Helmet Roman or Carthaginian?

[Tarbicus]

I would think that there were also young Romans who had more savy than to jump into a posting with all the finery associated with a successful general!

This is where we differ entirely on how the army looked in the field. I have no reason to believe that the men (and I include the lowly gregarius) did not intend to look splendidly bright in battle. There is just too much to indicate, in literature, that they were proud of their appearance, both in military and civilian life. Why wear feathers or plumes? Why the descriptions of bright and shining armour, why wear medals and decorations into battle? There is even a centurion who supposedly wore a brazier with hot coals on top of his helmet to give the right impression to the enemy (scare the crap out of them!).

Sorry, but I just don't really buy this more modern image of the man in battle. :wink: Judging a man by his appearance was endemic to the Roman psyche, and the army had just as much of that in its ranks as in civilian life, as far as I can tell.