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The sling thrower with all the rocks being supported with the left arm, that seems really tiresome.
I imagine a pouch hanging from the belt or maybe over the shoulder would be more sustainable. I wonder what the advantages in having it attach the left arm that you also are holding a shield with?
Not sure what the reason is, but I imagine there must be some advantage. Speed of reloading, maybe?
Note that while ranged troops are included here as auxiliaries, the front lines still consist of troops equipped as heavy infantry. While we sometimes think of the auxiliaries as distinct in appearance, the truth is that in most cases, auxiliary (provincial) troops would have been equipped, and fought, largely like their legionary (citizen) counterparts. One notable feature distinguishing them - at least in official Roman propaganda depictions - is that only legionaries are depicted with the rectangular scutum and lorica segmentata that we associate so strongly with Rome, while auxiliaries hold the oval shield depicted here and are shown wearing chainmail and scale (in reality worn by both auxiliaries and legionaries, as the situation demanded).
Methinks they’ve had some hamberders.
If you’re referring to their less-than-slender look, that’s because armor is rather unflattering.
First there’s a layer of padding, called the subarmalis, basically the same as a medieval gambeson. Thick padded linen or leather that adds quite a bit of girth.
Then a lorica hamata/chainmail over the top, but to make that not dangle off of your shoulder, you strap it tight around the waist with a belt. Doing that and being to move around means you have to sort of let the top dangle over the belt a little.
That creates a very unflattering potbelly look, so you don’t see it a lot in media, but that IS how it works best
