2D images of iconography
Propaganda Sculpture • Funerary Monuments • Miscellaneous and non-Roman • Minor Works
Propaganda Sculpture
Relief (possibly depicting a Republican cavalryman) from the Lacus Curtius in the Forum Romanum that marked the traditional location where Curtius supposedly leaped into a chasm (other myths are available!). This is a later copy of a 2nd century BC relief. Image: MCB
Lacus Curtius
Detail of the Aemilius Paullus monument showing Macedonian cavalry and a Roman legionary. His large, curved, oval shield with a horizontal hand grip is clearly visible. The figure is heavily damaged but appesr to be wearing a thigh-length mail shirt. Image: Colin Whiting (CC BY-SA-4.0)
Aemilius Paullus monument
Portion of the so-called Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus depicting two legionaries (with large, curved, oval shields, mail body armour, crested helmets, and sheathed swords), one of whom appears to be saluting. Image: jastrow (PD)
Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus
Portion of the so-called Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus depicting two legionaries (with large, curved, oval shields with spinae and 'barleycorn' bosses, mail body armour, and crested helmets) and a mail-clad and helmeted cavalryman. Image: jastrow (PD)
Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus
Relief from Praeneste depicting marines on a bireme with a crocodile figurehead. The marines are equipped with oval shields but their equipment shows hellenising tendencies in the shield grips and helmets. Image: Rabax63 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Relief
Three joining relief panels from the Medinacelli reliefs depicting the battle of Actium showing nine biremes (including one sinking) manned by marines. Image: Mark Landon (PD)
Relief
Detail of one of three joining relief panels from the Medinacelli reliefs depicting the battle of Actium showing eight biremes. Image: Mark Landon (PD)
Relief
Detail of one of three joining relief panels from the Medinacelli reliefs depicting the battle of Actium showing eight biremes. It depicts two marines with curved rectangular shields and a third with a hexagonal shield. They also appear to wear pteryges over tunics, and body armour that resembles the strips usually employed to depict lorica segmentata. Image: Mark Landon (PD)
Relief
Relief from Cumae (ITA) depicting armed soldiers. Image: Gary Todd (CC0 1.0)
Relief
Frize from the Augustan arch at Susa depicting Roman soldiers with oval shields and helmets. Image: Zairon
Susa arch
Congeries armorum on the eastern side of the south face of the arch at Orange. Image: Marianne Casamance
Orange arch
Detail of a battle frieze from the arch at Orange, including Roman infantry and cavalry. Image: Marianne Casamance
Orange arch
Funerary Monuments
Tombstone of Annaius Daverzus, auxiliary infantry of cohors III Delmatarum. He holds two spears and a flat rectangular shield and wears two belts, one each for sword and dagger, and has a fine eight-strapped apron. Image: JordiCuber
Tombstone of Annaius Daverzus
Tombstone of Pantera, auxiliary archer of cohors I Sagittariorum. He holds a bow in his left hand and (originally) a scroll in his right and wears two belts, one each for sword and dagger, and has a six-strapped apron. Image: Marcin Szala
Tombstone of Pantera
Tombstone of Hyperanor, auxiliary archer of cohors I Sagittariorum. He holds a bow in his left hand and has his right hand on his sword hilt. He wears two belts, one each for sword and dagger, and has an eight-strapped apron. Image: Marcin Szala
Tombstone of Hyperanor
Pre-Flavian infantry tombstone, lacking an inscription. He wears two belts, one above the other, with a sword on his right hip and dagger on his left. He holds his shield with a horizontal handgrip. Image: Marcus Cyron (PD)
Tombstone
The sculpted relief of Flavoleius Cordus, a pre-Flavian legionary of legio XIIII Gemina from Mainz. It probably pre-dates the invasion of Britain by a few years. He has an oval scutum on his back and holds a shafted weapon in his right hand by means of a throwing strap (amentum). He has sword and dagger belts crossed and wears a tunic with a sagum over it. His boots are depicted with only the sole and central lacing rifge, suggesting the rest of the detail was added in paint. Image: MCB
Tombstone of Flavoleius Cordus
Tombstone of Largennius, a legionary of legio II Augusta.
Tombstone of Largennius
Fragmentary tombstone found in Trier in 1888. It depicts a soldier holding two spears in his right hand and (apparently) the scabbard of a sword in his left. His tunic has the characteristic hem and folds of a pre-Flavian tombstone. He also appears to be wearing a sagum and a baldric over his right shoulder. A belt and apron can be made out. Image: MCB (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tombstone
Torso of a pre-Flavian infantryman's tombstone from Bingen (DEU), now in the Landesmuseum Mainz. Crossed belts, decorated dagger scabbard, and apron are expertly portrayed, and a paenula is worn over his finely detailed tunic. Image: Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tombstone fragment
Tombstone of the auxiliary standard bearer, Pancuius, depicting him wearing a mail shirt with shoulder doubling and pteryges, holding a standard on his left side. Image: Hartmann Linge (CC BY)
Tombstone of Pancuius
Tombstone of the aquilifer of Gnaeus Musius of legio XIIII Gemia from Mainz. He holds an eagle standard in his right hand and rests his hand on a curved oval shield with a rectangular boss. He wears his awards (torques and phalerae) on a harness of his chest and a sword belt with a horizontally suspended sword. He has fringed pteryges over his tunic and under what is probably mail body armour. The details of his caligae have been carved, rather than mostly painted. He has no dagger or dagger belt. Image: Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tombstone of Gnaeus Musius
Cenotaph of Marcus Caelius, centurion of legio XVIII (here rendered as XIIX), killed during the Varian disaster in the Teutoburger Wald. He wears phalerae and torgues over what is probably mail armour, with pteryges att he arms and below the waits. He holds his vine staff, the vitis, in his right hand. Image: Agnete (PD).
