British Museum - Exhibition - Legion: Life In The Roman Army Jump to Last Post

I recently had the luck to be able to visit the current exhibition - Legion: life in the Roman army at the British Museum. I took some photos to give an idea of what was on display and have uploaded some to my Forvm gallery.
They comprise the last 49 images in the gallery linked below.

I hope that there is something of interest to members.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-1262

 

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Looks fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

 

Wonderful images. Thanks

 

Love them, thanks for sharing them.

If there is one reason to visit Britain, it would be for the museums and other historical areas there.

 

Wow, thank you for sharing. I especially like the helmets, both for fighting and being on parade, the horse armor was incredible and the wooden long shield was amazing.

 

Thanks for sharing. I'm currently living in London (married a Londoner), and you've convinced me to visit!

 

It is worth the £25 entry fee.

 

Very interesting indeed. One of the most fascinating displays is the equipment and money found on the corpse of a soldier killed at the battle of Lyons in 197. His sword with the harness bearing in bronze letters "FELIX VTERE" (Use with good luck). The coins he carried in some purse, too...



We see there are denarii of Commodus, Antoninus Pius, Trajan, Domitian, Vespasian and even a very worn denarius of Mark Antony, a coin that had been circulating for 228 years ! Like if we had in our wallets coins of 1796...

Though they were sometimes much circulated, old denarii were still sought after, especially by soldiers living on the limes and trading with barbarians, for their silver content was much higher than recent coins minted under Pertinax or Severus...

 

Man someone must have really loved their dog to pay all that money to have a statue carved.

 

@maridvnvm …Thanks for sharing…fascinating glimpse into history.

The busts, putting faces to names…the helmets…the scutum…gives you an idea of how the soldiers fought battles. Very interesting post…Spark

 

Thank you for sharing the pictures. The “crocodile amour” is absolutely amazing.

 

Looking at your pictures more closely, I am amazed at the stunning exhibit. I found the draco head especially breathtaking. Thank you, again.





Use of the draco by the cavalry depicted in the movie “Gladiator”


Nice short YouTube video on the Roman draco

 

I have several coins with decorated shields depicting horsemen carrying draco's



Maximinus II
A.D. 310
Ӕ follis 26x27mm 5.9g
MAXIMINVS NOB CAES; bust l., helmeted [with gryphon crest] and cuirassed with gorgon on breast, spear over r. shoulder, shield decorated with two horsemen with draco standards and four prisoners on l. arm.
SOLI INVICTAE; Sol, rad. and in long robe, stg. facing, head l., r. raised, l. holding up globe, in facing quadriga; two horses turn l., and two right; in middle B.
In ex. ANT
cf. RIC VI Antioch 144


a bit from Ammianus Marcellinus about dracos--

"Behind the motley cavalcade that preceded him the emperor's person was surrounded by purple banners woven in the form of dragons and attached to the tops of gilded and jewelled spears; the breeze blew through their gaping jaws so that they seemed to be hissing with rage, and their voluminous tails streamed behind them on the wind." The Later Roman Empire book 16 10:7

 

I don't know if they included, in their exhibition, this wooden figure-head I saw last summer at the BM. It was found in Belgium. At first sight, it reminded me the figure-head of the pirates' ship in Asterix. More seriously it has been carbon-dated 400-615 AD : probably Germanic. But a gold medallion of Constantius Chlorus dated c.296 shows a Roman military galley crossing the Channel, with the same kind of figure-head.

 

Double likes for mentioning Asterix.

 

I have also created a gallery documenting some of my trips to the BM. I have started primarily with Roman Imperial statuary.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/g...p?album=8070

 

Ticket booked for this Sunday! Looking forward to it.

Not sure if anyone saw the British museum being criticized for a post related to this specific exhibition (that they quickly deleted). This was the British museums actual post.