Military history of Rome from 100 to 200 AD NS. is very poorly known to us, since no detailed historical research of this period has survived. But there is Trajan's Column in Rome. And many historians are used to referring to the figures of warriors in armor depicted on it.
Everything about it is known, so lovers of "new chronologies" in this case need not worry: 20 blocks of the famous Karara marble, it is 38 m high (together with the base), its very diameter is 4 m. Inside it is hollow, but leads to the capital spiral staircase with 185 steps. Its weight is about 40 tons. It was built by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus in 113 AD. NS. and is dedicated to the victory of Emperor Trajan over the Dacians in 101-102. However, to say so is to say nothing! After all, its entire surface is covered with a ribbon with reliefs, which spirals around its trunk 23 times, and the total length is 190 m! The sculptor and his workers did a great job! Suffice it to say that about 2500 figures are depicted on these reliefs! But it is very difficult to examine and study them, since it is very high. By the way, Trajan himself is depicted on it 59 times. Among the figures depicted are also such allegorical figures as the goddess of Victory Nike, the god Danube in the form of a majestic old man, Night in the form of a woman with a veiled face, and many others.
Those who look at these images have the strongest first impression. It seems that all the figures on it are very realistic, and it is not without reason that the reliefs of the column are considered to be a valuable source for the study of weapons, armor and equipment of both the Romans and their enemies, the Dacians and Sarmatians. But the sculptors deliberately sacrificed the prospect in order to achieve greater information content. Such an approach is constantly encountered in the works of ancient masters, but for the historian it is not this that is important, but how carefully and reliably they show the details of clothing and weapons. By the way, the fortress walls and landscape details, again in the ancient tradition, are shown out of scale. All shapes are the same clarity and size, but to show perspective, they are positioned one above the other.
French historian Michel Fiugeri called the bas-reliefs of Trajan's Column "a documentary". But if you study them carefully, and most importantly, also compare them with other images and artifacts, then perhaps we will eventually get more questions than she will give us answers. Yes, this is a source, but a very peculiar source, and everything that we see on it cannot be taken on faith like that! The famous English historian Peter Connolly noted that it is indeed possible to learn from him many valuable details of what the Roman army was like during this campaign. But … you can learn something completely different from it!
For example, in the bas-reliefs, you can see that Roman legionnaires are wearing lorica segmentata armor, and their auxiliary troops (auxiriaries), both horsemen and infantry, are wearing lorica hamata chain mail. But why are the mails of some auxirians so short? Why doesn't the scalloped hem even cover their groin? One cannot help remembering the phrase from the cult Soviet film "Alexander Nevsky": "Oh, the chain mail is short!"Judging by the oval shields, the infantrymen in such short chain mail are auxiliaries, although the short length of this armor is also doubtful for them. That is, it is either the sculptors' negligence, or they did so deliberately, for example, in order to “heroize” the image of a Roman soldier. However, the riders have the same short chain mail. What if it was and was done - for greater comfort in wearing by the horsemen? But if this is so, then why cannot it be assumed that the infantrymen in these short chain mail … dismounted horsemen or those who have lost their horses ?! But this is such a shaky ground of speculation that it is simply impossible to stand on it. By the way, it also shows that the essence of many objects that are right in front of your eyes can be interpreted in different ways! Incidentally, on the relief from Mantua in the valley of the Po River at the beginning of the 1st century. AD chain mail (and scaly shells) among horsemen are up to mid-thigh, that is, horsemen's chain mail of normal length still existed in the Roman army. They have capes instead of sleeves, and they are somewhat more complicated than the "Trajan" ones, which is also pointed out by Peter Connolly. It is interesting that both chain mail and armor made of scales from Roman soldiers of the same cut, although the technology of their manufacture, of course, differed!
