Representation of Auxiliary soldiers in museums

[Peroni]

Middlewich has an auxiliary cavalryman on display in the Library but he was meant to be based on one of my paintings in the Middlewich project book.

That'll be this fellow here Graham. Auxiliary cavalry type B (The Witcham Gravel helmet). Red tunica and femenalia. Red socks???

[Tarbicus]

Red socks???

Of course he has, just look at Graham's avatar. :wink:

[Graham Sumner]

Hi Adrian/ Jim

I never expected to see a picture of that! Well done. Did you follow the trail and see all the interpretation panels? The horse was a blow up of one of my paintings as I guess the budget did not stretch to a full size horse as well.

Red socks? No, red leggings I think, made up from an old tunic! :wink:

Graham.

[Graham Sumner]

Hi Mike

When I started out in archaeological reconstruction painting although I was given lots of detail by the archaeologists about the buildings when it came to the figures, especially the military ones I was left on my own. First point of call in those days was the very first Osprey men-at arms by Michael Simkins, little knowing then that I would end up writing some myself. Peter Connolly's 'Roman Army' book was also a real eye opener and made do until I joined the Ermine Street Guard and eventually got my copy of Russell Robinson.

Of course most of the military sites in Britain I have worked on tended to be later Roman and for many years reconstructions of soldiers from that period were practically non existent. In fact is there a reconstruction in a UK museum of a late Roman soldier on display anywhere?

The Simkins/Embleton books from the late 1970's early 80's showed the Late Romans as all unarmoured in plain tunics with Intercissa helmets with the exception of the Deurne cavalryman. You will still see those as the standard Late Romans depicted in children's books. The third century soldiers are frequently missed out completely while for the early imperial period as Mike mentions the Russell Robinson/Ermine Street Guard image is the most popular. Rebublican troops are by and large another forgotten army.

As Mike say's fashions in interpretation can be easily discerned at a later date and there is no doubt in my mind that the clean cut image of the Roman soldier that we have today owes much to the armies of the middle and latter half of the twentieth century when most of the reconstructions we are familiar with originated. Back then Roman Forts were clean swept, like British Army barracks and were totally devoid of women and children. A picture modern archaeology is beginning to change.

The image of Empire amongst Romano British scholars of the 1950's and 60's was also very different as well. Little difference was perceived between the benevolent British Empire defended by smartly dressed redcoats bringing civilization to remote places just like their earlier Roman cousins. Nowadays Imperialism is seen as much more oppressive and in far darker terms.

The pictures of Roman soldiers in earlier works like Forestier, Racinet and Coussin are very different from those of today. They may not have been based on the extensive archaeological research that is now available but there was perhaps more general knowledge of ancient technologies and skills not so far removed from their own and ancient discoveries since lost.

Of course in terms of public perception the modern medium of cinema and television is highly influential. That it is why it is so annoying when years of research can be literally undone in a matter of minutes by a highly successful film like 'Gladiator'. At least it might get some people interested who might want to follow up their own line of research. I for one became interested in the Romans after seeing 'The Fall of The Roman Empire', the film that is,not the real event, I am not that old!

And yet sometimes films can get it right, there is a lot in the latter film worthy of praise so they should not be entirely dismissed out of hand. They are in fact reconstructions in their own right and have at times been based on the same lines of research that are available to everyone else.

Some of the Roman helmets in 'FOTRE' were based on correct helmets from the right period. The Roman soldiers at the Crucifixion scene in 'The Robe' are identical to a painting of a legionary by Forestier in his book on the Roman soldier published in the 1920's and must have come from that source. Most Hollywood movies do not show red tunics by the way. Those in 'The Robe' for instance are in blue! The most common combination seen worn by the Praetorians in 'The Robe' and it's sequel 'Demetrius and The Gladiator', 'Quo Vadis', 'Ben Hur' and 'King of Kings', is a white tunic with a red cloak which again follows Roman Art.

'Spartacus' and 'FOTRE' sort of buck the trend with soldiers in more earthy colours. I have mentioned before that a character at the Lybian mine in Spartacus wears a very accurate representation of an Auxiliary type helmet with a mail shirt under a leather cover! The soldiers at the mine do however wear red tunics cloaks and bracae but elsewhere are in a light brown.

As far as epics made in colour are concerned two British researched productions might have been influential. 'Caesar and Cleopatra' made just after WW2 is quite visually startling, as is 'Cleopatra' which initially began filming in Britain. In both the Roman soldiers have dark red tunics cloaks and bracae. It is interesting that unlike the often plastic look of the true Hollywood epics the armour and equipment in both films has an air of
authenticity. Indeed the lorica segmentata worn by Caesar's troops in 'Cleopatra was very'Grosvenor'Museum type so had clearly been based on some research, in fact the belt aprons were a lot better in the movie!


