The Roman soldier was capable of marching long distances with up to 60 pounds of gear. Today we look at how he carried it. Follow me on Instagram: officialweekendwanderer
Depending on whether the pole is almost vertical or almost horizontal, the amount of weight directly on shoulder, and the position of the contact point will vary. Flatten one side of the pole, maybe pad it with your cloak, or carry it over a metal armour shoulder piece. The pain will be less. A longer pole allows you to stop and rest the butt of the pole on the ground without having to drop the entire weight. When you stop at camp, three furcae could be rested together in a tripod to keep the load off the wet muddy ground, or the butt of the pole could be thrust into a hole to make the furca into an equipment rack. When marching, there is always a risk of ambush, and it is far easier to drop a furca than take off a backpack. Possibly the furcae could be dropped systematically to make a makeshift barrier, just enough to slow down and break up an unexpected attack.
I want to try this as well. I feel like there is benefit to having a longer pole so you can brace the ground when resting. Additionally, a wider pole for shoulder comfort. Minimizing the swaying of gear will help with shock load.
Some tips to kustom-pimp your furca: *use a pole of sufficient length that the butt end can be rested on the ground during brief pauses. *whittle the main pole to a slightly flattened shape on the section where it rests on your shoulder, then pad that part with cloth or fur. *the closer & tighter you can tie your pack & accoutrements to the crosspole, the less it tends to swing and sway whilst on the march.
In Iraq my daily carry gear was about 75lbs. I weighed 190lbs, when I deployed and got on the plane I was weighed with all my gear, 348lbs. I didn't have to carry those sea bags very much though. Semper Fi.
One other detail about the furca it involves the shield, when on March it is strapped to their backs the upper rim of the shied would be position just above their shoulders, the furca resting on top of the shield allows a more even distribution weight along the shoulders and hips.
You know what hobo stick / furca call it what you want but it’s clearly efficient.. you see indigenous peoples over the world carry home game pretty much the same way
I sometimes carry my fishing gear like this when I change spots … throw my rucksack in my net and throw it over my shoulder .. kind of makes you lean forward and go forward in a determined way
literally the only video I found on what I wanted haha also I caught that upload date, fall of the western Roman Empire, great video! Also, mules are crossbreeds of horses and donkeys and I believe were named after a type of backpack that had a small furca attached to it. I guess they were named that because it made it easier to haul gear.
Bear in mind that the wooden stave of the furca would have rested on the padded shoulder plates of the legionnaire's armour. In the video, it's only being padded by a t shirt, which would be much more painful.
@@weekendwanderer5514 Having said that, I personally wouldn't fancy marching 20 miles a day in full armour with up to 70lbs of gear - these guys were super-hard. Near where I live and walk in the English Lake District there is a Roman road called High Street which links two camps by climbing straight over the top of the fells (to avoid the ambush-prone boggy and wooded valleys). It's well over 3000 feet of climbing and 12 miles of distance over terrain exposed to terrible weather. Not for me, thanks...
@@tullochgorum6323 You’re very fortunate to be able to walk on one of their roads and ponder what things used to be like! Going on a photography tour of the Lake District is one of the items on my bucket list. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
@@weekendwanderer5514 There's very little of the road surface left - 2000 years in such harsh weather has taken its toll. And doubtless the locals plundered the stone as well. But you can see the line clearly and walk almost the whole the route.
One must also wonder how often they would stop to rest. Also I noticed as a backpacker that the load is easier to put down than a full backpack that has many straps to unlock. So that is a plus for the Romans. They needed to be able to do everything quickly so the setup worked great for that which is another plus. The only downside might have been place to much weight on one shoulder. Also did the T pole have another purpose of use besides carry the load?
That is an excellent question that I don't know the answer to. I'm sure the Romans were resourceful enough to have other uses for the furca. I'll have to research that.
