Last week I visited an exhibition about old weapons and objects found on Transylvanian territory during archeological excavations, over the years. It was a very interesting one as you could learn how out ancestors lived and what they used to defend themselves and their land as well. Those times were not quite peaceful, there was always a war or a battle to fight.
Exercitusromanorum was the name of the Roman army and you most likely have seen similar soldiers in movies.
You know what was funny? When I visited the exhibition organized by special forces, I was amazed to learn that a bullet proof vest weighs 12kg, a helmet equipped with all the necessary gadgets weighs 4kg, not to mention the weapons they need to carry.
Now look at this guy. Obviously it's a dummy and the armor suit is made based on findings and descriptions, but the original they were wearing those days was similar. Do you think his gear was lighter? I don't think so. Plus not to mention the comfort. These days military gears are tested and made to be somewhat comfortable as soldiers need to resist for an undefined period and do their duties as well.
There was a group of school kinds in the museum and they found this guy very amusing, so they spent 10 minutes taking selfies and goofy photos here, so I needed to wait for them to leave. I wasn't happy at all.
Stamped tiles, clay projectiles, arrowheads and crossbow bolts, spearheads, axe from the Roman soldier's equipment.
Symbol of Rome - Funerary monument from the Roman Castrum of Brâncovenești.
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word castrum, plural castra, was a military-related term.
Romans used the term castrum for different sizes of camps – including large legionary fortresses, smaller forts for cohorts or for auxiliary forces, temporary encampments, and "marching" forts. The diminutive form castellum was used for fortlets, typically occupied by a detachment of a cohort or a centuria. source
The Roman golden ring from Bistra. Even though I would not wear such a ring, it's a nice one and I bet you can find similar ones today.
There were some interesting pieces here. I was looking at the one in the corner, that looked like a hat, but could not be a hat as it was quite small. I thought it must mean something if they displayed it here. Then I read the label and it says it's a shieldboss. Now if you go back to the armored guy and have a look again, his shield has this shieldboss. I'm not sure what was the purpose of it, but it sure added some extra weight to carry.
Can you guess what these are? Handcuffs.
The migration period.
The Migration Period, also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman kingdoms. The term refers to the important role played by the migration, invasion, and settlement of various tribes, notably the Franks, Goths, Alemanni, Alans, Huns, early Slavs, Pannonian Avars, Magyars, and Bulgars within or into the former Western Empire and Eastern Europe. The period is traditionally taken to have begun in AD 375 (possibly as early as 300) and ended in 568. Various factors contributed to this phenomenon of migration and invasion, and their role and significance are still widely discussed. source
I'm always amazed to see so precised work, when it comes to ancient jewellery. Look at these pieces.
Funny that to me it seems like we're living in a migration period again. They say history has the habit of repeating itself and it seems to be true. We see migrants flooding Europe, thinking they can have a better life here. They fail to realize that none of the countries have the resources to support an endless number of people, so they end up being deported.
Stay tuned as there's more to come.
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