Roman Military Clothing (3): AD 400-640 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 3)

Forgive me, but Your review about the book "Roman military clothing nr. 1" gives the impression of a very superficial and approximate knowledge of the Roman military word, archaeology and way of life.

Roman paintings, mosaics and sculptures provide us with a snapshot of the past as one can easily observe from the black and white images of soldiers in this book. Unfortunately we too often presume to know more than the people who lived 2000 years ago who saw these soldiers for themselves.

For instance the Praetorian guardsman illustrated in Plate F1 may at first seem fanciful and dubious but in my opinion this is one the best reconstructions of a Praetorian ever attempted. Every detail of the equipment is based on actual archaeological sources including the original Neronian painting where even the hinges of the lorica are visible! For example the helmet can be seen in the definitive publication on the Armour of Imperial Rome by H. Russell Robinson, the greaves from Pompeii and the bronze Lorica segmentata is based on recently discovered bronze specimens from Nova, Bulgaria. Linking the Praetorian with the Prasina faction in the circus with the inclusion of a green tunic adds a touch of historical realism. Moreover this link, attested by ancient written sources, confirmed by other artistical images, reminds us that the personal tastes of both Praetorians and Emperors existed in an age where modern concepts of uniform did not exist.

The black and white illustrations in this publication are a mine of information and many are made available for the general reader for the first time. These include a unique representation of a slave merchant and a Diogmitas or Para-military policeman of Asia minor. Incidentally the author categorically states that his conclusions on the tunic color debate will be summarized in the second volume in this series.

The fact that Caesar's cuirass is obscured by a cloak in one particular color plate is a pity, however the cuirass itself is described in the text and the book makes no claims to be anything other than a study of clothing. Moreover Caesar's tunic is evidently the same as the two other tunics illustrated in the same plate so if one wants to know what Caesar's tunic looked like, one only has to look at the tunic of Pompeius. If you need more information on the Armour of Caesar I personally recommend `L'esercito di Cesare', by C. Antonucci, EMI, Milan. The cuirass worn by a Legionary in Plate B is described in the text as `Kalkriese' type and Mike Bishop will undoubtedly explain information on this form of Armour in his forthcoming book on Roman body Armour.

Finally every impression of the Roman world is of course personal but I believe this is a very good attentive book, well researched with archaeological details never seen before. I hope that this series will be the beginning of the end of the modern view that Roman art was conventionalized, in particular with regards to depictions of Armour and military equipment and that Osprey continue along such a road.

Best wishes

Dr. Raffaele D'Amato - 38 years old
Searcher and scholar in military matters


Indispensible for the reenactor, gamer or historian   December 6, 2002
David S. Michaels (Valencia, CA United States)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Having using this book as a resource for more than a year now, I have come to appreciate its value to the Roman reenactor, wargamer, and professional or amateur historian. After spending time going over the text in detail, I can only appreciate and admire the amount of painstaking research Mr. Sumner has compiled for this study. I admit to being a little miffed, initially, that Sumner did not once and for all end the vexing argument over the color of the Roman military tunic -- i.e. was it red, or white, or some other color, or was there no "uniform" color at all? In retrospect, if one reads between the lines, the evidence Mr. Sumner provides seems to advance the hypothesis that the Roman soldier wore a white tunic while "out of kit," and a red one under his armor when preparing for battle. The illustrations are quite nicely rendered, with an extraordinary amount of detail even by Osprey standards. In conclusion, this is definitely a worthwhile addition to the Roman military enthusiast's or reenactor's bookshelf.