There was a Roman Fort where I live, its about 10 minute walk, now a field, and nothing is visible, they settled here in Essex half way between London & Colchester, but you can still find broken tiles, the other day about 3 miles from my house I talked with metal detectorists who showed me tiny tiny Roman coins about 7 - 10mm found in the field, it fascinates me, if you know where to look the routes are still here, then the Saxons carried on then the Norman's, I was digging around a 12th century Church porch the other day, I thought its a brick in the ground, then I measured and washed it, could be a Roman brick, not that unusual as most Saxon or Norman Churches here used Roman Bricks and tiles in wall construction, soon I'm going to research the old Roman Fort in Bradwell Essex, ot much left really, but the scale of it 500' × 300' x 150' then it was between 16 - 20' high, 16' thick stone, can you imagine the construction of this
@@weekendwanderer5514 I can imagine New York is different, to be honest not so many folk here are interested in such History at least on the ground, but Essex for example had the Romans after AD 43, think it was shortly after, there is a village near the Thames about half hour from me by car, I saw a CZcams video that Hops still grew there wild hops, from the Romans, they used the area to grew wine as well South facing, its all so fascinating
As previously mentioned the hobos or Bo ' s carried in a similar fashion. It was a bindle stick. I am not sure that you actually put the stick on the top of your shoulder but lean against the front of the shoulder much the way old time farmers carried a fork load of hay.
It is impractical to carry a backpack when you wear a cloak. So tie your gear to a stick, then carry the stick. when the stick becomes to heavy to carry, you can drag it like a travois.
Since it was stipulated that a legionaire should be at least 165cm in height and that (at the time) was not the average height of men I think that the four feet pole should probably reflect that height. So I am 195cm so I should probably lengthen the furca a bit to be able to rest on it.
Really enjoyed the historical information. Perhaps this was a form Psychological Warfare of their day, as an enemy combatant, seeing the Romans' overt braun, would become increasingly intimidated to engage in battle.
Interesting. The "60 pounds" wasn't just on the forco; armor, shield, javelins, sword, etc. It's been said that all soldiers throughout history, and now, carry around 70 pounds.
The furca is the pole, the sarcina is the equipment and pack on the pole. Javelins, food, pack, and cooking equipment was on the sarcina, swords were usually in the sheath, so the overall weight would be kinda distributed.
Those Roman soldiers should have tried the U.S. military. Depending on what you do, you may have to carry as much as your body weight. Sometimes a bit more. You may have to just ut of a perfectly good airplane carrying a hundred and fifty pounds of gear. And we're supposed to feel sorry for soldiers who carry sixty pounds. That's below a standard battle pack of seventy pounds.
But considering that these guys lived about 2000 years in the past, I think they're relatively as strong as the modern soldier is. I mean, they would have been about half a head shorter on average and their diets wouldn't have been as good!
Just as a point of interest, I was a U.S. Paratrooper for 7+ years, and never once did I jump out of a "perfectly good airplane". We always jumped out of USAF airplanes...
I like the video for informational value. I do however think the Romans have been way over romanticized. Pun intended. I wander if the "barbarians" had sense enough to put there gear in a backpack or shoulder bag instead of carrying it on a stick. If the Romans where so smart and so advanced for their times, why would they do something so absurd? And the idea that this is some sort of psychological warfare tactic as one person mention is a bit laughable. who in 100 bc would see a guy carrying gear on his should to the battlefield and say "oh man, look at those Romans with 60 lbs of gear on there shoulders! those are real men! we better just surrender right now!"? lets try not to back project our modern outlook of what constitutes ruggedness for what a woman of 2000 years ago probably did daily just to collect water for her family.......
The haversack or shoulder bag does show up pretty early in Medieval times, but I'm not sure of late Roman. Pilgrims would take the gear they didn't carry on their belts in a haversack, along with any food they carried. Cloaks were basically their sleep system as well as clothing and cover on the move.
wood1155 i mentioned all the things i mentioned because he mentioned them as topic points in the video. he said that carrying gear like this made them rugged or they had to be rugged to carry gear like that. he said that the enemies would have seen them and been terrified based on the way they carried their gear on a stick. he actually called it psychological warfare. thats why I went down that path. i was following him. 60lbs isnt a lot of weight. thats 7.5 gallons of water bro. WOMEN WHO ARE NOT SOLDIERS carry this weight everyday in some countries just for their daily needs. it doesnt strike fear in my heart. and yes, the romans have been over romanticized. not everyone was afraid of them just because of them being the "romans". the persians did not fear them and neither did the arabs. i dont have a dog in this fight. im not italian (roman), persian or arab. i just call it like i see it. and the way i see it is that videos like this and the comments on it is what helped to fuel the over romanticism of the romans. once again, pun intended. p.s. if an army considered it beneath themselves to carry their own gear, they would have looked down on the romans for doing so and not the opposite. i imagine it would have went something like this "look, they carry their gear themselves. they dont even have the slaves to do it for them! they are taxed because they're having to meet us in battle. victory is ours!"
