05-21-2006, 12:34 PM
This may be interesting. The image (from the mid-4th century House of the Nymphs in Nabeul, Tunisia) appears to show a soldier in subarmalis without the usual covering armour. The mosaic builder shows the body and pteruges at waist and shoulders of clearly different materials- I would guess leather for the pteruges.
No metal armour is worn over the top, as shown by a a separate mosaic in the same house. Here, "Agamemnon" is shown wearing a metal cuirass over the subarmalis, and the mosaic builder clearly shows the sheen of the metal. "Agamemnon"- dressed in red tunic, white under tunic with purplish clavi and feminalia is a long way from Greece!
The subarmalis design with its shoulder and chest straps is also remarakably similar to the late Roman silver dish posted earlier.
No metal armour is worn over the top, as shown by a a separate mosaic in the same house. Here, "Agamemnon" is shown wearing a metal cuirass over the subarmalis, and the mosaic builder clearly shows the sheen of the metal. "Agamemnon"- dressed in red tunic, white under tunic with purplish clavi and feminalia is a long way from Greece!
The subarmalis design with its shoulder and chest straps is also remarakably similar to the late Roman silver dish posted earlier.