But the most interesting thing is that on the bas-reliefs of Trajan's column in scaly armor, Syrian archers are also depicted - mercenaries of Rome and the cavalry of the Sarmatians, who in this war were allies of the Dacians. Among the sources confirming the widespread distribution of scaly armor in the Ancient World, the reliefs from Trajan's Column could be of particular importance, because the column was installed "in hot pursuit". But the study of the relief, which shows the Sarmatian horsemen and their horses, clearly shows that this image is fiction.
The fact is that all of them are depicted in scaly "clothes", which are … tight-fitting leotards! Therefore, on the reliefs from Trajan's column, the Sarmatians look more like … the "amphibian man" from the movie of the same name, filmed in the USSR in 1962, which simply could not be real. There was no such armor at that time! Did not have! According to the British historian Russell Robinson, the author of the relief with the "scaly Sarmatians" either used their descriptions, which said that they were protected from head to toe with scaly armor, and so he reproduced them, or came up with what they might look like on their own taste. Although it could be, as it happens here in Russia, when everything is explained to the performer “on the fingers”. Those who could be asked about this were absent, so the poor sculptor gave free rein to his imagination! And how the veterans of the war with the Dacians most likely laughed at his "scaly Sarmatians", we can only guess today!
And here are quite unique images: on the left - Roman horsemen in extremely short chain mail, and on the right - Sarmatians running from them. Moreover, both the warriors and their horses are covered from head to toe with "scaly armor". That is, this is a clear fantasy of sculptors.
Here, on the column, there is another relief, on which we see the Sarmatian and Dacian trophies of the Roman army. Among them are the famous dragonarian, and the Dacian-Sarmatian spangenhelm helmets with cheek pads, which later became the standard head protection in the Roman army, and … a scaly shell with a scalloped hem of normal length. One can only wonder why in one place they are depicted correctly, and in another - not!
The shields of all Roman soldiers from Trajan's Column are very small, although, judging by the finds at Dura Europos, they should be much larger. The marching legionnaires are depicted with shields, which they carry on the left on their shoulder strap. Because for a long time just holding the shield in hand and carrying it would hardly be possible. But the shields are shown open, although we know from Caesar's notes that they were worn in leather cases. Such covers have been found, so there is no doubt about their use. They also had a hole for the umbon, but on the column - perhaps to show decorations on the shields - they are everywhere depicted uncovered. And it would be fine only in battle, but also in a campaign, and this is a clear fiction or a flaw of the sculptor - the author of the column.
None of the legionnaires on the column have a pugio dagger. Apparently, by the end of the 1st century A. D. he has already gone out of fashion among the legionnaires. They also do not have such a specific piece of equipment as the kingulum - a set of belts with metal badges sewn on them, on the waist belt in front. Rather, almost not, since it is sometimes found in legionnaires in segmental lorics. But even with them it is very short - only four rows of plaques. That is, it was either already out of fashion, or this process was at the completion stage!
Many legionnaires have beards on their column. And again, it is not clear - who is this? Former barbarians who fell into the legion, or it was already such a fashion. That is, the beard was no longer associated with barbarism, it was not for nothing that even the emperors had beards later. However, Emperor Trajan himself is shown beardless on the column.
Thus, the reliefs on Trajan's Column should be perceived primarily as an interesting historical monument, but as a source - with a significant degree of doubt about many details, since they sin not only against our current historical knowledge, but also against elementary common sense!
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Robinson, R. Armor of the Peoples of the East. History of defensive weapons / R. Robinson; per. from English S. Fedorova. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006.
Shpakovsky, V. O. Horsemen from bas-reliefs / V. O. Shpakovsky // History Illustrated. - 2013. - No. 1.
Feugere, M. Weapons of the Romans / M. Feugere; translated from the French by David G. Smith. - UK: Tempus Publishing Ltd, 2002.
Nicolle, D. Rome's Enemies (5): The Desert Frontier / D. Nicolle. - L.: Osprey (Men-at-Arms No. 243), 1991.
Robinson, H. R. The armor of Imperial Rome / H. R. Robinson. - L.: Arms and Armor Press, 1975.
