03-01-2011, 10:48 AM
Not Vegetius' 'military mark' but perhaps relevant to the original question.
A number of first and second century AD helmet masks feature patterns of dots or circles on the cheeks and these may give clues to facial tattoos or marks worn by the soldiers (or units) who wore them. However, it is likely that the owners of these helmets would not have been citizens but Germanic or Danubian auxiliaries and thus they may reflect tribal tattooing or ritual scarring. In all likelyhood they say nothing at all about citizen soldiers and similarly they are almost certainly not what Vegetius later referred to but they may nevertheless be echoes of tattooing on some soldiers at least.
Crispvs
A number of first and second century AD helmet masks feature patterns of dots or circles on the cheeks and these may give clues to facial tattoos or marks worn by the soldiers (or units) who wore them. However, it is likely that the owners of these helmets would not have been citizens but Germanic or Danubian auxiliaries and thus they may reflect tribal tattooing or ritual scarring. In all likelyhood they say nothing at all about citizen soldiers and similarly they are almost certainly not what Vegetius later referred to but they may nevertheless be echoes of tattooing on some soldiers at least.
Crispvs
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