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The falx is a devastating weapon against flesh. Most long blades are. No blade can cut through any kind of metal armour under combat conditions. Sculptures aren't photos. They are a means to convey a message. The falx is depicted being wielded by Dacians in sculptures because that is the archetype. It has nothing to do with what they actually used in battle. The same thing is done today. Roman soldiers are depicted in segmentata. Roman emperors are depicted wearing oak leaves on their heads. Vikings are depicted in horned helmets. Jesus is depicted as a white guy with long hair and a beard. The archetype doesn't always reflect reality.
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The problem is that Segmentata has been found. The horned Viking helmets have not.
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Archetypes have nothing to do with reality; they depend on common perception. We know that Roman legionaries wore segmentata but only for a few centuries. Mail, scale, and solid plate were all worn for much longer and were probably more common. But if you want to illustrate a Roman soldier to a layperson then you depict him in a segementata. It is the archetypical Roman armour, regardless of how common it really was. Same with vikings: if you want to illustrate a viking for a layperson then you depict him in a horned helmet even though they were never worn historically. If you want to illustrate a Greek sioldier then you put a Corinthian on his head even though the Corinthian is limited to a short period of time and for most of their history they wore other types of helmets.
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Is there any proof that the Hamata wearing troops on Trajan's Column are Auxiliaries rather than Legionaires? The Hamata troops seem to be doing most of the fighting, wouldn't it be more propagandish to depict your brave citizens in heroism?
I never doubted the Segmentata's short existence. It is the archetype Roman armor, but lets no go off on how it didn't exist or was not that common at all.
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and if you want to depict a Dacian to a layperson, you illustrate him carrying a falx.
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Because he actually carried the Falx in real life.
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That is not propaganda behavior. Military service is highly valued in Rome. It would be like a costly Nazi momenunt with its foreign taking the brunt of the fighting..
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Having both researched and reconstructed two complete falx and with presently two blades laying around waiting to be finished should anyone want one, I can agreed with the statement the falx is a pretty impressive and positively nasty piece of hardware. To hold one is to understand its potential power more then looking at a picture.
BUT ..... given the length of the tang on most originals, it would be highly unlikely this weapon was designed to cleave shields or armour. It would tear out of the handle if that sort of force were repeatedly applied. Unlike the weapon used in the shield-splitting video, which has the tang the full length of the handle. I have not seen any true falx with such a design, unlike the Rhomphaia, which is also a Thracian weapon, but which has a straight or slightly curved blade.
The great advantage of the falx is the solid back and the curve, which brings a very stiff, sharp point at right angles to the direction of a slash, the point also reaching around or under a shield. This makes for good penetration of neck, limbs, face and abdomen. When drawn back, it will inflict deep cuts. So were I a Thracian, I would not bother targeting a seg, but just merrily hack and carve away at the bits not covered.
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Caratacvs the David Sim article is JRMES 11 37-41 2000. I was at the conferance and chatted to David and compared my Falx. His Falx did not like hitting iron plate and stressed the blade when hitting it but on ballistic flesh ow dear :o the wounds were terrible. Until you have the sword in your hands it will become apparent the strengths and weakness of the sword.
On the two different monuments it would be down to the subjects who modelled for the sculptures. Trajans collumn being in the heart of the Empire would have to show the public why the empire was Great and propaganda was used here to show Citizen/Auxillary troops, were as the Adamski monument used local troops from the east which the predoniment armour worn, which must have been scale and mail, to protray the same message for local eyes. They would have worn all types of armour during the war, were as the monuments tell a story of Romes greatness and not a accurate view of the armour that was or was not worn.
I came across this site on Dacians with great info on it :grin:
http://www.enciclopedia-dacica.ro/?opera...isier=falx
Regards Brennivs :dizzy:
Woe Ye The Vanquished
Brennvs 390 BC
When you have all this why do you envy our mud huts
Caratacvs
Centvrio Princeps Brennivs COH I Dacorivm (Roma Antiqvia)
