"EIR Victrix Roman Auxiliaries - Wolf Pelts?" Topic
7 Posts
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| SaxonOfSaxony | 03 Mar 2017 5:42 a.m. PST |
I'm patiently waiting for Victrix to start releasing their EIR boxes and I was looking through pictures that they've released so far. They posted that the Roman Auxiliary box will come with wolf heads, but is there any historical evidence for this being done? I've been trying to find something to back this up as I'm very interested in making a stand of these guys but so far cant find anything. |
| GurKhan | 03 Mar 2017 6:05 a.m. PST |
There are a few figures in standard "auxilary" mail, breeches, and oval shield on Trajan's Column with animal-pelt head-dresses. Michael Speidel discusses them in "Ancient Germanic Warriors: Warrior Styles from Trajan's Column to Icelandic Sagas" (Routledge, 2004) and identifies both wolf and bear skins. The author of link (just after halfway down) thinks "they are again a product of sculptural processes, not actual military practice", though. |
| Ivan DBA | 03 Mar 2017 6:45 a.m. PST |
If they are on Trojan's column, that should be sufficient evidence for anyone. |
| GurKhan | 03 Mar 2017 7:45 a.m. PST |
I fear you underrate the ingenuity of art-history academics, Ivan. The basis for the argument – that sculptors may have mixed up features of different standard figure types – is not completely unreasonable. |
| whitejamest | 03 Mar 2017 8:32 a.m. PST |
I like to picture the critics back in say 115 AD in something of the same vein as hardcore fanboys today who watch Saving Private Ryan. "The hatch on that Tiger is totally wrong. Unwatchable!" "Everybody knows that type of soldier wasn't wearing that sort of belt buckle during that campaign! Tear it down!" And they can both be right about the details, however trivial they were to the artist's broader intentions. Very few people depicting a historical subject will reproduce details to the satisfaction of a wargamer. |
 BigRedBat  | 03 Mar 2017 10:17 a.m. PST |
There is the Krefeld helmet with its Marten pelt, possibly from 70AD but possibly "Batavianised" by revolting auxiliaries, so not regular wear. This offers some support to those of us who like to use a pelt. |
| SaxonOfSaxony | 06 Mar 2017 5:49 a.m. PST |
I was going to field them as light infantry for my Germanicus force as Victrix suggest on their Facebook update but I'm not sure now. |
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