Subarmalis in the literary sources

[mcbishop]

M. Speidel suggests that the subarmalis mentioned in the Carlisle writing tablets was a padded garment that could also be worn in training, not an underarm lance as proposed previously by Tomlin. M.P. Speidel 2007: The Missing Weapons at Carlisle' Britannia 38 p.237-39'

Gosh, I wonder where he got that idea from! I remember discussing his interpretation with Roger Tomlin in 1997 at the conference that eventually got published as The Roman Army as a Community (where he gave the first paper on this particular tablet). The SHA reference naturally does not make sense if you interpret it as meaning the Praetorians were only allowed to parade equipped with a particular type of underarm javelin!

Mike Bishop