Sorry Nathan, I edited and added quite a bit to my post. Apologies.
The culture of the Romans did change after the epidemics, after the end of Pax Romana. Whether it changed for the better or worse is subjective, but it did change. The army under Severus was large, yes, but it wasn't the same Roman army that had existed a couple generations before. It had a very, very different ethnic and cultural makeup.
The Romans did not show anywhere near the level of wanton spending or affluence that they did during 100BC-180AD. It was during this time they went with the economical choice, something that would last a large amount of time, fit a large number of troops, be easily scavenged, and repaired. They couldn't maintain their own "specialized" armour that probably had to be completely repaired everytime it suffered combat damage, unlike a maile tunic which could have a couple rings thrown in here and there. That doesn't mean that maile was superior to segmentata at all, in fact for all we know segmentata may have been far superior (in combat) and they still would have adopted maile.
Hamata may have been more expensive but it lasted generations, therefor it was the far better economical choice. You could take it from a dead soldier, spend almost nothing fixing it, and give it to a new recruit. Maile has no leather parts and is said to resist rust, so it's fair to assume that it lasts a hell of a lot longer than segmentata. If you have to bring the armour back to the smith and have it completely retooled every time it's used in combat, then it'll have very high maintenance costs. If the armour only lasted five to ten years then again costs would mount as it'd have to replaced very often, and we do know that metal armour was not inexpensive.
These people weren't stupid. Surely generals, and brilliant people, such as Julius Caesar and Augustus would've discarded segmentata immediately if they thought troops would be better served by maile. Augustus was furious when Varus lost his legions. Obviously the welfare and state of the military was a concern.
I'd say Domitian was emotionally traumatized too. See:
"This ambiguity of character was further exacerbated by his remoteness, and as he grew older, he increasingly displayed a preference for solitude, which may have stemmed from his isolated upbringing.[15] Indeed, by the age of eighteen nearly all of his closest relatives had died by war or disease."
Not having a family will typically traumatize a child, or at least have significant effects on his personality and outlook on life.
The culture of the Romans did change after the epidemics, after the end of Pax Romana. Whether it changed for the better or worse is subjective, but it did change. The army under Severus was large, yes, but it wasn't the same Roman army that had existed a couple generations before. It had a very, very different ethnic and cultural makeup.
The Romans did not show anywhere near the level of wanton spending or affluence that they did during 100BC-180AD. It was during this time they went with the economical choice, something that would last a large amount of time, fit a large number of troops, be easily scavenged, and repaired. They couldn't maintain their own "specialized" armour that probably had to be completely repaired everytime it suffered combat damage, unlike a maile tunic which could have a couple rings thrown in here and there. That doesn't mean that maile was superior to segmentata at all, in fact for all we know segmentata may have been far superior (in combat) and they still would have adopted maile.
Hamata may have been more expensive but it lasted generations, therefor it was the far better economical choice. You could take it from a dead soldier, spend almost nothing fixing it, and give it to a new recruit. Maile has no leather parts and is said to resist rust, so it's fair to assume that it lasts a hell of a lot longer than segmentata. If you have to bring the armour back to the smith and have it completely retooled every time it's used in combat, then it'll have very high maintenance costs. If the armour only lasted five to ten years then again costs would mount as it'd have to replaced very often, and we do know that metal armour was not inexpensive.
These people weren't stupid. Surely generals, and brilliant people, such as Julius Caesar and Augustus would've discarded segmentata immediately if they thought troops would be better served by maile. Augustus was furious when Varus lost his legions. Obviously the welfare and state of the military was a concern.
Quote: You seem to mean that Commodus was emotionally traumatised. If he was, then so were many of his contemporaries - including those who criticised him! Trying to psychoanalyse ancient emperors is fraught with subjectivity - which doesn't stop people trying, of course...
I'd say Domitian was emotionally traumatized too. See:
"This ambiguity of character was further exacerbated by his remoteness, and as he grew older, he increasingly displayed a preference for solitude, which may have stemmed from his isolated upbringing.[15] Indeed, by the age of eighteen nearly all of his closest relatives had died by war or disease."
Not having a family will typically traumatize a child, or at least have significant effects on his personality and outlook on life.
Christopher Vidrine, 30
