01-19-2009, 12:12 PM
Hi Murray,
I received my copy of AW only last, so I just finished your article about de Rebus Bellicis. My attention was drawn to your description of the plumbatae described by the Anonymous. You seemed to describe both as proposals/inventions of the author and you compared them to the 'common' "plumbata gladia" (spelling may be wrong, I don't have the article at hand).
Questions:
1 - have you seen the (Medieval) images of the DRB manuscript?
2 - have you seen the comparison between the 'plumbata mammilata' and the archaeological finds?
3 - have you seen 'hypothetical reconstructions' of the 'plumbata et tribolata' from the DRB MS?
4 - where did you come across the description 'plumbata gladia' (sp.)?
You see, from what I've come across so far, one of the plumbata (plumbata mammilata) was no invention but a description of the by then common weapon. The image from the various MS seems to confirm that. Whereas the second one, a combination of the common plumbata with a caltrop, was indeed an innovation by the anonymous, but as yet not found by any archaeologist.
I have never come across the description of the common plumbata as a 'plumbata gladia' (sp.).
I received my copy of AW only last, so I just finished your article about de Rebus Bellicis. My attention was drawn to your description of the plumbatae described by the Anonymous. You seemed to describe both as proposals/inventions of the author and you compared them to the 'common' "plumbata gladia" (spelling may be wrong, I don't have the article at hand).
Questions:
1 - have you seen the (Medieval) images of the DRB manuscript?
2 - have you seen the comparison between the 'plumbata mammilata' and the archaeological finds?
3 - have you seen 'hypothetical reconstructions' of the 'plumbata et tribolata' from the DRB MS?
4 - where did you come across the description 'plumbata gladia' (sp.)?
You see, from what I've come across so far, one of the plumbata (plumbata mammilata) was no invention but a description of the by then common weapon. The image from the various MS seems to confirm that. Whereas the second one, a combination of the common plumbata with a caltrop, was indeed an innovation by the anonymous, but as yet not found by any archaeologist.
I have never come across the description of the common plumbata as a 'plumbata gladia' (sp.).
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)