Roman Shield Insignia

[richsc]

Most modern reenactment groups base their designs on those from Trajan's Column which is of course the principate. Our Legio XX does. We chose a design with lightening bolts, but no image of a boar. The only boar image I know of that is Legio XX is the antefix in the Chester museum, the running boar with the curious standard behind it. No idea what the round thing is, though lately I am suspecting it is a crystal with a reflection: what is supposed to be Maxentius' standard with a crystal on it was unearthed on the Palatine a few years back, so that is a possibility. Maybe. But no idea what the ball represents either.