You're applying the modern definition of "barbarian," a word whose meaning has changed over time. To the Romans, a barbarian was someone who didn't speak Latin.
Depending on whether the pole is almost vertical or almost horizontal, the amount of weight directly on shoulder, and the position of the contact point will vary. Flatten one side of the pole, maybe pad it with your cloak, or carry it over a metal armour shoulder piece. The pain will be less. A longer pole allows you to stop and rest the butt of the pole on the ground without having to drop the entire weight. When you stop at camp, three furcae could be rested together in a tripod to keep the load off the wet muddy ground, or the butt of the pole could be thrust into a hole to make the furca into an equipment rack. When marching, there is always a risk of ambush, and it is far easier to drop a furca than take off a backpack. Possibly the furcae could be dropped systematically to make a makeshift barrier, just enough to slow down and break up an unexpected attack.
I want to try this as well. I feel like there is benefit to having a longer pole so you can brace the ground when resting. Additionally, a wider pole for shoulder comfort. Minimizing the swaying of gear will help with shock load.
Some tips to kustom-pimp your furca:
*use a pole of sufficient length that the butt end can be rested on the ground during brief pauses.
*whittle the main pole to a slightly flattened shape on the section where it rests on your shoulder, then pad that part with cloth or fur.
*the closer & tighter you can tie your pack & accoutrements to the crosspole, the less it tends to swing and sway whilst on the march.
Two thoughts here, first, the furca can be used as a tent pole, second, the blanket or a spare cloak can be wrapped to cushion your shoulder.
Agreed
In Iraq my daily carry gear was about 75lbs. I weighed 190lbs, when I deployed and got on the plane I was weighed with all my gear, 348lbs. I didn't have to carry those sea bags very much though.
Semper Fi.
1980Baldeagle That was quite a heavy burden my friend! Thank you for your service.
One other detail about the furca it involves the shield, when on March it is strapped to their backs the upper rim of the shied would be position just above their shoulders, the furca resting on top of the shield allows a more even distribution weight along the shoulders and hips.
Reminiscent of a "Hobo Stick Sack. I made theses as a kid from a stick and a bandana! Off to catch the next freight train! Welcome back, Sir!
Thanks, lol.
You know what hobo stick / furca call it what you want but it’s clearly efficient.. you see indigenous peoples over the world carry home game pretty much the same way
I had to laugh, first time you lifted the whole pack up on your back and swung around, it looked like you had that metal mug as an earring. Lol
Don't forget they had armor, and a scarf, which probably provided some additional padding for the stick.
I seem to recall that the pole was shaved/planed flat on the side resting on the soldier to lessen vibration and relieve pressure on long marches.
Thanks for mentioning that. It would have been a welcome upgrade to my rig.
I sometimes carry my fishing gear like this when I change spots … throw my rucksack in my net and throw it over my shoulder .. kind of makes you lean forward and go forward in a determined way
Fascinating. Thanks for the video!
this is the best youtube video on the roman furca, hands down
Thank you.
Thanks for this. I really appreciate the historical and practical approach you make with your videos
Thank you my friend.
Thabk you for the demo. It's really interesting to see how this was done.
Another fascinating video,was never taught interesting stuff like this at school.lol. All the best, Bri
literally the only video I found on what I wanted haha also I caught that upload date, fall of the western Roman Empire, great video! Also, mules are crossbreeds of horses and donkeys and I believe were named after a type of backpack that had a small furca attached to it. I guess they were named that because it made it easier to haul gear.
Bear in mind that the wooden stave of the furca would have rested on the padded shoulder plates of the legionnaire's armour. In the video, it's only being padded by a t shirt, which would be much more painful.
Quite correct.
@@weekendwanderer5514 Having said that, I personally wouldn't fancy marching 20 miles a day in full armour with up to 70lbs of gear - these guys were super-hard.
Near where I live and walk in the English Lake District there is a Roman road called High Street which links two camps by climbing straight over the top of the fells (to avoid the ambush-prone boggy and wooded valleys). It's well over 3000 feet of climbing and 12 miles of distance over terrain exposed to terrible weather. Not for me, thanks...
@@tullochgorum6323 You’re very fortunate to be able to walk on one of their roads and ponder what things used to be like! Going on a photography tour of the Lake District is one of the items on my bucket list. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
@@weekendwanderer5514 There's very little of the road surface left - 2000 years in such harsh weather has taken its toll. And doubtless the locals plundered the stone as well. But you can see the line clearly and walk almost the whole the route.
