03-24-2006, 07:18 AM
What does the Ludovisi Sarcophagus tell us about Roman armor in the 3rd century? I've been looking at some of the details and it's a bit perplexing.
It appears that one figure is wearing a kind of musculata, but it has a pattern on it as if it's made of scales. That's odd and it reminds me of the renditions of Sarmatian cataphracts on Trajan's Column, where the scale pattern follows the musculature of the horse and rider.
Other figures on the sarcophagus look fanciful, while others seem to be plausible renditions of Roman soldiers. For example, one figure is a remarkably clear rendition of a soldier wearing mail.
How reliable is this information? Is it mostly artistic license? If so, what is our best evidence for what Roman soldiers wore in the 3rd century?
It appears that one figure is wearing a kind of musculata, but it has a pattern on it as if it's made of scales. That's odd and it reminds me of the renditions of Sarmatian cataphracts on Trajan's Column, where the scale pattern follows the musculature of the horse and rider.
Other figures on the sarcophagus look fanciful, while others seem to be plausible renditions of Roman soldiers. For example, one figure is a remarkably clear rendition of a soldier wearing mail.
How reliable is this information? Is it mostly artistic license? If so, what is our best evidence for what Roman soldiers wore in the 3rd century?
![[Image: artorivs-mcmlx.gif]](http://www.nhmgs.org/images/artorivs-mcmlx.gif)
[size=75:y4iezjz4]David Sullivan
Lynnwood, WA USA[/size]
