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Who are you?
 We are a living history group. In joining LEGIO IX HISPANA , you are becoming part of something special. Perhaps you are asking "Well, what exactly is LEGIO IX HISPANA?" Well, LEGIO IX is a "vehicle" through which committed persons can actively explore the experience of the Roman infantryman circa 100AD. By actually doing the things they did, versus just reading about them in a book, we gain valuable insight into the life of the miles gragarius (Roman soldier) himself.
LEGIO IX was founded with the intention of having different chapters across the country. Each chapter is gathered together in the form of a typical Roman centuria (century), our members strive to investigate the science of ancient warfare. Each member may have different motives for reenacting, but collectively our goal is the same. We seek to encounter, within reasonable bounds, the past, AND we try to learn the lessons of the Roman Army, thus again, gaining greater insight into the miles, ourselves and history.
Like all select brotherhoods, LEGIO IX insists on the highest standards from its membership. To be counted as a "frater" or brother in LEGIO IX, one must strive for excellence and believe in comradeship. By nature members of LEGIO IX, must be mature and willing to work side-by-side with their brothers as part of a team. Together, we can achieve that which is beyond us as mere individuals and it is just this spirit of fellowship that binds each member to his "Brothers-in-Arms" and allows him to fully understand the meaning of the term comradeship.
Through the designation of LEGIO IX HISPANA, we recreate a cross section of front line Roman infantry in Britain, ca. 100AD. It is the policy of LEGIO IX that we adopt that which was most commonly used when choosing uniforms and equipment. In assembling his personal impression each member should take care that his uniform and equipment are compatible with that worn by the rest of the unit. Each component must be consistent in construction, pattern and overall characteristics with its original issue counterpart. It is also of the utmost importance that our group appearance credibly portrays the organized body we purport to be. Our uniform and equipment guidelines give us a framework upon which individual and group impressions of the finest calibre can be built.
It should be considered a privilege to belong to LEGIO IX, as once you are through the probationary period, you will be part of something special and you will find it a continued source of pride to belong to the unit. In this light, members should strive to be more authentic in their impressions and to learn the drill and commands to perfection.
A final thought: We do this for FUN — and when it's not fun anymore, why should we continue doing it?
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Why Do You Do This?
 It's hard to pinpoint what makes someone reenact. Reenactors truly come from all walks of life, from successful business people to the professionally unemployed. The one thing they DO have in common is a interest in history. As a reenactor, you'll find that you're always learning and you'll meet many great and knowledgeable people.
The desire to learn and to experience, even if only in a small way, about the Roman soldiers and what their life was like is what knits us together. By reenacting, we can get a much better idea of what it was like to be a Roman soldier. This period was SO long ago, that we only know a small part of what of their life was like. Many details aren't even know and can only be learned through experimental archeology. Another great thing about reenacting is the cameraderie of being in the group :-)
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What Does All This Cost?
Military re-enactment from any time period can be an expensive hobby. Roman re-enactment can be just expensive too... but only if you really really want it to be. It all depends on how you do it; if you just whip out your credit card, it can cost a lot
-- however, if you make the items yourself, it will, of course, be less.
Price examples: A hand crafted custom made helmet can cost $600 or more! Then again, you can buy a goo dimport and "accurize" it yourself for much less -- $250 or less.You can also spend like amounts for a gladius AND another $600 for a lorica segmentata.... but only if you truly want to. It just dpends on how you do things. If you take your time and don't rush, you can put together a basic kit for a reasonable amount, say under $1000. That includes reenactor grade segmentata, helmet, gladius, pugio, pilum, scutum, clothes, shoes, cingulum and various belts. This price means you will also be making a goodly amount of your kit!! And... you have to acquire your kit all at once -- we have a unit Quartermaster who can help you in getting outfitted. We are firmly dedicated to making this hobby as affordable, successful and fun as possible!
Once you've got yourself outfitted, there is of course, the cost of getting to events (although we try and carpool). There's the cost of food (negligable, as we try to do a group mess). To help new people get into the field to try out the hobby (without making a large commitment first) we do try and have some "loaner gear" on hand. We encourage you to come to our local drills and get to know everyone.
The Southern California chapters have a large stock of loaner equipment that is often available. The newer chapters across the rest of the USA are just starting to acquire loaner kit.
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