11-30-2013, 12:01 AM
D-C takes most of his 'legion' shield designs from coin images, as far as I can tell. Various emperors (and commanders like Marcus Antonius) issued coins to honour particular units in their army - legions, guard cohorts, provincial forces. In the third century in particular it became popular to portray totem animals, which were apparently associated with particular legions - Gallienus issued a large series, showing boars, lions, capricorns, pegasus etc.
There are a few for XIII Gemina showing a lion - none as far as I know show the 'radiate' lion (with the sun rays coming out of its head), although this appears on other coins.
Neither is there any evidence at all that these 'totem' animals were used as shield designs. It's perhaps possible that they were carried as standards, like the ram totem that appears on Trajan's column. Since most of these coins are third century, it's maybe plausible that shields like the famous Dura Europos example (which, incidentally, has a lion on it) might have carried totemic iconography related to particular legions.
However, the only known shield design of a specific legion from the principiate (portrayed on the tombstone of a standard bearer from legio XIV) shows the familiar winged thunderbolt. It seems very likely that, as Trajan's column and various other depictions of the era show similar patterns, this was the most common design of the day.
Here's a site showing a variety of legion coin images:
The Roman Legions on Coins
And here's that radiate lion, on a coin issued by Gallienus:
![[Image: Leg-Gallienus-Praet.JPG]](http://www.romancoins.info/Leg-Gallienus-Praet.JPG)
There are a few for XIII Gemina showing a lion - none as far as I know show the 'radiate' lion (with the sun rays coming out of its head), although this appears on other coins.
Neither is there any evidence at all that these 'totem' animals were used as shield designs. It's perhaps possible that they were carried as standards, like the ram totem that appears on Trajan's column. Since most of these coins are third century, it's maybe plausible that shields like the famous Dura Europos example (which, incidentally, has a lion on it) might have carried totemic iconography related to particular legions.
However, the only known shield design of a specific legion from the principiate (portrayed on the tombstone of a standard bearer from legio XIV) shows the familiar winged thunderbolt. It seems very likely that, as Trajan's column and various other depictions of the era show similar patterns, this was the most common design of the day.
Here's a site showing a variety of legion coin images:
The Roman Legions on Coins
And here's that radiate lion, on a coin issued by Gallienus:
Nathan Ross
