Sagittarius
Sagittarius is Latin for an archer, from sagitta, “arrow”. It describes a weapon and function, not a particular citizenship class. Archers served in auxiliary formations; recruitment and status depended on date and unit.
Tombstones, reliefs and finds of bows and their components provide evidence. Trajan’s Column represents only some possible appearances. Archaeological evidence is not absent, nor was every archer equipped identically.
Protection could include mail, scale armour and a helmet. Tall and conical helmets are associated with some archer impressions, but are not the only compulsory form. Examples from the Anchialus area and Đakovo, discussed in Russell Robinson’s classification, carry divine figures; each object’s date and function require separate assessment.
Helmet type Auxiliary Infantry D. Karagacha,Bulgaria. It is kept in the Sofia Archaeological Museum. Late 1st century AD
Helmet type Auxiliary Infantry D. Karagacha,Bulgaria. It is kept in the Sofia Archaeological Museum. Late 1st century AD
Auxiliary Infantry D helmet. Bronze. Djakovo,Croatia. 2nd century ADAccording to pictorial sources, helmets of this type with an elongated dome are excellent for equipping some archer impressions, although not every archer is shown with this helmet form, which differ in shape from classical Roman ones. Interestingly, the same helmet shape is also found in gladiators-sagittarii. Another example of this type of helmet is an Intercisa helmet. The helmet, which is kept in the Museum of Dunaújváros, was recovered from the Danube during dredging operations on the territory of Dunaújváros, in the immediate vicinity of the military camp of the Roman auxiliary troops Intercisa. The bronze sheet from which the helmet was made was torn in several places, and the lower part of the occipital region of the crown was not preserved. Helmet dimensions: height 23 cm; diameter 24 cm; wall thickness 1-2 mm. Inside the helmet are visible traces of gouging. The exterior surface was polished at the end of the work to remove tool marks. In the hole on the lower edge of the helmet dome, a fragment of a small ringlet was preserved, which could have been part of a chain-mail aventail. The helmet found in Breda stands out in this group of helmets. It was located in a well containing materials from the third century AD. The helmet dome in this case consisted of eight elongated triangular plates 22 cm long and 1 mm thick, riveted together with copper rivets. On the lower edge there was a wide rim that overlapped the plates. The lower edge of the rim was provided with a series of small holes intended either for fixing the lining or for fixing the aventail. A helmet of this design was atypical for the western regions of the Roman Empire, and was probably brought back from the eastern provinces by a veteran. Judging by the materials found, this warrior was an ordinary auxiliary, since the settlement completely lacks any status items (Roymans N., Derks T.,2011. P. 153). In this case, we have a sample of those composite helmets that are shown on Trajan's column, and which, undoubtedly, were well known both to the Sarmatians of the Northern Black Sea region and directly on the Bosporus.
A helmet made of Interziza. II century A.D. Dunajvaros Museum. Hungary.
Helmet from Breda. 3rd century ADSagittarius used the gladius or pugio as a backup weapon, which they used either in the absence of arrows, or in the event that the enemy managed to impose hand-to-hand combat on them. Despite the presence of armor and a sword, due to the lack of a shield, sagittarii were quite vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat, so they tried to defeat the enemy before the melee began. Most often, Sagittarians were recruited into the Roman army from the eastern provinces, from which the stereotypical term "Syrian archer" came, although they were not only from the Syrian province. Sagittarii were also called a type of gladiator armed with a bow. It is assumed that the sagittarii fought either in mass performances, or exchanged fire among themselves for the amusement of the public.
Tombstone monument. Monimus,a soldier from Cohors I Ituraeorum who served for 16 years and died in 50. 1st century AD
Tombstones of the Roman soldier (auxiliary) Hyperanor of the auxiliary First cohort of archers (Lat. Cohors I Sagittariorum) from Bingen (Latin: Bingium). Roman Hall Museum,Bad Kreuznach,Rhineland-Palatinate,Germany. Second half of the 1st century AD
Relief with an archer of cohors I Hamiorum, found at Housesteads on Hadrian's Wall. First half of the 2nd century AD; visual evidence for auxiliary troops in Britain.Equipment
The equipment of an auxiliary archer of the first or second century CE could consist of the following elements: Fabric / Leather products: - Liner - Paenula,Sagum - Focale - Subarmalis - Tunic - Braccae - Windings - Subligaculum - Caligae,Calcei - Socks Protective equipment items based on metal: - Galea - Lorica squamata,Hamata - Cingulum Shooting weapons items: - Bow - The Quiver - Arrows - Protective armband for shooting - Ring for shooting with a thumb draw - Gladius - Pugio Additional elements: - Fibula - Rings - Saccus - Wallet
Archers on Trajan's column,Rome. Early 2nd century AD
Archers on Trajan's column,Rome. Early 2nd century ADReconstruction
It is best to start reconstructing the sagittarius naturally with an innate love of shooting. The minimum set is the same as that of legionary and auxiliary spearman - a wool tunic of green, blue, gray, red or undyed fabric, cingulum (and it can be either without suspensions, or with them) and shoes. After that, you should take care of the main subject of any sagittarius - a composite recurve bow. It makes sense to have two sets of arrows - for training in the archery range and a set for reenactment combat with safety-tipped arrows. After the bow, you need to purchase other archery equipment: a armguard on the bow arm, a quiver, and when using a thumb draw - an archer ring. Only then should you take care of things like a helmet, armor, and sword. It should also be remembered that the main point in the reconstruction of sagittarius is archery, and is advised primarily to those who enjoy shooting or the aesthetics of archers themselves. We recommend that you read the article on archery techniques.
Sagittarium,reconstruction
Sagittarius in light gear,reconstructionRelated topics
Literature and sources
Auxilia Moesiae Superioris.pdf The composite bow - Mike Loades.pdf Arrows of Ancient and Medieval Cultures of Eurasia-Kishchenko In pdf Armament of the nomads of Gorny Altai of the Xiongnu period Khudyakov Yu S pdf Composite bows from the UCH Kurbu monument in Kyrgyzstan-Khudyakov Yu. S. pdf
Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera-archer from Cohors I Sagittarius. The burial site was found in Bingerbruck,Germany. Second half of the 1st century AD
Helmet type Auxiliary Infantry D. Karagacha,Bulgaria. It is kept in the Sofia Archaeological Museum. Late 1st century AD
Helmet type Auxiliary Infantry D. Karagacha,Bulgaria. It is kept in the Sofia Archaeological Museum. Late 1st century AD
An archer from the Syrian province. Nancy Museum. France. 1st century BC-3rd century ADInterested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
