Roman Military Equipment

A display of the grave goods, featuring a he chainmail shirt, a helmet on a stand, a long sword, small gold ornaments, and various metal, glass, and ceramic objects, all arranged against a dark background.

The early medieval burial from Gammertingen, 6th century AD.
The high-ranking warrior died in his early 30s and was buried with a Byzantine helmet (a so-called Spangenhelm), his weapons, and his mail armour, which consisted of about 45,000 iron rings!

📷Landesmuseum Württemberg

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Belt set, military belt set

Ah, #FindsFriday again. Inspired by editing the London militaria catalogue, Let's have some rather splendid chip-carvery found in a late 4th/early 5th-century context in Mansell Street, with this set of belt plates, buckle plate, and strap terminal. www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/...

See a Restored Ancient Roman Helmet—and Two Shiny New Replicas The 2,000-year-old Hallaton Helmet is now on permanent display at the Harborough Museum in England

"The helmet is on display at the Harborough Museum, encased with five loose cheekpieces found in the same field in the early 2000s."
— @smithsonianmag.bsky.social #AncientBluesky #Romans www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...

They did indeed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangoli...

But not in that fake jiggerypokery (Robinson thought it was dodgy back in 1975). More likely in something like this.

Copper-alloy lorica segmentata hinged buckle from Nijmegen. The end of the fixed section of the body has been bent over, possibly during removal from its armour plate. Image: Museum het Valkhof (PD)

Here is one of these buckle plates still attached to its (mineralised) leather strap (left), from one of the first complete Kalkriese plates found. The buckle plate was attached to a leather strap riveted to the armour; this system was replaced by the more familiar hinged buckles (right).

Top view of a Kalkriese-type breast- or backplate fastening buckle with two corroded domed rivets, found in the oppidum at Stanwick in N Yorks (GBR). Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Underside view of a Kalkriese-type breast- or backplate fastening buckle with two surviving rivets (and one rectangular rove in situ), found in the oppidum at Stanwick in N Yorks (GBR). Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Something a little special for #FindsFriday. How long did Kalkriese-type lorica segmentata remain in use? Apparently, long enough to make it up to Stanwick in North Yorkshire. This is one of two strap-mounted fastening buckles from a breast- or backplate, found in the 1845 Stanwick Hoard.

The Glauberg Celtic Prince: A 5th Century BCE Most Extraordinary Iron Age Royal Discovery - Arkeonews Discover the Glauberg Celtic Prince, a remarkable 5th century BCE Iron Age burial in Germany. Explore the famous mistletoe crown statue

The article strangely overlooks the stylised cuirass he is so obviously wearing. arkeonews.net/the-glauberg...

We have become aware of a fraudulent website - ospreypress (dot) com - that is misrepresenting itself as Osprey Publishing. This site is not affiliated with us in any way.

Block of rusted mail clumped together.

Large clump of mail from the settlement (vicus) near the legionary fortress of Bonn 🇩🇪 #RomanFortThursday
Its discovery outside the fortress indicates there was a close relationship between Roman military installations and civilian settlements.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology

This looks ... familiar ...!

Photo (left) of an Iron dagger and sheath with illustrations (right) of decoration

A Roman legionary dagger and decorated sheath

Found during Ian Richmond’s 1951-8 excavations at Hod Hill camp #Dorset

Presumably lost when the fort was abandoned in the AD 50s as the legions moved west

© Trustees of the British Museum 1960,0405.3444

#RomanFortThursday and early #FindsFriday

YouTube video by Archeologický ústav AV ČR, Brno Decorative Tinning on Roman Armour – Revealing Ancient Craftsmanship

Some practical experiments with decorative tinning on Roman armour youtu.be/fmoKacmzvU4?...

Close-up photo of over various arrowheads and spearheads arranged in a dense cluster on a black background, showcasing their varied shapes.

