Roman Uniforms That Were… Uniform

You are aware of the appearance of an Imperial Roman soldier. Leather armour in the form of a type of skirt, and a red tunic. It makes natural that the empire would want a uniform piece of apparel to foster a sense of community among its legion. The Roman Empire often frequently couldn't be bothered to make the effort, unless according to papers that have survived.

Payroll records reveal that soldiers' salary was actually deducted for wearing uniforms, thus the less fortunate troops decided against trying it. There are numerous letters from the time period in which the troops request clothing from their own homes, including one famous letter in which a struggling soldier stationed in Britain asked his family to give him wool socks.

The myth that all Romans dressed the same was largely a product of Hollywood. In Technicolor, those vivid red uniforms looked wonderful. In retrospect, the idea that red was an expensive dye used only by nobility at the time seems kind of ridiculous. Imagine if all soldiers in the present-day were shown as donning Louis Vuitton or Gucci outfits before heading into battle.