A further point of interest is that the character of Agrippa (Andrew Kier) is always shown in a blue tunic, a point reinforced by mentioning that he is an admiral. During the battle of Actium sequence he is accompanied by officers dressed like those in the well known sculpture of a trireme decorated with a crocodile! They too all wear blue tunics.

In more recent productions for example some of those shown on TV colours have varied. While cloaks consistently stay red, tunics range from red to light brown like those in 'Jesus of Nazareth' for example.

Auxiliary soldiers are rarely depicted as such, even cavalry can wear legionary armour so I cannot say if and how green became a streotype for auxiliaries if ever. On the rare occasions that they do appear in films it is often in the same basic uniform as the other soldiers sometimes equipped with different weapons like bows. On at least one notable occassion the archers had pointed helmets and long blue tunics. That was in 'AD' the sequel to 'Jesus of Nazareth'. In another there were some German auxiliaries in 'Masada', they had spangenhelms and fur covered tunics.

I think I have just written your thesis for you Mike, or at least the start of my next Osprey book on Roman movie military clothing!

Graham.

[Crispvs]

Here's the cavalryman from Corinium Museum in Cirencester:
image url: http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/ro ... C00224.JPG

Here is the aforementioned Housesteads model:
http://www.poplarcreek.net/snapshots/En ... oldier.JPG

I think this is the third century soldier model from Segedunum. I'm afraid I didn't look closely the last time I was there:
http://www.jamesflack.com/images/soldier.jpg
(Please forgive me if that turns out to be a rather digitally coloued photo of a member of Cohors Quinta Gallorum

You should find an auxiliary from Rotherham museum and a legionary from the Yorkshire Museum here:
http://www.7agesofmanchester.org/main/1_mamucium.htm

Here's a legionary model featured on the Oundle Primary School website, although I don't know where the model is:
http://oundleprimary.co.uk/starnet/medi ... oldier.jpg

On a lighter note, these are typical of the models I saw when I visited Kalkriese last year:
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/7357/bild17wk4.jpg

Here is a centurio from the National Museum of Wales:
http://www.hohenstaufen-gymnasium.de/fa ... der/81.jpg

Here is a legionary from Doncaster museum:
image url: http://www.danum-photos.co.uk/images/do ... oldier.jpg

I seem to remember a model of a Roman soldier in the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover. I don't remember if it was a legionary or an auxiliary.

I hopes that this helps a little in the quest for images from museums.

Crispvs

[claudia crisis]

You should find an auxiliary from Rotherham museum and a legionary from the Yorkshire Museum here:
http://www.7agesofmanchester.org/main/1_mamucium.htm

Here's a legionary model featured on the Oundle Primary School website, although I don't know where the model is:
http://oundleprimary.co.uk/starnet/medi ... oldier.jpg

If you compare the Yorkshire legionary to that from the Oundle school I think you will answer Crispus's own question here - clearly the same model from a slightly different viewpoint.

Hilary

[Crispvs]

So it is. Thank you Hilary.

Crispvs

[Crispvs]

Here's a hazy picture of the cavalryman from the Lunt.
http://www.theankerpartners.org.uk/anke ... oldier.JPG

I'm sure I have seen better images of this one on the web before so I'll keep looking.

Crispvs

[Robert Vermaat]

From Tulln, Austria:
1st c. auxiliary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=2
2nd/early 3rd c. legionary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=3
4th c. legionary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=4

[Crispvs]

Here is the Cirencester cavalryman again from a couple more angles
http://www.stoa.org/albums/album42/Roma ... .thumb.jpg

http://www.stoa.org/albums/album42/Roma ... .thumb.jpg

Still looking for a better image of the Lunt cavalryman. Perhaps I should pop over and take a couple of photos myself and get them scanned.

Crispvs

[Robert Vermaat]

Here is the Cirencester cavalryman again from a couple more angles
http://www.stoa.org/albums/album42/Roma ... .thumb.jpg
http://www.stoa.org/albums/album42/Roma ... .thumb.jpg

Erm.. That's two very small extremely similar pictures... :oops:

[Crispvs]

Sorry, that didn't seem to work properly. Here is the link to the page instead:

http://www.stoa.org/gallery/album42

Crispvs

[Robert Vermaat]

Thanks Crispvs! I had lost that link and could not find the site again!

[FAVENTIANVS]

From Tulln, Austria:
1st c. auxiliary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=2
2nd/early 3rd c. legionary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=3
4th c. legionary: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid5/austria/ ... php?page=4

Tony Feldon's helmets?

[Robert Vermaat]

Tony Feldon's helmets?

Yeah? Possible, I can't tell.