Did the Romans have parade armour?

[Urselius]

Well, yes, basic behaviour patterns are identical. The question is, where "basic" ends. People have developed different modes of going to the toilet (or not). So, as far as biological things are concerned you may be right (intestine perestaltics, e.g.). However, even each individual in a given society may have its own mode of doing something.


You are, IMO, describing a meme which may be rooted back to an ancestor meme, and which itself is probably much older than civilization. I, for instance, do not carry an apotropaic symbol, and I know many who don´t. How would my non-behaviour be described, then? Also, your argument seems rather teleological. It is easy to find evidence for an already given hypothesis, but this is methodologically a no-go.
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The behaviour of the individual may not be representative of the society he or she belongs to, there is no problem with this as I was talking about societies not individuals as such.

As I read it, Dan is saying - 'no Roman parade armour is extant, no Roman military kit which is obviously unsuitable for practical use is extant, therefore the Romans did not produce parade armour.' Lack of evidence is evidence of lack.

What I am saying is that martial societies tend to produce martial objects - including armour when culturally indicated - that are not practical and are essentially for show. By extrapolation I would extend this to Ancient Rome, as Ancient Rome was a martial society and Roman psychology was not essentially different from the psychology of other people from other societies - human beings are human beings.

Gorgets were in origin practical items of armour protecting the throat and neck, and made of iron or steel. By the 1750s they were small, brass or silver ornaments suspended on a ribbon. They had no utility, no protective qualities they merely indicated officer rank.

Maces were in origin weapons for beating people - usually about the head - they were practical weapons. However, they also accrued meaning as symbols of power. Modern maces made of silver or silver gilt are used to reflect authority in parliaments and university convocations etc., they have no remaining function as a weapon.

Rather than my continuing to defend the idea that martial societies tend to behave similarly, I think that the view that the Romans were unique in not behaving like other societies in this regard is a more glaringly daring hypothesis in need of defence.