Late roman Lorica Musculata?

[Virilis]

Salve!

Is there any evidence (other than anachronistic classicist sculptures) of actual use of Lorica Musculata in later roman times, meaning 4th-6th century?

[Theodosius the Great]

Ave Virilis,

A couple of things I'd like to mention :

Raffaele D'Amato in his book "The Eastern Romans, 330-1461 AD" mentions paintings from the Via Latina Catacombs depicting Roman Cataphracts wearing muscled armor and masked helmets. They date to the mid fourth century AD. I haven't seen these myself. Maybe someone here knows of them ?

Also, D'Amato uses the word "stadios" to refer to muscled armor in the same context. I wonder if this is a Greek term used in Late Roman literary sources (?)

Later today I'll read what Eusebius says about Constantine's armor. I recall him describing Constantine wearing gold armor and a gold helmet. Maybe there's more detail. I already checked Ammianus when he describes Julian neglecting to put on his "loricae". How infuriating that a great historian would use the most generic of terms when referring to armor !

~Theo

[Virilis]

Thanks Theo for the info!

[Theodosius the Great]

Virilis,

I haven't gotten around to reading Eusebius 'Life' yet, but ,so far, I think the best the evidence for continued use of lorica musculata in Late Antiquity is the 'Seasons' mosaic which is dated to the sixth century and located in the Argos Museum.

To me it can't be dismissed as a typical classicizing art motif. It clearly shows a man wearing a Spangenhelm with chainmail neck protection, an iron musculata, a leather harness running horizontally across the chest (as seen in other art from the period), and what appears to be a cotton and silk garment laying over the waist pteruges - Graham Sumner identifies this as a peristithidion in his 'Roman Military History (3).'



~Theo

[Virilis]

Thanks Theo!

This is really interesting, I have not seen this mosaic before! I think the same goes with the Piazza San Marco of Venice statue of the "tetrarchs"??? The pillbox hats, the swords / scabbards, shoes, etc. are all late roman (not anachronistic classical inventions) and it seems that they are wearing perhaps musculatas too?

To tell you the truth I have been toying with an idea of musculata with my late roman impression :wink: ...

[Theodosius the Great]

The mosaic also features something else that was not present in earlier depictions of the musculata : shoulder cops. These can be seen more clearly in later works like this later Byzantine carving :



Something else is different about the 'Seasons' musculata : there's no Gorgon image on the breast. Perhaps the symbolism was too overtly Pagan for Christian sensibilities and was no longer employed (?).

I think the same goes with the Piazza San Marco of Venice statue of the "tetrarchs"??? The pillbox hats, the swords / scabbards, shoes, etc. are all late roman (not anachronistic classical inventions) and it seems that they are wearing perhaps musculatas too?

Ah yes, these statues? I agree, I think they can only show musculatas. It appears to me that they're all wearing typical Late Roman belts - the very wide types. They also seem to feature some kind of harness or sash around the mid sections - perhaps a later version of the Herculean knots that officers wear around their musculatas as seen on Trajan's Column and elsewhere (?). And of course they wear Late Roman shoes and carry spathas. Unfortunately, so much of the armor's upper sections are totally obscured by the right arm and shoulder pteruges.

Btw, if you buy the Osprey book "The Praetorian Guard" you'll find a color painting of Maxentius that's based on the same Tetriarchic statues. The artist interpreted the musculata to be made of bronze (which is what Aitor's is made of as I recall).

To tell you the truth I have been toying with an idea of musculata with my late roman impression

Great. I plan to use the one from my avatar for my LR impression as well. I know Aitor does owns one (or did) but not sure if he uses it for any LR impression.

Thanks Theo!

My pleasure. I'll keep searching for evidence and post whatever I find.

~Theo

[Virilis]

This is very interesting! Yes, I have the Osprey`s "Praetorian Quard" and the last plate of a praetorian with a musculata was one of those things which sparked my interest in this musculata subject in the first place :wink: ...

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

Maybe this one can help you.

First half of the IV century - Museum of Antiquity of Turin. n.272 - red egyptian porphiry - 84x47x27 - ex Drovetti collection.

The interesting things are that it has no style affinity to any other statue of the period (very different from tetrarchs and others as told by L. Faedo by contradicting Delbreueck and L'Orange), that it looks not cassic, that it has a long spatha, that the decorations are very particular.

I find it very close to an actual late high officer kit.



Vale,

[Virilis]

Thanks Daniele! It seems that it is more and more plausible that muscled cuirasses were used in later roman times too...

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

So, either this would support the idea that the image of the musculata was only an artistic convention, or it could equally support the idea that the musculata was worn by all Roman officers, whatever the time period!
I know I would like the second idea better!

[Sub-Roman Britannia Enthu]

Umm,

are we certain it was Iron and not Bronze? I hate to sound uninformed, but wouldn't it be beyond the technical capabilities of the Romans to make a chest plate that large with iron? They (to the best of my knowledge) lacked the Blast Furnace that later gave rise to plate armour during the High Medieval/Rennaisance era. :?:

[Theodosius the Great]

Hi David,

You can read about the topic on this thread, starting with my post from Nov.30th and keep reading down.

I think I've mentioned most, if not, all the evidence that proves the Greeks and Romans could and did make their musculatae from iron. There seems to be an actual Greek cuirass made from iron that's currently housed in a museum on the island of Corfu.

~Theo

[Paulus Claudius Damianus]

So we have in late roman writing the word "Thorax" to indicate the possible muscled armor.

[Celtic505]

The Byzantine carving posted by Theo looks like it clearly depicts scales covering the musculata.

PS- Wouldn't it be interesting to find an example of a late musculata with Christian imagery depicted on it instead of the classic gorgon, gryphon motif?

[Robert Vermaat]

The Byzantine carving posted by Theo looks like it clearly depicts scales covering the musculata.

That's because it's not a musculata. :wink: