Does somebody know if there is evidence for such a Sassanid horned helmet which the figure's wearing?
I thought I had seen a Sassanian dish or rock carving depicting such a helmet somewhere, but I'm not sure.
Many thanks
That figure is pure fantasty, having said that, horned helmets may have existed in the early period - Shapur (I or II, I forge which), and Rostam in the Shahnameh both wear one. There was also a Sarmatian find of a horned helmet, although it is very different from the models. Horns were certainly worn on crowns.
Wings were likely far more common on helmets, especially in Sogdiana (Panjakent, Kulagysh). Wings appear to have been popularised in Eastern Central Asia where most depictions of warriors have wings on their helmets (Khotcho, Kyzyl, etc)
In RTW mods I often see Sassanids depicted with Square shields - is this Historically Accurate? As far as I am aware the Sassanids used only Oval or Round Shields.
Some of the stick-and-rawhide shields from Dura that are thought to be Sassanid are rectangular-ish... though a bit hard to make out the exact original shapes due to damage/degradation.
Dan D'Silva
Far beyond the rising sun
I ride the winds of fate
Prepared to go where my heart belongs,
Back to the past again.
-- Gamma Ray
Well, I'm tough, rough, ready and I'm able
To pick myself up from under this table...
-- Thin Lizzy
Possibly. There are rectangular shields, or rectangular siege mantlets (depending on how you want to read that particular fragment), depicted at Panjakent. Of course this is Sogdian, not Sasanian. The Dura shields were house shaped and a purely early Sasanian (or late Arsacid - the attached drawing is Kushan) item. Circular shields are much better evidenced, and I think oval shields were also in use but cannot off the top of my head, remember any source for them from Sasanian contexts ...
Also some scholars interpret square shields visible at Galerius arch as belonging to Sassanid or Armenian infantry-although Armenians were in fact on the side of the Romans in that war and possibility that those soldiers with what seems to be classic rectangular scutum are Romans in fact couldn't be excluded completely.
Quote:Also some scholars interpret square shields visible at Galerius arch as belonging to Sassanid or Armenian infantry-although Armenians were in fact on the side of the Romans in that war and possibility that those soldiers with what seems to be classic rectangular scutum are Romans in fact couldn't be excluded completely.
Interesting! This could be a visual proof of the transition period in roman army.