Arlon cavalryman

[jho]

It appears that more parts of the relief with a few defeated hairy Barbarians have been found on which a complete reconstruction of the relief is based. I have seen that reconstruction but I am sure where. It may have been in one of the Junkelmann books or in the recent "Krieg und Frieden" or Kalkriese exhibition catalogues. I will try to find the publication. This may have more specific dating information.

Silly me. Actually the reconstruction is proposed by Gabelmann himself at the end of the article I cited above. It shows two groups of Roman and "Barbarian" horsemen confronting each other, each in two registers. One or more of the Barbarians have fallen from their horses. Based on the new monument from Bartringen (see the links above), you may add one Roman dismounting to decapitate a fallen enemy.

The reconstruction is not based on additional finds from Arlon but on finds from other places (Wesseling, Koblenz) which show strong similarities in terms of style and composition and include the Barbarian side of the battle. Gabelmann dates all of these friezes to the second half of the 1st century AD based on stylistic similarities to Flavian cavalry grave stones. However, the Bartringen monument may indicate an earlier dating.

In any event all friezes appear to have belonged to tomb monuments consisting of a square platform with a monopteros on top as shown for the Bartringen monument if you follow the link above.