Several Roman soldiers in this scene wear lorica segmentata, the segmented plate armour most strongly associated with legionaries in the early Empire. Its overlapping iron bands protected the torso and shoulders while still allowing controlled movement, making it suitable not only for combat but also for demanding physical work such as military construction. On the Column, this armour helps distinguish the legionary builders from other figures in the scene.

The armed legionaries in the scene carry the large curved rectangular shield commonly associated with Roman heavy infantry. Constructed from layered wood and held by a central horizontal grip, the scutum wrapped partly around the soldier’s body and provided substantial protection while still allowing shields to be locked together in formation. Its distinctive rectangular profile visually separates these legionaries from troops carrying oval shields elsewhere on the Column.

A Roman soldier uses a heavy hand tool during construction work on the fortification. Hammers of this type were essential for masonry, shaping and fitting building materials, and other tasks carried out by soldiers during military construction. The scene reinforces the practical engineering role of the Roman army alongside its combat function.

A short sidearm is suspended from the soldier’s belt alongside his working equipment. Roman soldiers commonly carried a compact double-edged dagger known as the pugio, attached to the military belt in a decorated scabbard. The small object represented on the Column is not preserved clearly enough for absolute identification, but its position and form are consistent with a belt-worn military dagger.