Tactics: Employment of the Gladius

[ROMan]

I've not touched my Greek books for years now, but I'm 'pretty certain' that early iron age hoplites used vambraces. Although I could be getting my history mixed up with my extensive RuneQuest roleplaying campaigns ... :0

EDIT: According to John Warry, Illyrian (8th CBC) hoplites used vambraces. Of course bronze age warriors did, they were part of the Dendra panoply, I believe.

I just looked at the Mesopotamia exhibition here at the ROM from the BM. Lots of Neo-Assyrians, no vambraces. Before that, I quickly looked at Greek pots with warriors on: no vambraces. I believe what I am saying is that people don't always think of things without having seen them. WE see vambraces all the time: in "Rome", "Ten Commandments", "300", "Lord of the Rings", etc EVERYONE wears vambraces because they are so damned sexy. Possibly Early Imperial Romans would not necessarily *think* of vambraces (having not heard of the Dendra Panoply).