02-28-2011, 09:19 AM
For earlier times, the iconography of Italy generally shows black, white, and reddish-brown horsehair crests - obviously natural horsehair. A fairly bright, dyed red also seems to have been popular. One frieze shows an Italian cavalryman in alternate black/white/red segments of a standing horsehair crest. Polybius refers to Romans wearing three crimson or black feathers in his famous detailed decription of legionaries around 200 BC (VI.23)
For Imperial times, Arrian in his "Hippika Gymnasika"(34) says, referring to the cavalry sports displays:
"The horsemen enter fully armed, and those of distinguished station or superior in horsemanship wear gilded helmets of iron or bronze, to draw to themselves the gaze of the spectators. Unlike the helmets made for active service, these do not cover the head and cheeks only, but are made to fit all round the faces of the riders with an aperture for the eyes, so as to give protection to the eyes without interfering with vision. From the helmets hang yellow plumes."
Later, Vegetius comments on crests etc too, but I'm afraid Matthew's memory is playing him a little false.On the subject of shields, what Vegetius actually says is; "Lest the soldiers in the confusion of battle should be separated from their comrades, every cohort had its shields painted in a manner peculiar to itself. The name of the each soldier was also written on his shield, together with the number of the cohort and century to which he belonged." He doesn't actually say each cohort had its own colour, for it is possible he means each cohort had a unique design ( different Praetorian cohorts seem to have had had different designs), though depictions on columns etc give the impression that different Legions rather than cohorts had different designs ( from the number of designs - too few, probably, if each cohort was different - but nothing is really known here).
Vegetius doesn't comment at all on tunic colour, or crest colours, saying only this:
"Besides, the centurions, now called centenarii were distinguished by different crests on their helmets, to be more easily known by the soldiers of their respective centuries."
and a little later...
"But the centurions had complete cuirasses, shields and helmets of iron the crest of which, placed transversely thereon, were ornamented with silver that they might be more easily distinguished by their respective soldiers."
For Imperial times, Arrian in his "Hippika Gymnasika"(34) says, referring to the cavalry sports displays:
"The horsemen enter fully armed, and those of distinguished station or superior in horsemanship wear gilded helmets of iron or bronze, to draw to themselves the gaze of the spectators. Unlike the helmets made for active service, these do not cover the head and cheeks only, but are made to fit all round the faces of the riders with an aperture for the eyes, so as to give protection to the eyes without interfering with vision. From the helmets hang yellow plumes."
Later, Vegetius comments on crests etc too, but I'm afraid Matthew's memory is playing him a little false.On the subject of shields, what Vegetius actually says is; "Lest the soldiers in the confusion of battle should be separated from their comrades, every cohort had its shields painted in a manner peculiar to itself. The name of the each soldier was also written on his shield, together with the number of the cohort and century to which he belonged." He doesn't actually say each cohort had its own colour, for it is possible he means each cohort had a unique design ( different Praetorian cohorts seem to have had had different designs), though depictions on columns etc give the impression that different Legions rather than cohorts had different designs ( from the number of designs - too few, probably, if each cohort was different - but nothing is really known here).
Vegetius doesn't comment at all on tunic colour, or crest colours, saying only this:
"Besides, the centurions, now called centenarii were distinguished by different crests on their helmets, to be more easily known by the soldiers of their respective centuries."
and a little later...
"But the centurions had complete cuirasses, shields and helmets of iron the crest of which, placed transversely thereon, were ornamented with silver that they might be more easily distinguished by their respective soldiers."
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
