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+--- Thread: lancea of speculatores guards (/showthread.php?tid=20528)
lancea of speculatores guards - Decebalus - 03-22-2012
In his book "Riding for Caesar" (London 1994)p. 33 Michael P. Speidel wrote about this weapon:
"The lancea of the speculatores has become known from a gravestone relief: its long shaft ended in a knob, and its short, broad, heart-shaped blade has a cross bar. Both ends therefore, were designed for crowd control."
The references he gave are: Année Epigraphique 1955, 24; A. Giuliano, Museo Nazionale Romano, Le Sculture I, 7 (Rome 1984) 198; M. Clauss, Untersuchungen zu den Principales des römischen Heeres von Augustus bis Diocletian (Diss. Bochum 1973)79; Année Epigraphique 1989, 134
As I wasn't able to consult one of these works, does someone knows which gravestone is meant?
The crossbar sounds conspicious that rather a signum might be depicted...
Thanks in advance!
Re: lancea of speculatores guards - Renatus - 03-22-2012
This is the gravestone, although I am not sure that you can make much of the detail of the lance:
http://www.edr-edr.it/edr_programmi/view_img.php?id_nr=079208
Re: lancea of speculatores guards - D B Campbell - 03-22-2012
Quote:As I wasn't able to consult one of these works, does someone knows which gravestone is meant? The crossbar sounds conspicious that rather a signum might be depicted...Ross Cowan has an article about this in Ancient Warfare magazine, Vol. 5, No. 2. (The weapon on the tombstone is definitely not a signum.)
Re: lancea of speculatores guards - Decebalus - 03-22-2012
Thanks a lot Renatus and Duncan!
Now I can see that it is not a signum but indeed a very "special" weapon.
I totally forgot about the AW article - perhaps because the printed photo is not of much help.
Greets