standard-bearer) holding the standard of his formation, with the spectacular wolfshead worn on the helmet (others had bear or lion-skins). The details of the kit speak for themselves:
- 10 colored card boards sized 30 x 21 centimeters
- Four figures 9 to 13 centimeters tall
- self-explaining instructions for assembling the kit
- suitable for children, 6 years and older
A hard life - always on the move
Life as a Roman legionnaire wasn’t easy at all but full of hardships. Each man had to carry about twenty kilograms as his field pack, donkeys carried additional load belonging to each group of four legionnaires. This went on for 25 years before they could call themselves veterans and, beginning with the time when Caesar was commanding, thereafter they gained the right to receive a piece of land and Roman citizenship (if they were foreigners in service of Rome). This was exactly what they longed to receive, because else it was impossible for people from conquered nations to earn the special privileges of being a true ‘Roman’ by title.
Part of the heavy pack included weapons and armor; each legionnaire had one or two javelins (Pila) with him which according to the standard tactical procedure were to open the battle by being tossed at the opponents. Furthermore they carried a rectangular large shield and a short thrusting sword, the Gladius. His protection consisted of a metal armor which could weigh about twenty kilograms alone.
The Roman legion for your home
The four Roman legionnaires of this set are the perfect educational material for history lessons at school. Retell the history of ancient Rome in a special and unusual way and repeat for yourself the famous saying by Caesar: I came, I saw, I won!
Historicals from Forum Traiani ®
