Sword and Sandal Equipment (Packs, bags etc.) - sorry, it's a question!

[Jagannath]

Hullo All,

I've got a bit of a hankering to do some sword and sandal style skirmish gaming after reading the pretty good Desert of Souls:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Desert-Souls-Howard-Jones/1250001994/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488043576&sr=8-1&keywords=desert+of+souls

and reading some of the of Middle Earth Roleplaying books about Harad. The games will basically be RPG lite, a small wandering group (maybe a bit Conan esque)

On to my question though, which isn't a fantasy question: in antiquity, what type of equipment would an adventurer (real or not) have? Presumably rucksacks didn't exist then? What type of packs or bags did? I anticipate having a back animal or two, but what and how would a wanderer carry? What about in the first few centuries AD, the same?

Any help appreciated,

[rumacara]

Well, i´m not a expert either so i would start with the most easy stuff for ideas.
A roman legionaire marching equipment.
Here are some pictures that might be usefull.

[Mod edit: Please provide links instead of copy-pasted images - they may well be copyrighted!

[rumacara]

And a few more...

[Mod edit: Please provide links instead of copy-pasted images - they may well be copyrighted!

[Jagannath]

Excellent - thanks. I had t thought of checking Romans - that all looks fairly modern really, I'm surprised. So I guess if I had my heroes, plus a baggage animal then a variety of pouches and knapsack type bags I won't be far from wrong.

[Cherno]

Well, Conan's world in the Hyborian Age consists of many different nations, not-quite-nations and completely lawless regions (Pictish Wilderness!). Some of these areas differ greatly in technological and cultural development. Highest is probably Aquilonia which is equivalent to the Roman Empire at it's peak, and Argos patterned after Ancient Greece would also be fairly developed. In contrast, the Picts are little more than Neanderthal-lke brutes, and between these extremes lies a vast range of civilizations and cultures, some concentrated around a single dilapitated castle with a pennyless king sitting on a crumbling throne  
The real history of the world might not be that extreme but you will still encounter a gradual decline in development the further you wander from hub cities like capitals and trade centers, with an equivalent decline in the supply situation regarding all but the simplest of man-made things.

So, I guess you could get away with pretty anything fantasy miniature ranges have to offer, some ofthe stuff from the Conan stories even touches the Renaissance era in terms of technology  (advanced black powder cannons, IIRC).

P.S.: Reaper sells a nice little blister pack of adventuring gear with various bags and even music instruments in it. A must for bit collectors

[Patrice]

The most obvious answer is a linen bags for bread and other food, etc; a goatskin for water (remember to remove the goat from its skin before using it) and probably one or two leather smaller bags.

I would have thought that baskets are not practical to carry on a march, but Ötzi the 3,200 BCE (?) man found in 1991 on a mountain between Italy and Austria had two birch bark baskets with him...

[emosbur]

Greek hoplite servants used baskets and wood boxes to carry their rations.

[Jagannath]

Thanks again everyone. Seems like I might be safe with some sort of unstructured satchel type affair and some pouches and purses. Now to find some suitable base minis!