01-25-2006, 11:07 AM
Salve Patres!
I am in the state of constant research and has turned my attention to the famous column. This has resulted in a few questions I really would like to hear your opinion on. So here they are:
1) Almost all helmets look weird, why? There is attic helmets and a lot of helmets with a strange ring or something on top of it. Often the helmets have a reinforcement band going all the way around the bowl of the helmet. Is there any evidence in archaeological finds of this?
2) In the depictions on the Column the auxiliary are generally fitted in Maille and lack the soldiers belt, is this of any significance and is there any other sources confirming that this was the fact. Pretorians are depicted in many ways but has the Scorpion to distinguish them. Legionaries are very uniform . Is there confirmations of this in other contemporary sources? The Osprey Publishing: Elite, The Praetorian guard by Dr Boris Rankov states in the text to the most left picture on page 22, " The frieze has always been one of the principal sources of information about the Roman Army. In recent years, however, its rigid distinction between Pretorians and Legionaries on the one hand and Auxiliaries on the other, and the general uniformity of the various types, have increasingly been recoginised as artistic conversions." . Is this the general opinion on this forum and how should one interested in recreations handle that statement.
Many thanks!
Martin W
I am in the state of constant research and has turned my attention to the famous column. This has resulted in a few questions I really would like to hear your opinion on. So here they are:
1) Almost all helmets look weird, why? There is attic helmets and a lot of helmets with a strange ring or something on top of it. Often the helmets have a reinforcement band going all the way around the bowl of the helmet. Is there any evidence in archaeological finds of this?
2) In the depictions on the Column the auxiliary are generally fitted in Maille and lack the soldiers belt, is this of any significance and is there any other sources confirming that this was the fact. Pretorians are depicted in many ways but has the Scorpion to distinguish them. Legionaries are very uniform . Is there confirmations of this in other contemporary sources? The Osprey Publishing: Elite, The Praetorian guard by Dr Boris Rankov states in the text to the most left picture on page 22, " The frieze has always been one of the principal sources of information about the Roman Army. In recent years, however, its rigid distinction between Pretorians and Legionaries on the one hand and Auxiliaries on the other, and the general uniformity of the various types, have increasingly been recoginised as artistic conversions." . Is this the general opinion on this forum and how should one interested in recreations handle that statement.
Many thanks!
Martin W
