Auxilia Standard Bearers

[Paullus Scipio]

Peroni wrote:

The standard bearer on the left is based on a Third Century tombstone from Brocolitia/Carrawburgh (Base of COH I Batavorum) On the stone he appears unarmoured and wearing a ring-buckle belt. In your drawing he has been depicted incorrectly as a First Century standard bearer. It is unclear whether the sculptor is trying to show a curvature or if it is just a very strange shield shape!

Trajan's Column shows some auxiliary standard bearers carrying the small round shield. IIRC this is the first time we see standard bearers with small round parmae)The auxiliary standard bearers shown on the Tropaeum Traiani at Adamklissi have no armour, helmets or shields!

Also see the imagebase for the tombstones of Pintaeus of the 5th Asturians and Genialis of the 7th Raetians..
http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/ ... Itemid,94/ No shield
http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/ ... Itemid,94/ No shield

As the originator of those figures in Warry, I should perhaps comment. As with so many things about the Roman Military, little is known about the Standard Bearers of any particular era. When I visited the Chesters fort Museum in the mid-1970's and looked at that relief, it seemed to me that scales were faintly, but clearly visible ( not evident in Peroni's photo, but evident in other published photos of this piece ), and I was advised the piece dated to "late Second/early Third Century A.D ". Because every word in the caption box was at a premium, I briefly described the figures as "Ist-2nd Centuries AD", rather than "1st-late 2nd, / early Third Century AD" (N.B. not "1st Century AD")- being a general interest book, there was no need to be that specific.
The right hand figure Folkert reproduced is based on Pintaeus, and a clearly depicted standard.The middle figure is a legionary Standard Bearer based on Trajan's column. As I suggested earlier in Phil Barker's "Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome(revised fourth edition)" ,there is evidence to suggest, at least in the first Century through Trajan's column and down to the end of the Second century/early Third of the Carrowburgh relief that Praetorian standard bearers wore Lion skins with 'mask', Legionary Standard Bearers wore Bearskin with 'mask' and Auxiliary Standard Bearers wore Bearskin with the 'mask' cut away, though this is not entirely certain becacause many of the stelae, friezes etc are damaged and hence open to interpretation, but does seem likely.
We have discussed this subject in detail at least once before here on RAT.
As to the Standard Bearers on the Adamklissi Tropaeum, they are not in 'battle' scenes, hence not shown in 'battle dress', but rather in a series of peaceful scenes, hence likely shown in 'undress uniform'.