Roman Parade Armour

[Anonymous]

Hi,<br>
<br>
I'm putting together an article on Roman Parade Armour- fundamental thesis that much of what has been classified as parade armour is normal wear- the fact that we interpret gaudy and even "vulgar" the more ornate items reflects more on our modern day vision where our soldiers have been drably and uniformly dressed for almost a century.<br>
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I've put together a number of texts but would really value any articles or books that the collective Roman Army talk brain would recommend?<br>
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Regards,<br>
<br>
Paul <p></p><i></i>

[Daniel S Peterson]

Paul,<br>
I believe these are among the best though are all in German:<br>
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Romische Kampf und Turnier Rustungen (Guttmann Collection Catalog) by Born and Junkelmann<br>
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Reiter wi Statuen aus Erz by Junkelmann<br>
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Romische Paraderrustungen by Garbsch and Beck<br>
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It is becoming more and more difficult to define, what, if anything was simply parade armor. Certainly some specialized armor was reserved for Cavalry Sports such as the Greek and Amazon mask helmets, but virtually all of the others could have been employed in combat.<br>
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Just because an armor is extremely decorative does not mean it would not be used in combat. This is a very modern concept. Consider that in the Napoleonic era, "full dress" was worn in combat, and simpler dress was used for fatigue duties.<br>
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There are some forms of Roman armor, such as extremely fine mail, or tiny scale and lamellar which would not withstand a good sword thrust. Perpaps this was reserved for some dress occasions or cavalry sports, though we will probably never know.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>