New Releases for August 2018 - Armies and Enemies of Ancient Rome (1 Viewer)

[jjDesigns]

NEW RELEASES FOR AUGUST 2018
THE ANCIENTS COLLECTION
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME



The Gauls were Celtic peoples inhabiting Gaul in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD).

The Gauls emerged around the 5th century BC as the bearers of the La Tène culture north of the Alps (spread across the lands between the Seine, Middle Rhine and upper Elbe). By the 4th century BC, they spread over much of what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland, Southern Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic by virtue of controlling the trade routes along the river systems of the Rhône, Seine, Rhine, and Danube, and they quickly expanded into Northern Italy, the Balkans, Transylvania and Galatia. Gaul was never united under a single ruler or government, but the Gallic tribes were capable of uniting their forces in large-scale military operations. They reached the peak of their power in the early 3rd century BC. The rising Roman Republic after the end of the First Punic War increasingly put pressure on the Gallic sphere of influence; the Battle of Telamon of 225 BC heralded a gradual decline of Gallic power over the 2nd century, until the eventual conquest of Gaul in the Gallic Wars of the 50s BC. After this, Gaul became a province of the Roman Empire, and the Gauls were culturally assimilated into a Gallo-Roman culture, losing their tribal identities by the end of the 1st century AD.



AER-11A
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME,
ANCIENT GAULS,
WARRIOR CHARGING.
(1 pc)






AER-11B
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME,
ANCIENT GAULS,
WARRIOR CHARGING.
(1 pc)

 

[jjDesigns]

REPUBLICAN ROMANS

The Roman Republic was the era of classical Roman civilization beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom, traditionally dated to 509 BC, and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire. It was during this period that Rome's control expanded from the city's immediate surroundings to hegemony over the entire Mediterranean world.

Roman government was headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and advised by a senate composed of appointed magistrates. As Roman society was very hierarchical by modern standards, the evolution of the Roman government was heavily influenced by the struggle between the patricians, Rome's land-holding aristocracy, who traced their ancestry to the founding of Rome, and the plebeians, the far more numerous citizen-commoners. Over time, the laws that gave patricians exclusive rights to Rome's highest offices were repealed or weakened, and leading plebeian families became full members of the aristocracy. The leaders of the Republic developed a strong tradition and morality requiring public service and patronage in peace and war, making military and political success inextricably linked. Many of Rome's legal and legislative structures (later codified into the Justinian Code, and again into the Napoleonic Code) can still be observed throughout Europe and much of the world in modern nation states and international organizations.

During the first two centuries of its existence, the Roman Republic expanded through a combination of conquest and alliance, from central Italy to the entire Italian peninsula. By the following century, it included North Africa, most of the Iberian Peninsula, and what is now southern France. Two centuries after that, towards the end of the 1st century BC, it included the rest of modern France, Greece, and much of the eastern Mediterranean. By this time, internal tensions led to a series of civil wars, culminating with the assassination of Julius Caesar, which led to the transition from republic to empire.

Historians have variously proposed Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC, Caesar's appointment as dictator for life in 44 BC, and the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. However, most use the same date as did the ancient Romans themselves, the Roman Senate's grant of extraordinary powers to Octavian and his adopting the title Augustus in 27 BC, as the defining event ending the Republic.

THE ROMAN ARMY OF THE LATE REPUBLIC

The Roman army of the late Republic refers to the armed forces deployed by the late Roman Republic, from the beginning of the first century B.C. until the establishment of the Imperial Roman army by Augustus in 30 B.C.
Shaped by major social, political, and economic change, the late Republic saw the transition from the Roman army of the mid-Republic, which was a temporary levy based solely on the conscription of Roman citizens, to the Imperial Roman army of the Principate, which was a standing, professional army based on the recruitment of volunteers



RR-04R
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME,
THE ROMAN ARMY OF THE LATE REPUBLIC,
LEGIONnAIRE LEANING ON SCUTUM.
(2 pcs)

The Scutum was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, and then by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC. The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formation of the hoplite phalanx of the Greeks to the formation with maniples. In the former, the soldiers carried a round shield, which the Romans called clipeus. In the latter, they used the scutum, which was a larger shield. Originally it was an oblong and convex shield. By the first century BC it had developed into the rectangular, semi-cylindrical shield that is popularly associated with the scutum in modern times. This was not the only shield the Romans used; Roman shields were of varying types depending on the role of the soldier who carried it. Oval, circular and rectangular shields were used throughout Roman history.



