02-25-2012, 01:00 AM
Quote:I am not happy with the notion that subarmalis could mean both a javelin and a protective undergarment but I am drawn reluctantly to Tomlin's interpretation.I'm drawn in the opposite direction. I'm unconvinced that the tablet refers to a lance that can only be used under-arm (and Tomlin doesn't adequately explain how armalis indicates something to do with the arm-pit, when the obvious meaning of arma is staring us in the face).
As for their position on the tablet in between two weapons, I wouldn't like to press that argument too far. The tablet concerns the belongings of cavalrymen. There's no particular reason to suppose that only weapons could be listed. You could dig out a dozen "lists" from Vindolanda where the items appear to be haphazard. I think this is similarly "untidy".