One of the areas in which we had considered improving Roman Military Equipment for B&C3 was to provide more information on dimensions and, particularly, weights of equipment. Marcus Junkelmann did it in his ground-breaking 1986 book Die Legionen des Augustus. It sounds simple, but there are many factors affecting the weight of an object like, to take an example, an original Roman helmet.

Helmet from Mainz-Weisenau (DEU), as recovered and before suffering war damage. Image: Ludwig Lindenschmit

First, a composite item recovered from the archaeological record is very unlikely to be intact (with bowl, cheek pieces, decorative appliqués, lining etc). Many will have been reconstructed during conservation with filler or other forms of modern repair. Effectively, an excavated artefact can only provide a minimum weight (and even then some materials lose mass after deposition and before recovery). Incidentally, the original Weisenau helmet serves to make another, related, point here, since most of it was blasted to smithereens in the Second World War. Weighing what’s left of that tells nobody anything.

Modern replica of a Weisenau/Imperial-Gallic-type helmet. Image: Claudia Thunnissen

How about modern replicas or reconstructions? Once again, there are many factors affecting the end result. Have the craftsmen accurately replicated the thicknesses of materials (and, indeed, used exactly the same materials) as the original? For those parts they have had to guess at (especially missing organic components like helmet liners and padding), how accurate were those guesses?

In the end, there will be more weights (and other dimensions) in B&C3, almost certainly in the notes, rather than the body text. The terms by which these are included will be set out and sources provided. They will be included on the understanding that these will not, and can never be, accurate reflections of true weights of artefacts. They will provide a guide; nothing more, nothing less. That is arguably the best that anyone can hope for.