RR-04W
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME,
THE ROMAN ARMY OF THE LATE REPUBLIC,
LEGIONNAIRE LEANING ON SCUTUM.
(2 pcs)

 

[jjDesigns]

TURF AND TIMBER ROMAN FORT

Roman forts, also known as castra, could be found all over the Roman Empire. The huge empire stretched from northern England to North Africa and from Portugal to the Middle East.

A Roman fort could be built in timber and turf, or in stone, or even a combination of both.
Turf and Timber was quick, easy to obtain, and extremely effective.
From the first century AD or earlier, Turf and Timber forts were common, but after that date forts were normally built in stone, because with settled frontiers units were far less likely to move on from permanent bases.
Some Roman forts could hold up to 6,000 people. As well as barracks for soldiers, they had stables, a butcher shop and bakery and administrative offices.



In the village of Baginton, near Coventry, a Roman fort has been reconstructed by archaeologists.
Made from timber and turf, the Lunt Roman Fort is an example of the type of buildings the Roman Army constructed in Britain in the years during and after the uprising by Boudicca.


RRFORT-01
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME,
THE ROMAN ARMY OF THE LATE REPUBLIC,
TURF AND TIMBER ROMAN FORT,
GATEWAY.
(3 pcs)

The Turf and Timber Roman fort can also be used for the Battle of Alesia displays.
The Battle of Alesia took place in September, 52 BC around the Gallic oppidum of Alesia, a major town centre and hill fort of the Mandubii tribe. It was fought by an army of the Roman Republic commanded by Julius Caesar against Gallic tribes united under the leadership of Vercingetorix of the Arverni. It was the last major engagement between Gauls and Romans and the end of organized resistance to the Roman Empire, marking the turning point of the Gallic Wars in favour of Rome
To guarantee a perfect blockade, Caesar ordered the construction of an encircling set of fortifications, called a circumvallation, around Alesia. The details are known from Caesar's Commentaries. About 18 kilometres of 4 metre high fortifications were constructed in about three weeks . This line was followed inwards by two four-and-a-half metre wide ditches, also four-and-a-half metres deep. The farthest from the fortification was filled with water from the surrounding rivers. These fortifications were supplemented with mantraps and deep holes in front of the ditches, and regularly spaced watch towers equipped with Roman artillery. Vercingetorix's cavalry often raided the construction works attempting to prevent full enclosure. Caesar ordered the construction of a second line of fortifications, the contravallation, facing outward and encircling his army between it and the first set of walls. The second line was identical to the first in design and extended for 21 kilometres.





**PLEASE NOTE THE STRAIGHT WALLS AND CORNER SECTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS**

 

[mestell]

Very nice . . . . I really like the Late Republic Roman figures.
:smile2: Mike

 

[mestell]

What is the significance between the red scutum and the white? Does the color signify a specific legion? Which color would be more correct (if that is even the case) or most prevalently used for the late Republic time period?
:smile2: Mike

 

[Parksie]

What is the significance between the red scutum and the white? Does the color signify a specific legion? Which color would be more correct (if that is even the case) or most prevalently used for the late Republic time period?
:smile2: Mike

Mike


This is difficult to answer . There are few surviving scutums . these have been found in grave sites and memorials . but most of them a fourth century AD not BC . But the monuments ,memorials and grave were often decorated with Bas relief these depicted scenes , actions of the legionaires . their scutum would have the blazon engraved in stone . but no colour on the graves .

So most of the designs and colours you see have a bit of Artist License .


Same as the Roman Tunics these were alway red . due to artist copying each other and using the previous information as a basis . There is material excavated which does show that they were white . but this is one tunic and as we know the Romans armour and clothes were supplied by the Legionaire . So armour was not uniformed . due to the follwoing it could be ancestral armour handed down in a family and also what a legionaire could afford .


I probably confused the issue but the short answer we do not know .




Damian

 

[mestell]

Mike


This is difficult to answer . There are few surviving scutums . these have been found in grave sites and memorials . but most of them a fourth century AD not BC . But the monuments ,memorials and grave were often decorated with Bas relief these depicted scenes , actions of the legionaires . their scutum would have the blazon engraved in stone . but no colour on the graves .

So most of the designs and colours you see have a bit of Artist License .


Same as the Roman Tunics these were alway red . due to artist copying each other and using the previous information as a basis . There is material excavated which does show that they were white . but this is one tunic and as we know the Romans armour and clothes were supplied by the Legionaire . So armour was not uniformed . due to the follwoing it could be ancestral armour handed down in a family and also what a legionaire could afford .


