Rutrum

The rutrum was a Roman spade .

Description and use

The rutrum was part of the equipment used by Roman legionaries . This spade had a crescent-shaped iron blade and a 1.5 meter long handle. The top of the spade was flattened so that you could step on it with your foot and increase strength.

The rutrum was used by legionaries in the Roman Empire to build camps . With it, turf bricks (Latin Caespites) were cut out of the ground and used for the defensive wall.

Web links

• description
• Image (reconstruction)

literature

• Peter Connolly : The Roman Army , Tessloff-Verlag, ISBN 3-7886-0180-9 , chap. "March"