"What coloured shields on Roman legionaries?" Topic

I saw these lovelies on Simon Miller's blog

Normally I've done mine red. But variation is the spice of life. How historical are other colours? I have seen Auxilia shields in green and blue quite often. But red is what I've seen most for Legionaries in re-enactment, paintings, toy soldiers.

Simon's blog is here

bigredbat.blogspot.com

Hi Chortle, thanks for posting the pics.

I fear there is very little information on the colour of shields in this period. We can't even be sure that entire legions had the same design, although this seems likely. I personally like the blocks of colour one gets with a whole legion is the same.

This reminds me; I still need to flock those bases! ;-)

Cheers, Simon

The answer is: We don't know.

We do know that, from accounts during the Roman civil wars with Caesar, Pompey, etc, that legions could be identified by their shield devices. Beyond that, we don't have a lot to go on until the Later Roman period.

It's the same for tunic colors. Everyone knows the "red" is Roman, but we have no real corroborating evidence for that. Mostly that red comes from Hollywood.

So, have at it. I paint tunics in a variety of "earth" colors. Mostly linen, greys, light browns, etc. I reserve red for officers, staff, etc.

Shield-wise, I have a couple units in red, but after this particular legion is finished I'm going to be doing some with either white or yellow, then adding some Marines with blue shields.

IMHO ,I prefer red but now you can have them in yellow, blue or green. You cannot go wrong with those colors!! Mike Adams

There's very little certainty. Red is well-attested, and I assume that, if you are a re-enactor, it's a better move to show your shield in red than paint it yellow or green or day-glo purple and have people question it.

If you are a wargamer, of course, you may have lots of units and want to make them distinctive. I'd still avoid day-glo purple.

I do them in different colors (red, green, blue, yellow, white, whatever) by unit.

Doug

The answer is do what you want, nobody knows!

The only _known_ Imperial legionary-style shields – a couple of fragments from Masada and the early C3rd one from Dura – are red. But that doesn't mean they all were. Late Republican paintings show more variety of colours – the Praeneste Fish Mosaic (c.100 BC?) has a white one:

(hanging on the pillar).

Oval shields from Dura, C3rd and maybe for auxilia, are in several base colours including red, green and blue.

<any moons ago I read (and I do not remember where) that each century in the legion had the same design, but different colored background.
Maybe.

I think the maybe's right – that's a common speculation but I don't think any source says so. Vegetius says that in the "ancient" legion, "To prevent soldiers straying from their comrades at any time in the confusion of battle, they painted different signs for different cohorts on their shields, digmata as they call themselves, and it is customary to do this even now" (Sed ne milites aliquando in tumultu proelii a suis contubernalibus aberrarent, diuersis cohortibus diuersa in scutis signa pingebant, ut ipsi nominant, digmata, sicut etiam nunc moris est fieri) – which sounds more like a different design for each cohort, not a legion-level emblem.

Of course, V may not have known what he was talking about.

GurKhan, I've not seen that Praeneste shield before; very interesting!

John, I think you might be recalling the classic Peter Connolly illustration of a legion, where he has each cohort in a different colour.

Cheers, Simon

On tunics – I seem to recall Phil Barker (either in the purple primer or Slingshot) recounting the destruction of rare roman wall paintings showing uniforms in order to get at "nothing special" Egyptian remains underneath.

IIRC – the tunics on the lost paintings were blue.

Phil was talking about the Luxor cavalry painting, IIRC – mostly white tunics with purple trim in the usual 3rd-century style, one or two red ones. There are some reconstructions in one of Graham Sumner's Roman costume Ospreys.

Thanks for that !

Red was the main colour of tunics and shields (main, not sole) on Trajans column which was originally painted and we still have odd residue in places on it.

I like them in red, and the Asterix Green or Blue, White I understand was also the official colour for tunics for the legions formed from Marines (I & II Adiatrix I believe) but no knowledge of their shield also being white, I would be tempted to paint them red as a nice counterpoint.

Is there that much left on Trajan's Column?

There have been many claims of paint identification on Trajan's Column, some doubtless confused with the verdigris wash from the crowning bronze statuary, and with the hues of the patina. … Recent conservation studies have failed to locate any convincing examples of remaining paint (Conti 2000, 246).

from link

So none as of 2000; but in Beckmann's "Column of Marcus Aurelius" (2011):

Although no paint is visible on the relief of Trajan's Column, two small potential residues of paint have recently been detected chemically: red on Trajan's cloak in Scene XLIV and yellowish-orange from a tree trunk in scene CXXXVIII

This topic seems to come up fairly often. Basically nobody knows for sure. So, if you think your army would look better all in a unified colour or each unit as a separate theme go ahead and do it. If anyone challenges your paint scheme, ask them to prove it!
Personally I prefer the varied colours. I like red legion, blue legion etc. If for no other reason, it makes record keeping (on rules that need it) much easier.

Interesting and informative discussion …

Go with the balance of historical probability, of course (something you can judge for yourself in this case)

Thanks everyone (especially for the fish mosaic – new to me also …) …

Phil
Ancients on the Move

I use different base colors for different armies/legions. Red, yellow blue and green in order of preference. I did try one unit in black many years ago.

Less expensive natural pigments were likely the most used, so red ochre, yellow ochre, chalk white, carbon black, various plant based greens and browns. Deep blue, purple and bright red were likely only for guards units.
The Greeks invented lead based paint, usually white and red.

link
The above site has a nice timeline and pigment display, worth a look.

"Is there that much left on Trajan's Column?"

No, it is just bare stone now.

I almost painted some legionary shields in a different colour to red once, but I just could bear the idea, and red they stayed. I just vary the designs.

Tunics a mixture of reds, browns, tan and whites.

Auxilia and Velites get odd shield colours of course.

So, I can have orange and green shields and no purist can say a thing?

Yes!

Didnt they just come in whatever colours LBMS were doing back then?