12-17-2010, 02:55 AM
Quote:thank you for this information;again, it would be interesting to know if shield emblems and colors were different with each cohort while pertaining some sort of a legion recognition emblem ? As for tuniques colors , were they associated with shield colors ?
That is one possible interpretation of the meagre evidence for the early imperial period - though we don't know with any certainty which period Vegetius had in mind when referring to the 'antiqua Legio' ( which subject has been debated before on the forum ), or even if he was describing a 'mish-mash' of several periods, which seems highly probable, since he refers to 'the ancients' when describing recruit sizes, and he refers to various earlier commanders from Roman history. Certainly his description of the Legion containing " within itself the heavy-armed foot, that is: the principes,hastati,triarii,and antesignani, the light-armed foot consisting of the ferentarii,archers,slingers and balistarii, together with the legionary cavalry incorporated with it" matches no known legionary organisation, and sounds like a compendium drawn from earlier writers such as Cato, Caesar and Frontinus whom he refers to as well as others. His reference to how a legion was armed and drawn up also seems to be a mix of different earlier organisations with references to e.g. 'Triarii' and 'spathae'.
The idea that each Legion had a single 'device', and each cohort a different colour for its shields is a plausible one, but by no means is this the only possible interpretation.
We also have little knowledge of tunic colours ( endlessly debated here and elsewhere)......the best guide I know of, containing virtually all known information is
"Roman Military Dress" by Graham Sumner ( a member here) published by 'The History Press' or his earlier two 'Osprey' volumes, "Roman Military Clothing". It is highly unlikely that tunic colours were associated with shield colours.
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff