Working on British Iron Age stuff for the spring, and just finished a shield. It's based on both the Antonine Wall representations of fighting shields, and very roughly on the dimensions of the Clonoura shield from Ireland. The design is taken from a whole design series of Romano-British brooches from the Brigantian tribe.
(although I can't suppress the pro-cavalry feeling of deep joy at the decapitated body being trampled under foot... :evil: )
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
I would think that the stelae is very much a propaganda thing of the Romans for the west Brigantian's may well have neen horsemen themselves when we look at some of there other horse type brooches.
Here is a replica of a west Brigantian horse brooch that I have yet to put the inlays into, it is 45mm long.
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Quote:I would think that the stelae is very much a propaganda thing of the Romans for the west Brigantian's may well have neen horsemen themselves when we look at some of there other horse type brooches.
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Very nice brooch - were most British nobles cavalry? I imagined the Iceni were, and probably the southern tribes too, as well as the post-Roman Votadini.
Quote:Very nice brooch - were most British nobles cavalry? I imagined the Iceni were, and probably the southern tribes too, as well as the post-Roman Votadini.
Tab. Vindol. II. 164: ' "... the Britons are unprotected by armour (?). There are very many cavalry. The cavalry do not use swords nor do the wretched Britons mount in order to throw javelins. '
This is the famous memo from Vindolanda. It's an open question what exactly was being referred to here - British barbarians rebelling against Roman troops, lacklustre potential recruits failing to impress, or just a general observation on the locals - but it seems that cavalry was not restricted to the nobility, and may not have been either highly skilled or well equipped. In fact it's not terribly clear how the cavalry actually fought. One interpretation is that they were like dragoons, dismounting once they had reached the battlefield to fight on foot (i.e. to throw javelins). Caesar did describe nobles in the south of Britain fighting this way from chariots (and with superb skill) but it's questionable how much this could be representative of a people half an island and a century and a half apart.
I think the nobles of any region at this period would be horsemen to some degree, as it was the quickest way to get around and so afforded a degree of comfort and convenience out of reach of the very poor. It could also be a form of status display, through breed and horse equipment. However, I doubt, post disarmament, whether the nobility also served as cavalry in southern Britain. Status could be displayed in other ways in a mercantile Roman setting.
The Dragonesque brooch is a very beautiful design and I applaud it being given any further attention! However, I think it is mostly found in proximity to Roman sites (and is part of a very Roman tradition for ostentatious bling) so it's interesting to see it used on a symbol of resistance to Rome.
Philus Estius: That's a very nice brooch too! Is it based on a specific find?
Quote:The Dragonesque brooch is a very beautiful design and I applaud it being given any further attention! However, I think it is mostly found in proximity to Roman sites (and is part of a very Roman tradition for ostentatious bling) so it's interesting to see it used on a symbol of resistance to Rome.
Its certainly not a Roman symbol. So, for me, its a symbol I can connect to local Britons. I am assuming a Brigantian symbol that finds expression in Romano-Briton times as a brooch, but that was already a symbol prior to the invasion. I don't believe that there ever existed symbols of 'resistance'.
Quote:I don't believe that there ever existed symbols of 'resistance'.
Just went back to your first post and realised it was an IA shield, so that point was off :S Had it been contemporaneous to the Antonine Wall, it could have been seen in that way.
I don't think the Dragonesque was some secret symbol of armed resistance - especially since soldiers apparently took them overseas - but it is a pretty cool survival and makes a change from the standard Roman brooch forms.
Quote:
Tab. Vindol. II. 164: ' "... the Britons are unprotected by armour (?). There are very many cavalry. The cavalry do not use swords nor do the wretched Britons mount in order to throw javelins. '
This is the famous memo from Vindolanda. It's an open question what exactly was being referred to here -
...sounds like mounted infantry to me - dismout to fight!
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
If Paul does not mind me going off topic for a moment the west Brigantian Horse brooch I reproduced was taken from a metal detecting find that a friend of mine made many years ago.
It has lain around for some time now waiting for inlays and its spring type pin to be fitted at the rear, here is a picture of the rear view of it.
The Dragonesque type brooches similar to those used by Paul on his shield are known as Romano/British types and do show local British style artwork, they were indeed very popular in the early period of Roman Britain.
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![[Image: Clonoura.jpg]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oz-quqRgtfc/SkpjzIXBbgI/AAAAAAAABB0/WIYla1s_jLg/s400/Clonoura.jpg)
