The gladius was the classic Roman short sword, designed for close combat. By the late 1st century AD, the type most relevant to Trajan’s army was the Pompeii-type gladius, with relatively straight parallel edges and a short triangular point. The example from Trimontium, for instance, has a blade about 19.5 inches long and is identified as a Pompeii type. It was a double-edged weapon, so it could cut as well as thrust, but Roman infantry doctrine strongly favored the thrust in tight formation.

Lorica hamata was Roman mail armour, made from thousands of small interlinked iron rings. The name hamata probably refers to the hooked or linked character of those rings, and Coulston notes that the term may also relate to the fastening arrangement of the shoulder pieces. A very typical Roman construction used alternating rows of solid punched rings and riveted wire rings, with each ring linked through four others.

The aquila was the most important standard of a Roman legion. By the Imperial period, each legion possessed its own eagle, and the soldier entrusted with carrying it was the aquilifer. Pliny says that in 104 BC, during Marius’ second consulship, the eagle was made the exclusive animal emblem carried as the legion’s principal standard; before that, Roman armies had also used the wolf, boar, horse and minotaur. he eagle had a strong religious meaning as well as a military one.

Roman military standards were among the most recognizable symbols of a unit. The signum was carried on a tall staff and could incorporate discs or phalerae, wreaths, plaques and other emblems. In the adlocutio scene, the standards rise above the assembled soldiers, visually identifying the formation and reinforcing the disciplined organization of the army.