Got a Real-World Weapon or Armor Question? Mk. VI

[Dervag]

The roman empire was about as advanced as people in the 19th century, except that they didn't have steam power.
But I'd say in society and politics, they were on an equal level.
Though there are lots of problems with the term, it's called "Dark Ages" for a reason.

Hmm. Me, I disagree, I'd say 18th century. By the middle of the 19th century, I'd say that people had come up with some social and political innovations that genuinely worked better than their Roman counterparts, at least for certain specialized purposes. The Roman system left a lot to be desired in some ways; among other things it stank at civilian control of the military.

Also, even if you remove steam engines, by the 19th century things like water power had advanced to the point where mechanical technology and manufacturing were beyond what the Romans had...

I read somewhere that when Cromwell started equipping his troops with weapons paid for by the Government this was a major advance. But didn't the Romans and Eygptions others do this before?

...but yeah, Cromwell's establishment of a national arsenal with government-funded weapons was a major advance by the standards of England at the time, not by global standards. And England was relatively backwards at the time- not by a large margin, but enough that they were less organized than, say, France or Sweden. This was before the English became the prosperous powerhouse they were in the 1700s.