Legionary umbones...

[Tim Edwards]

Here's another question...

Pretty much every first century legionary group I've met use the standard Dura Europos pattern scutum with a standard rectangular iron boss.

However, I've never actually seen such a boss in any of the museums I have visited.

I'm aware that a couple do exist, but the small handful that I know of all seem to date from the second or third century.

There a few examples of rectangular bosses in copper alloy, but again, I believe these are all second century. (ie the famous River Tyne boss)

This seems odd to me, given that we have hundreds upon hundreds of the round iron and brass bosses.

I know the rectangular bosses can frequently be seen on second and third century sculpture (Trajan's Column. Adamklissi etc etc) but how much evidence do we have for the existence of such bosses in the first century AD??

[PhilusEstilius]

Tim I would think that the Trajan Column may well give an answer to this question for the first Dacian war was just into the second Century, and it must have taken some time for Trajan to get all these soldiers together for it. The plans for such a push must have been made in the first Century, then all of these soldiers would have come from their provinces fully kitted out. The shield boss of Junius Dubitatus that came out of the river Tyne has maybe a more sad tale to tell, it is one where I believe that poor Junius perished with all his comrades when their ship sank in the mouth of the Tyne.

[Peroni]

The grave stele of Gnaeus Musius of Legio XIIII (dated to pre-43AD) depicts a square umbo Tim.

http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/ ... Itemid,94/

[Tim Edwards]

Of course!

That's pretty unequivocal, albeit on an oval shield.

Perhaps Caius Valerius Crispus is the most famous example, though I'm starting to wonder whether he is the exception rather than the rule.

I still find myself wondering how common rectangular shield and boss combinations were in the first century, given the scant evidence compared to the rounded type.

I'm beginning to wonder whether the sub-oval shields and rounded bosses commonly depicted carried by soldiers and guardsmen serving in Italy during the first century were equally prevalent in the Rhineland...