need advised on 7th century bc pre republic cav equipment

[Tarbicus]

Do you actually have to describe what they wear at all? Is it really necessary?

[Marcus Hortensius Castus]

It can be nice to have the description when you are reading to further get into the book, something that I find very helpful as I always immerse myself in my books, and I use this in my short stories, describing the armor/uniforms and accoutrements so you can more easily 'see' what the author intended. That's just my 2 cents and has no impact on the OT... I just don't want my late or republic Romans being seen by readers in a 'gladiator' scene...

[Paullus Scipio]

.......Be mindful that Jim's examples, while excellent and typical of what we do have at the earliest, are 300 years or so after the period you refer to......shields, mail armour etc are complete no-no's for that era.....

[petrinus]

yes descriptive writing is dare i say, critical to convey a sense of the intended scene and therefore unavoidable, one most invoke the six senses in their work whenever possible.

ive elected to abandon any idea of armor, adorning them in tunics and blankets(cloaks) instead,equiped with long spears, unspecified swords, and yes....helmets. but i kept them simple and most basic tarnished metal bowls at best. agree or not i thought they conveyed some sense of status and painted a more potent image. we know that etruscans REFINED their helmet by the 5th century so it is i think likely they and their Ruman neighbors wore them whenever available, especialy men of horse rank.

[Matthew Amt]

and yes....helmets. but i kept them simple and most basic tarnished metal bowls at best. agree or not i thought they conveyed some sense of status and painted a more potent image. we know that etruscans REFINED their helmet by the 5th century so it is i think likely they and their Ruman neighbors wore them whenever available, especialy men of horse rank.

I would have no objections to helmets, since there is a late Bronze Age or early Iron Age figurine of a horseman with a shield and helmet (ack, from France, maybe?? Germany?).

But no helmet would be "tarnished"!! The whole reason for using bronze is to make it SHINY. (Well, it IS pretty protective, too!) Warriors wanted to look like gods, and for that you need bling. And plain was rare, too, though certainly some were simpler than others. I made one that could be considered a precursor to the Etruscan style with the big triangular crest:

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/rdghlm5.jpg

Here's an Etruscan one, a repro by someone else and very nice though it needs some polish:

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/levat2.jpg

Color and shine! Vale,

Matthew

[Tarbicus]

The only images I could find of Etruscan cavalry with helmets are 4th-C BC or later.

Here's an Etruscan cup from the beginning of the 5th-C BC, carrying spears:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image ... e_G105.jpg

I don't know the date of this Etruscan fresco depicting Achilles:
http://www.maravot.com/Etruscan_mural_achilles.gif