Great test, liked your history and modern gear to build that pack. Great job!
Thank you my friend.
One must also wonder how often they would stop to rest. Also I noticed as a backpacker that the load is easier to put down than a full backpack that has many straps to unlock. So that is a plus for the Romans. They needed to be able to do everything quickly so the setup worked great for that which is another plus. The only downside might have been place to much weight on one shoulder. Also did the T pole have another purpose of use besides carry the load?
That is an excellent question that I don't know the answer to. I'm sure the Romans were resourceful enough to have other uses for the furca. I'll have to research that.
good stuff. enjoyed it alot.
Good video. Fun to watch. Thanks for the lesson.
Thanks for watching.
Very nice video. If you have time maybe make a video about ww1 and ww2 soldier's gear. cheers!
It's a possibility.
Hi, really great video. I love historical research and old technologies, i am always doing that things. Great, great video. Salutes from Argentina!!!!
Well done, Thank you!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
love history. Great video. Very cool.
Thanks my friend.
Thanks for the great demonstration of a Roman supply carry
Thanks for watching!
Very interesting man : D quite informative.
I thank you. This vid was great.
+Dave Agar Thank you my friend.
Wow and to think that was modern technology back then...tough guys them Romans.
Very tough, but very short lifespan!
Great educational video. This is the stuff they don't teach you in history classes. Enjoyed the content much like your Otzi video.
Thanks for the feedback. I enjoy making them.
Doing research on Matthew 16. This video was very helpful.
cool video thanks for sharing, that would be a good system for an overnight trip.
Good video! Really interesting stuff :)
Thank you.
There was a Roman Fort where I live, its about 10 minute walk, now a field, and nothing is visible, they settled here in Essex half way between London & Colchester, but you can still find broken tiles, the other day about 3 miles from my house I talked with metal detectorists who showed me tiny tiny Roman coins about 7 - 10mm found in the field, it fascinates me, if you know where to look the routes are still here, then the Saxons carried on then the Norman's, I was digging around a 12th century Church porch the other day, I thought its a brick in the ground, then I measured and washed it, could be a Roman brick, not that unusual as most Saxon or Norman Churches here used Roman Bricks and tiles in wall construction, soon I'm going to research the old Roman Fort in Bradwell Essex, ot much left really, but the scale of it 500' × 300' x 150' then it was between 16 - 20' high, 16' thick stone, can you imagine the construction of this
I would love to be able to explore around there! We don't have anything that old in New York.
@@weekendwanderer5514 I can imagine New York is different, to be honest not so many folk here are interested in such History at least on the ground, but Essex for example had the Romans after AD 43, think it was shortly after, there is a village near the Thames about half hour from me by car, I saw a CZcams video that Hops still grew there wild hops, from the Romans, they used the area to grew wine as well South facing, its all so fascinating
A Roman soldier would also have to wear armor, carry a shield, and their weapons.
thanks for shearing
As previously mentioned the hobos or Bo ' s carried in a similar fashion. It was a bindle stick. I am not sure that you actually put the stick on the top of your shoulder but lean against the front of the shoulder much the way old time farmers carried a fork load of hay.
can you show us how to pack them all together
nice work. interesting
Muito bom esse vídeo!!! Parabéns!!!!
very interesting video. Thank you.
Thank you.
It is impractical to carry a backpack when you wear a cloak. So tie your gear to a stick, then carry the stick. when the stick becomes to heavy to carry, you can drag it like a travois.
In the USA hobos/rail riders/drifters carried there belonging in the same methodology ..
Practical
Another cool video. Romans were tough, short but tough. :)
No doubt about it.
Awesome stuff are you interested in trying other types of historical backpacks as well? That would we awesome
Hadn't really thought about it. Any suggestions?
@@weekendwanderer5514 snapsacks, haversacks, market wallets, bedroll carry, basket backpacks, trumplines, shoulder pole or milkmaid yoke
@@rebekah-chriss-k4872 Thanks! I like the idea.
@@weekendwanderer5514 Bedroll carry like a confederate soldier should have a lot of resources to work off of!
great video, very informative. did you put this out today to commemorate the fall of the western roman empire?
Good catch.
not really, i saw it on instagram...
Veni, vidi, amavi!
Salve!
Since it was stipulated that a legionaire should be at least 165cm in height and that (at the time) was not the average height of men I think that the four feet pole should probably reflect that height. So I am 195cm so I should probably lengthen the furca a bit to be able to rest on it.