I probably confused the issue but the short answer we do not know .




Damian

Thank you Damian for taking the time to provide an answer . . . much appreciated . . . .
:smile2: Mike

 

[Sahara]

I would just like to add that the Marian Reforms were in affect at the time of Caesar's battle at Alesia. Meaning, the state was responsible at this point to supply a legionary with a standardized kit.

The debate between color of tunics has been a age old question going back and forth for sometime now. There probably was variation between white, red and brown since these were the easiest and cheapest dyes to obtain.

The scutum designs are tough to pin point. As Damian stated "artistic license" is exercised here because we have such a small sample to go on.

 

[mestell]

I would just like to add that the Marian Reforms were in affect at the time of Caesar's battle at Alesia. Meaning, the state was responsible at this point to supply a legionary with a standardized kit.

The debate between color of tunics has been a age old question going back and forth for sometime now. There probably was variation between white, red and brown since these were the easiest and cheapest dyes to obtain.

The scutum designs are tough to pin point. As Damian stated "artistic license" is exercised here because we have such a small sample to go on.

Thanks Joe . . .
:smile2: Mike

 

[nysoldiers]

Having traveled to Italy close to 50 times (my wife is of Italian heritage and speaks the language) I have checked out as many
museums and archaeological sites as possible. Dating back to my first visit in 1970 I have always tried to find military antiquities
and to speak with historians about ancient Rome. Certain Republican Legionnaire clothing and weapons are agreed upon.....chain mail,
the Montefortino and Coolus helmets, the Gladius and Pilum. When it comes to the curved oblong Legionary shield, originally called the
Scutum, Livy says "this type of shield was used during the Latin Wars of the 4th Century BC onwards." The shape evolved over time but remained
basically the same because it was ideal for the function required of it. When it comes to color and insignias the evidence is sparse. As mentioned
by other forum members most toy soldier makers use a bit of imagination and literary license. The sculptural representations of shields on
the Altar of Domitius and the monument of Aemilius Paullus are believed to be reliable examples of what Caesar's legions carried into battle with
the Gauls. According to several historians I spoke with in Italy there was some evidence from the writings of Legionnaire officers and commentaries
that the Scutums were of different colors and Legions often customized the insignias or art work on these. The consensus was that red would have been
the predominant shade and again as previously mentioned cloaks and garments would have used the most accessible dyes of the time. Natural colors
of brown and white were probably common and a dark red surely was popular. I don't believe that Caesar's "Gallic Wars" and "Civil Wars" commentaries
mention specific colors.
I am comfortable with JJD's Scutum colors and until we develop a time machine we will never be sure. Certainly the figures as sculpted are very close
to the actual combatants appearances.

 

[mestell]

Having traveled to Italy close to 50 times (my wife is of Italian heritage and speaks the language) I have checked out as many
museums and archaeological sites as possible. Dating back to my first visit in 1970 I have always tried to find military antiquities
and to speak with historians about ancient Rome. Certain Republican Legionnaire clothing and weapons are agreed upon.....chain mail,
the Montefortino and Coolus helmets, the Gladius and Pilum. When it comes to the curved oblong Legionary shield, originally called the
Scutum, Livy says "this type of shield was used during the Latin Wars of the 4th Century BC onwards." The shape evolved over time but remained
basically the same because it was ideal for the function required of it. When it comes to color and insignias the evidence is sparse. As mentioned
by other forum members most toy soldier makers use a bit of imagination and literary license. The sculptural representations of shields on
the Altar of Domitius and the monument of Aemilius Paullus are believed to be reliable examples of what Caesar's legions carried into battle with
the Gauls. According to several historians I spoke with in Italy there was some evidence from the writings of Legionnaire officers and commentaries
that the Scutums were of different colors and Legions often customized the insignias or art work on these. The consensus was that red would have been
the predominant shade and again as previously mentioned cloaks and garments would have used the most accessible dyes of the time. Natural colors
of brown and white were probably common and a dark red surely was popular. I don't believe that Caesar's "Gallic Wars" and "Civil Wars" commentaries
mention specific colors.
I am comfortable with JJD's Scutum colors and until we develop a time machine we will never be sure. Certainly the figures as sculpted are very close
to the actual combatants appearances.

Thank you for your helpful insight . . . .
:smile2: Mike

 

[Parksie]

Thank you Damian for taking the time to provide an answer . . . much appreciated . . . .
:smile2: Mike

Mike


No worries .


Damian