A few items in the ROM

[Kineas]

I thought I'd put this up.

For recreators and armourers, I was fascinated by the punches--some very small--with complete designs. I wondered if all that detail was repoussed--apparently not, it's punched.



For sword afficianados, a 200BC Hellenistic Xiphos from Aegypt that's to all intents a rapier. I see many of these--thrust only weapons...



Finally, as further fuel for our endless debates on the dressing order and equipment of hoplites, I offer these photos of aryballoi from about 600BC, showing a regular dressing order and matching shield patterns--and aspides very obviously NOT overlapping.

[Kineas]

As a further note--on both Arybolloi, it's obvious that every hoplite is different from the others--slightly different helmets and so on. which makes the matching shields all the more fascinating.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Looks like they are marching....

[kazeryu]

Christian - if you are using a digital camera, try turning on the "Macro" setting to make it focus properly on close-ups. The pictures are neat but they are fuzzy enough to make my eyes water!

[PMBardunias]

Christian, good to see you! I think that first blurry image is of the Egyptian god Bes, who was a favorite of greek mercenaries.

Did that last image get reversed? Otherwise the hoplites are holding the aspides on their right arms. But artists do crazy things some times.

Paul