06-12-2007, 05:55 AM
Hi Dan !
That's a canny observation, and the monument certainly looks better re-assembled. Well done.
You could depict an African as a post Trasimene "pseudo-roman", but I believe it is possible to depict a pre-Trasimene African/Liby-phoenician fairly accurately.
Most of what follows is drawn from Duncan Head's excellent "Armies and enemies of the Punic Wars" published 1982 by Wargamers Research Group- highly recommended.
A Liby-Phoenician heavy infantryman would wear a beltless calf-length tunic, most likely red (Herodotus describes these and soft leather goatskin tunics, dyed red - the leather is what we now call 'kid' or 'morroccan' leather )Such beltless tunics continued to be worn, mostly wool, down to modern times.He would carry a Thureos, possibly white, and one or more longche. Having marched from Spain, we might allow him a spanish sword ( machaira or gladius type) but some other type of sidearm,such as a greek sword (Abd-asart appears to have a greek style hilt) would be equally possible. His helmet would be a simple type, conical or hemi-spherical, with or without cheek-pieces, or might be a montefortino. ( one of the problems where, say, a montefortino turns up in Spain is that we don't know its history - it might have been worn by a celt, a celt-iberian, a spaniard, a carthaginian or a roman or even conceivably by all in succession !! ).The simple double curved conical type is probably the most typical, but that is a guess.
If you really want to go to town, then you could adopt a Libyan hairstyle as well ! Herodotus describes several styles unique to a particular tribe. One such is the 'Makai'. The head is shaven, except for a 'mohawk' style scalplock which is plaited, with a crescent ornament hanging from the front. This type is shown on 2nd centuryA.D tombstones so was worn throughout. Some Libyans wore red tattoos/body paint. ('course this look is kinda hard to explain on a monday morning....... but it would be fun !! )
Carthaginian officers would be better equipped, for example, with a Thracian or Thraco-Attic helmet as depicted on a coin of Hasdrubal.
For a shield design, the horse is shown on Punic coins as symbol of the city, and the roman poet Silius Italicus in his Punic War poem refers to Hannibal displaying ( presumably on his shield) a horses head emblem, as well as Carthaginian officers with scale corselets, senior officers in puple and gold - Polybius also refers to purple clad generals - and crests of red, white and yellow.(Silius account, with its myths and fantasies is often rejected as a historical source, but the details are likely to be authentic as they were well known. )
That should whet your apetite, Dan ! !
That's a canny observation, and the monument certainly looks better re-assembled. Well done.
You could depict an African as a post Trasimene "pseudo-roman", but I believe it is possible to depict a pre-Trasimene African/Liby-phoenician fairly accurately.
Most of what follows is drawn from Duncan Head's excellent "Armies and enemies of the Punic Wars" published 1982 by Wargamers Research Group- highly recommended.
A Liby-Phoenician heavy infantryman would wear a beltless calf-length tunic, most likely red (Herodotus describes these and soft leather goatskin tunics, dyed red - the leather is what we now call 'kid' or 'morroccan' leather )Such beltless tunics continued to be worn, mostly wool, down to modern times.He would carry a Thureos, possibly white, and one or more longche. Having marched from Spain, we might allow him a spanish sword ( machaira or gladius type) but some other type of sidearm,such as a greek sword (Abd-asart appears to have a greek style hilt) would be equally possible. His helmet would be a simple type, conical or hemi-spherical, with or without cheek-pieces, or might be a montefortino. ( one of the problems where, say, a montefortino turns up in Spain is that we don't know its history - it might have been worn by a celt, a celt-iberian, a spaniard, a carthaginian or a roman or even conceivably by all in succession !! ).The simple double curved conical type is probably the most typical, but that is a guess.
If you really want to go to town, then you could adopt a Libyan hairstyle as well ! Herodotus describes several styles unique to a particular tribe. One such is the 'Makai'. The head is shaven, except for a 'mohawk' style scalplock which is plaited, with a crescent ornament hanging from the front. This type is shown on 2nd centuryA.D tombstones so was worn throughout. Some Libyans wore red tattoos/body paint. ('course this look is kinda hard to explain on a monday morning....... but it would be fun !! )
Carthaginian officers would be better equipped, for example, with a Thracian or Thraco-Attic helmet as depicted on a coin of Hasdrubal.
For a shield design, the horse is shown on Punic coins as symbol of the city, and the roman poet Silius Italicus in his Punic War poem refers to Hannibal displaying ( presumably on his shield) a horses head emblem, as well as Carthaginian officers with scale corselets, senior officers in puple and gold - Polybius also refers to purple clad generals - and crests of red, white and yellow.(Silius account, with its myths and fantasies is often rejected as a historical source, but the details are likely to be authentic as they were well known. )
That should whet your apetite, Dan ! !
"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