During various excavations at the Roman fort in Osterburken, more than 120 arrowheads and spearheads were discovered. Some are of Roman origin, most are of Germanic type. The fort was attacked around the middle of the 3rd c.AD. These finds highlight the intense threat to Roman territory...🧵1/2

Tombstone of M. Aurelius Avitianus found at Brigetio showing a bare-headed soldier holds an oval shield and two spears in his left hand, a scroll in his right hand, and has a helmet resting on the ground by his right foot. A broad waist belt and cloak are visible. Image: Bence Simon (PD)

Tombstone depicting the soldier Ares, including a curved rectangular shield, crested helmet, and sword depicted at his feet. Image: MCB

Relief panel, possibly funerary in origin, depicting three legionaries from Croy Hill on the Antonine Wall. Each has a pilum in the right hand, whilst the two on the left have curved rectangular shields resting on the ground with helmets slung over the front, and the man on the right is holding his shield in his left hand and has his helmet slung around his neck. No swords are visible so may have been worn on the left hip. Image: MCB

For #TombstoneTuesday, let's take our helmets off so viewers can get a good view of a finely shaped head. Say hello to Avitianus (left) and Ares (right) who have put theirs down. The Croy Hill lads have never even put them on and just slung them somewhere convenient (on shield or around neck).

Belt buckle and belt plate (with punctim decoration) from near the Trajanic fort at Nether Denton, near Hadrian's Wall. Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC- SA 4.0)

This is rather delightful. Found at Nether Denton Trajanic fort, just south of #hadrianswall, this belt plate and buckle was old when it was deposited, since it is a Tiberio-Claudian type and matched by examples from the south of England.

And, on a bangs-per-buck/kWh basis, can AI ever match briefing a knowledgeable, fee-paid, coffee-and-snacks-fuelled human artist? So much AI slop draws on outdated web sources that produce a result that looks like something 100 years behind current knowledge.

Some nice Roman military equipment here, the full publication of which can be found in this article: cercetari-arheologice.ro/articol/ca32...

This is, as you well know, an account related to a book (and its website). Here's a plug for another one (by MCB) that is related to an existing (and a forthcoming!) book on a Roman military topic. You're welcome. @castralegionis.bsky.social

Bluesky map showing @equipmentroman's peripherality.

'Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.' Douglas Adams

Gallery plugin is a bit flaky, I'm afraid. Just checked and 2D artefacts fails on Android too (but other galleries work fine; go figure!). Sometimes the full web galleries will bomb too. I am actively looking for an alternative.

Screenshot of Roman Military Equipment web page containing 2D images of artefacts.

For this #FindsFriday, instead of posting just one artefact, why not take a look at our Galleries of 2D Images of Artefacts? Always being added to, so ever-growing. romanmilitaryequipment.co.uk/2d-images-of...

A close-up of three objects on a black background: a plain iron dagger blade without a handle, next to two richly decorated metal dagger sheaths, both elaborately decorated with inlays made of silver, brass, enamel (geometric and circular patterns). There is also a small heavily rusted fragment in the lower left visible.

#RomanFortThursday: a #Roman dagger and and two dagger sheaths, both elaborately decorated with inlays (silver, brass, enamel).
Found in the Roman fort at Ehingen-Risstissen, dating 1st century AD.

On display at our branch museum Limesmuseum Aalen

🏺 #archaeology

For Seleucidophiles ...

The giveaway is often AI slop on the cover, but at least one of the the 'authors' there is well known for repackaging Wikipedia and out-of-copyright content. This is why so many of the o-o-c entries on our Downloads page have had to be individually rescued from Google's copyright 'licensing' jail.

Are they wearing lorica lanolinata?

Side profile view of a helmet displayed in a museum case. It's mounted on a metal stand.The patinated helmet features a rounded dome-shaped skull cap, a broad flared neck guard extending downward. The punched inscripton is visible.

For #EpigraphyTuesday a Roman infantery helmet (Weisenau type) with an owner’s inscription formed by punched dots on the neck guard: the helmet belonged to Lucius Lucretius Celer, legionary in the centuria of Gaius Mummius Lolianus of the legio I adiutrix. 🧵1/2

📷me

🏺 #archaeology

Ribchester Helmet: A rare 'face mask' helmet worn by a Roman cavalry officer 1,900 years ago The helmet has been a powerful symbol of Roman Britain since it was discovered over 200 years ago.

Your astonishing artifact this week is the incredibly detailed Ribchester Helmet (that looks a little like Carmy from The Bear). 🧪🏺

With apologies to the anonymous WW2 RAF authors of the original version of this little ditty.