Roman Velite
Early Republic

Light infantry or skirmisher of the Republican Roman army, based on a description by Polybius. Prior to the Marian era reforms which abolished the various troop classes of the Roman legion, 40 of these velites were attached to each maniple. They came from the lower class of Roman citizens who could not afford the armour and equipment of the higher classes. His primary weapons were the light throwing javelins, with as many as seven sometimes being carried and approximately four feet in length.  By Polybius’ time, the famous gladius hispanicus would have been in common use, though the use of older Greek-style swords would not have been uncommon. His shield was round and three feet in diameter, made of wood or wicker and covered with hide, with a spindle boss.

At the end of the second century BC, Marius reformed the legions, eliminating the velites and the tiarii and equipping the legions with the classic long-shanked pilium - this then characterised the Roman legionaries for more or less the next 350 years. The role of the velites was then filled by the various auxiliaries and allies from throughout the empire.

Polybius stated that the velites sometimes wore pieces of animal skin on their helmets so that their centurions could judge from a distance how well they fought. This has been interpreted as the wearing of complete animal pelts, [as in standard bearers] usually of a bear or wolf, as portrayed with our bust, though this may not have necessarily been the case. However the wearing of animal pelts during the Principate could very well have been a continuation of a tradition begun by the velites of the early republic.

Our Velite is typical of the light skirmisher troop types of the early Roman Republican period. He is wearing an Attic helmet which was quite common for the period, on top of which he wears a wolf skin pelt. The only unusual aspect of this bust is that he is wearing his tunic in the Greek style, which is the sculptor’s (mine) own personal choice, making for an unusual but original character. Nonetheless that would not have been too out of place for the period in question. There are in fact depictions of this on Trajan’s Column albeit not of a velite nor the period being covered here. A wide neck allowed it to fall from one shoulder, allowing for greater freedom of movement. It could be closed by tying a knot at the back of the neck. As skirmishers, velites would have relied on speed and ease of movement operating to the front of the army and at the forefront of most major engagements. Subsequently, it would probably have been quite popular to wear the tunic in this fashion. Anyone who has experienced the hot summer Mediterranean climate would probably agree, bearing in mind too the fact that the early Roman period was strongly influenced by its Greek neighbours, which makes this more of a probability than not.

There is a traditional notion that Romans wore red tunics – however there is increased evidence to suggest that in the earlier period to around the 3rd century AD, white tunics were the standard colour, with only the centurions wearing red ones in order to stand out. Wool would come in various shades from a light beige to brown.

With regard to the wolf skin, dark shades of grey  interspersed with lighter and darker greys would capture the Iberian and Apennine wolf breeds - please refer to the pictures here.

References: Republican Roman Army 200-104 BC, Nick Sekunda, Osprey Publishing(Men-at-Arms 29) 1996; The Roman Legions, Daniel Petersen, The Crowood Press 1992; Roman Military Clothing (1) 100 BC - AD 200, Graham Sumner, Osprey Publishing (Men-at-Arms 374) 2002; Roman Military Clothing (2) AD 200-400, Graham Sumner, Osprey Publishing (Men-at-Arms 390) 2003; Greece and Rome at War, Peter Connolly, Greenhill Books 1998.