Cenotaph of M. Caelius
Tombstone of aquilifer L. Sertorius Firmus at Verona. He wears a scale shirt and pteryges with two belts over it, for a sword on his left hip and dagger on his right. He holds an eagle standard in his right hand. Image: MCB
Tombstone of Sertorius Firmus
Miscellaneous and non-Roman
An incomplete relief from Alba Iulia (ROM) depicting a legionary soldier with a curved rectangular shield (with a figural boss), a hybrid cuirass with segmental girth hoops and scale upper section, a segmental armguard, and the chape of a sword scabbard visible worn on the left hip. Image: JCNC
Relief
Column base relief from Mainz depicting two legionaries with curved rectangular shields and helmets. The one in the foreground has a drawn sword whilst the man in the background has a shouldered pilum. Image: MCB
Mainz Legionaries
Column base relief from Mainz depicting a legionary with a pilum and a slung helmet and a standard bearer. Image: Heiko Fischer
Legionaries
Column base relief from Mainz depicting a legionary with a curved rectangular shield, helmet, and mail shirt with a split at the hem. His sword is worn on his left hip and in his right hand he holds a loop. Image: Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mainz legionary
Pedestal relief from Mainz, thought to be from the HQ building (principia), depicting a legionary facing right, with a curved oval shield with a spina and possibly butterfly boss, with his sword drawn. There is evidence of a shield blazon just visible. The relief is heavily damaged, possibly by erosion. Image: MCB (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mainz legionary
Detail of a front view of the Ludovisi Antoninus Pius statue showing a draped garment with lappets and pteryges, identified by Robinson as an arming doublet. Image: MumblerJamie (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Statue
Detail of a side view of the Ludovisi Antoninus Pius statue showing a draped garment with lappets and pteryges, identified by Robinson as an arming doublet. Image: MumblerJamie (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Statue
relief from Mavilly depicting Mars wearing a mail short and holding a spear and a shield. Image: Anne-Marie Lesca (CC-BY-SA)
Pedestal
Relief of Mars from Housesteads depicted with his sword on his right hip and with the horizontal hand grip of his oval shield resembling those of the Dura shields. His helmet has a fore-and-aft crest and side plumes. Image: MCB
Relief
Flanking relief of Mars from an inscription (RIB 1284) from High Rochester suggested by some as depicting an arming doublet (thoracomachus/subarmalis). Image: Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Relief
Statue of Mars from Aalen (DEU) depicting the deity wearing a sword mounted on the left hip with a baldric (with phalera fastener) and scabbard slide. Image: G. Garitan (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Statue
Detail of a statue of Mars from Aalen (DEU) showing the sword baldric (with phalera fastener) and scabbard slide. Image: G. Garitan (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Statue
Minor Works
Fresco from the Boukhachkhach (Bou Kachkach) Necropolis (MAR) depicting a soldier, possibly a cavalryman, wearing a blue paenula over a white tunic, holding a green oval shield in his left hand and staff in his right, and with the hilt of a sword visible suspended on his left hip. The horses wear no harnesses or headstalls but do seem to be wearing collars. Late 1st or early 2nd century AD. Image: Dan Diffendale (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Fresco
Battle of Ebenezer fresco from the Dura-Europos synagogue. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fresco
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
Exodus from Egypt fresco from the synagogue at Dura-Europos depicting soldiers with multi-coloured shields. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fresco
Detail of the fresco of the tribune Terentius from Dura-Europos depicting a vexillum. Image: Yale University Art Gallery
Fresco
Detail of the fresco of the tribune Terentius from Dura-Europos depicting a group of soldiers. Image: Yale University Art Gallery
Fresco
Fresco of the tribune Terentius from Dura-Europos. Image: Yale University Art Gallery
Fresco
Fresco from the synagogue at Dura-Europos depicting a horse archer (Mordechai). Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fresco
Depiction of a Late Roman soldier from a fresco in the Via Latina catacomb in Rome. Image: JCNC
Fresco
Fresco from the synagogue at Dura-Europos depicting two (mail-clad?) cavalryman fighting whilst (scale-clad?) infantrymen are engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fresco
Detail of crests on a fresco (Briseis being taken away from Achilles: Napoli MAN Inv.9105) in the House of the Tragic Poet at Pompeii that suggest that both side plumes and fore-and-aft crests are formed from feathers. Image: Tyler Bell (CC BY 2.0)
Fresco
Portrait of a bearded soldier with a studded baldric over his left shoulder. From Fayum (EGY). The studs are gilded (brass or gold?). He wears a white tunic and a blue sagum over his left shoulder. Image: Yann (PD)
Mummy portrait