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Roman Military Equipment
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Roman Military Equipment

From Start to Finish

Book

Book

What does artificial intelligence think of our book? Here’s two slightly different takes from ChatGPT. We’ll leave you to decide whether it’s talking out of its AIs.

“Roman Military Equipment” by Bishop and Coulston is a comprehensive study of the equipment used by the Roman army from the early Republic to the late Empire. The authors provide a detailed examination of the weapons, armor, and other gear used by Roman soldiers, including the design, construction, and evolution of each type of equipment over time. They also provide insights into the tactics and strategies of the Roman army, as well as the social, economic, and political factors that influenced the development of Roman military equipment. This book is considered a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of the Roman army and the equipment they used to conquer the ancient world.

“Roman Military Equipment” by Bishop and Coulston is a book that provides a comprehensive analysis of the equipment used by the Roman military during the Roman Republic and Empire periods. The book covers a wide range of topics, including weapons, armor, clothing, and personal equipment used by the Roman soldiers. It also provides in-depth information on the development and evolution of Roman military equipment, as well as its use in various historical periods and geographical regions. Additionally, the book includes numerous illustrations and diagrams to help readers understand the complex details of Roman military equipment. The authors, Bishop and Coulston, are well-respected experts in the field of Roman military history, and their book remains an important reference for anyone interested in learning more about the subject.

Enough of that nonsense. More importantly, here are some real Reviews, the downloadable Figures, the Corrigenda, and some fact-packed FAQs.

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Gallery Samples

Curved rectangular shield umbo with a green patina and with a hemispherical boss in the centre for the hand grip.
Curved, rectangular copper-alloy shield boss with six of eight domed shield nails in situ. Image: P. Gross
Shield boss
Soldiers with oval, coloured shields (red, white, and blue) and similarly coloured leggings.
Crossing the Red Sea fresco from the synagogue at Dura-Europos depicting soldiers with multi-coloured shields lined up before standard-bearers with vexilla. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fresco
Fragmentary ferrous back plate attached to scales, found in the Millennium excavations at Carlisle. The ferrous components are corroded brownish orange and the copper-alloy examples are mid-green.
Ferrous back plate and scales from lorica squamata from Carlisle (GBR). The mostly ferrous scales are interspersed with copper alloy scales. Image: scrappy annie (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Scale armour
A ferrous cavalry helmet with partially surviving bronze sheathing includes horizontal trilobate protrusions above the brow.
Ferrous cavalry helmet with copper-alloy (probably brass) embossed and incised sheathing (most of it missing over the bowl). The cheek piece may not be original (or may be a clumsy repair). A plume tube survives on the left-hand side just above the ear. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Cavalry helmet
Brass-coloured belt plate with four empty rivet holes, one in each corner.
Copper-alloy belt plate from Chichester, hinged for a buckle or suspension frog. Image: MCB
Belt plate
Silvered phalera junction with three strap loops and a trifid pendant.
Three-way strap junction from harness found at Doorwerth. Three junction loops and a trefoil pendant are hinged to loops on the rear face of the phalera. Brass with silver foil soldered on the front face and with niello inlay depicting stylised vine leaves and grapes. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Phalera junction
To the top is a heavily corroded ferrous Antonine dagger blade and tang with part of the handle adhering, whilst below it is the ferrous frame scabbard for the weapon, also corroded.
Dagger and scabbard of the Antonine form from Stillfried (AT). Part of the handle survives on the blade and tang. Image: Wolfgang Sauber
Dagger and scabbard
A ferrous helmet with broad neck guard, cheek pieces, and brow guard.
Ferrous Weisenau (Imperial-Gallic)-type helmet. Image: MCB
Helmet
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