Recently I saw a comedian pose the question “Why did it take so long to put wheels on suitcases? We put men on the moon before we thought of putting wheels on cases!” It may be hard for younger readers to grasp, but the logical step of putting wheels on cases is relatively new.
I mention this because I have always been interested in alternate ways of doing things. Just because we do things one way does not mean that this is the only or necessarily the best way. In that vein I will pass on this rather nice video about Roman Marching kit. I’ll comment that most Furcas (the forked pole) that I have seen have had larger forks. Doubtless these items also served many useful roles around camp, acting as support poles or pot lifters. Also worth noting is that the roman infantry made use of animal transport, each contubernium (8-man squad) having a mule to carry their tent and some other gear.
The Books
