The light armed cohorts discussion and evidence

[Paullus Scipio]

John wrote:

it leaves the mystery of the different curved shields and missile weapons that have little or no ancient source material to explain them.

....I don't think there is terribly much mystery about different weapons being in use simultaneously. The wide variety of helmets likely to have been worn in the 1-2 C AD in a single legion is one example. Similarly, if we look at first-second C AD monuments, we see a variety of 'scuta' in use. Beginning with the Republican 'ovoid' curved shield with 'spina' and barley-corn wooden boss(1), the first modification seems to have been to lighten it by shearing off the top and bottom, leaving the sides curved.(2) Next, the sides were straightened to produce the familiar rectangular 'Dura' type scutum(3) and finally the wooden barley corn boss(sometimes with metal reinforcement) and 'spina' gave way to a circular metal boss on a square flange, without 'spina.(4) However, these three types did not supercede one another immediately. Indeed the old Republican ovoid type 1 continued in service into the early 1 C AD, as shown on funeral stelae. Praetorians continued to use this early type down to Domitian's time ( Louvre relief c. 50 AD and Cancellaria relief c. 80 AD), but by then it might have been 'traditional' as, for example, the Queen's Brigade of Guards still wear 19 C traditional fur busbies and scarlet jackets on parade. Types 2,3 and 4 are all depicted on Trajan's column and the Adamklissi monument and are still all found on the Marcus Aurelius column. Similarly, archaeological finds show that 'pila' in the same period came not just in 'tanged' and 'socketed' types, but that there was considerable variety of fastening within these two broad types, not to mention variety in length of metal shaft and type of head.....the same variety appears in 'gladii'( 'Mainz', Fulham, 'Pompeii' and other types all in service alongside one another) and 'pugiones' too. Unlike Trajan's column, Adamklissi and the Marcus Aurelius monument show a wide variety of body-armour in use too - we see 1-2 C AD Legionaries in 'segmentata' ( strips), 'squamata' (scales) and 'Hamata' (mail).

The conclusion must surely be that differences in equipment are not really pointers to role, except in the very broadest sense.

As is well known, 'uniform' had a different connotation in the pre-industrial era....and even today, just give a casual glance at any news report of Afghanistan or Iraq, and you will see that whether the troops who are supposed to be 'uniformly' equipped are American, British or Australian, no two of them are identically equipped and a wide variety of gear is carried...

You could speculate that the Scuta seen in the carts on Tragen's column belong to the regular Legionaries seen with Oval Shields with Legionary insignias who are acting in a light armed role for the occasion but that is far from being any kind of proof.

Unfortunately you are right - it would be speculation. Most consider the 'Auxiliary' types on Trajan's column with oval flat shields and 'thunderbolt' devices to be 'Cohortes Voluntariorum Civium Romanum' - Auxiliary cohorts of citizens ( unlike the normal auxilia, not citizens until discharge) founded by Augustus following the loss of Varus' Legions, several of which are believed to have taken part in Trajan's Dacian campaigns. I do not believe there is evidence for 'alternate' sets of equipment being carried in the baggage, and for example a curved 'scuta' and flat oval auxiliary shield are essentially the same - both 'body-shields'.