Silver Roman Dagger

Senior non-commissioned officers were called centurions, who varied greatly in rank. The soldiers of the legion were picked men: They were all Roman citizens and received a higher pay than the auxiliary troops - that is, foreigners who serve with the Roman army. A legion consisted of heavily armoured infantry (foot soldiers). The Roman infantry became a feared force, well disciplined and well trained. Cavalry was supplied by the auxiliaries (second line troops) and was organized mainly in units 500 strong. One was the camp commandant, who was responsible for the organization of the camp. The Romans were very careful about their camps - no Roman army halted for a single night without digging a trenches and fortifying its camp. Each soldier took his share in establishing the camp and striking the camp the next day. The engineers also had to build the moveable towers that were used in sieges - the Roman soldiers went up inside these towers so that they could see over the walls of a fortified place and shoot their stones and arrows into it. The Roman soldiers won their battles just as much from their staying - power as by their courage. This Roman dagger has a 9 ¾” stainless steel blade and measures 16” overall.