Really enjoyed the historical information. Perhaps this was a form Psychological Warfare of their day, as an enemy combatant, seeing the Romans' overt braun, would become increasingly intimidated to engage in battle.
Thanks for watching Bradley.
Looks like that would be hard on the shoulder.
It wasn't too bad with the weight I had on it, but any heavier would definitely require some padding.
Nice WW.
Thanks.
Great intro. Guess you know today is the anniversary of the fall of Rome to a German.
Oh yes, today is the day if Gibbon was right.
Interesting. The "60 pounds" wasn't just on the forco; armor, shield, javelins, sword, etc. It's been said that all soldiers throughout history, and now, carry around 70 pounds.
+Berkeley Boathouse I honestly don't know how they did it.
The furca is the pole, the sarcina is the equipment and pack on the pole. Javelins, food, pack, and cooking equipment was on the sarcina, swords were usually in the sheath, so the overall weight would be kinda distributed.
The Scutum was 80 lbs. so more than 140 lbs
I'm just being a cool guy babe 😎
Where did you get the furca from? Did you make it?
I made it out of scrap wood. A Roman soldier would have laughed at it!
Might try make one and try it out. Any advice? What would I need?
I used old closet rods, rope and a couple of nails, which the Romans had. Job done.
Will give it a go!
no one ever said military equipment design was done with any intelligence, or yeah another oxymoron.
Those Roman soldiers should have tried the U.S. military. Depending on what you do, you may have to carry as much as your body weight. Sometimes a bit more. You may have to just ut of a perfectly good airplane carrying a hundred and fifty pounds of gear. And we're supposed to feel sorry for soldiers who carry sixty pounds. That's below a standard battle pack of seventy pounds.
But considering that these guys lived about 2000 years in the past, I think they're relatively as strong as the modern soldier is. I mean, they would have been about half a head shorter on average and their diets wouldn't have been as good!
Just as a point of interest, I was a U.S. Paratrooper for 7+ years, and never once did I jump out of a "perfectly good airplane". We always jumped out of USAF airplanes...
Jesus these guys died 2000 years ago chill tf out
I like the video for informational value. I do however think the Romans have been way over romanticized. Pun intended.
I wander if the "barbarians" had sense enough to put there gear in a backpack or shoulder bag instead of carrying it on a stick. If the Romans where so smart and so advanced for their times, why would they do something so absurd? And the idea that this is some sort of psychological warfare tactic as one person mention is a bit laughable. who in 100 bc would see a guy carrying gear on his should to the battlefield and say "oh man, look at those Romans with 60 lbs of gear on there shoulders! those are real men! we better just surrender right now!"?
lets try not to back project our modern outlook of what constitutes ruggedness for what a woman of 2000 years ago probably did daily just to collect water for her family.......
The haversack or shoulder bag does show up pretty early in Medieval times, but I'm not sure of late Roman. Pilgrims would take the gear they didn't carry on their belts in a haversack, along with any food they carried. Cloaks were basically their sleep system as well as clothing and cover on the move.
wood1155 i mentioned all the things i mentioned because he mentioned them as topic points in the video. he said that carrying gear like this made them rugged or they had to be rugged to carry gear like that. he said that the enemies would have seen them and been terrified based on the way they carried their gear on a stick. he actually called it psychological warfare. thats why I went down that path. i was following him. 60lbs isnt a lot of weight. thats 7.5 gallons of water bro. WOMEN WHO ARE NOT SOLDIERS carry this weight everyday in some countries just for their daily needs. it doesnt strike fear in my heart. and yes, the romans have been over romanticized. not everyone was afraid of them just because of them being the "romans". the persians did not fear them and neither did the arabs. i dont have a dog in this fight. im not italian (roman), persian or arab. i just call it like i see it. and the way i see it is that videos like this and the comments on it is what helped to fuel the over romanticism of the romans. once again, pun intended.
p.s. if an army considered it beneath themselves to carry their own gear, they would have looked down on the romans for doing so and not the opposite. i imagine it would have went something like this "look, they carry their gear themselves. they dont even have the slaves to do it for them! they are taxed because they're having to meet us in battle. victory is ours!"
Attacked by barbarians, are the roman soldiers not the attacking barbarians?
You're applying the modern definition of "barbarian," a word whose meaning has changed over time. To the Romans, a barbarian was someone who didn't speak Latin.
You're correct. It was a different mindset. Thanks for watching and commenting.