Number On Alabama Helmet

Roman soldiers in the fifth century AD

early fifth century AD the Roman image of the military is basically very similar to that of the previous century. The big "factories" of military equipment will continue to produce large oval shield on which are painted the portrait of the wide range of departments. The crested helmets of Roman-Sassanid type are always present but at the same time, those segmented conical spread further, especially in the ranks of the cavalry and newer richly decorated. The armor of chain mail or bronze flakes are always produced ma si assiste ad una forte diffusione di quelle lamellari, forse anche in virtù della loro semplicità costruttiva .

Elmi rotondi di semplice ma robusta fattura, composti da segmenti rivettati, fanno la loro comparsa, dotati quasi sempre di paranuca in maglia di ferro e sono adottati per lo più dalle fanterie .

The helmet with a metal crest of horsehair or feathers and features the highest-ranking departments or guard the Emperor.

From the time of Theodosius on the effigies and shields with the symbol "P" and "X "cross became the symbol of this new empire" Romano-Christian "

troops implicated by the Emperor called "candidates" dress tunics and weapons on the level of decoration in harmony with those of the emperor himself. They are often of Germanic origin and keep long hair cut in a way that will become common throughout the Middle Ages, the face is shaved in a historical moment that matches the aesthetic values \u200b\u200bof the Roman lost.

Cavalry undergoes a transformation in this century than in the previous century: the Parthian catafratta type, the Kontari by fully armored horses, a decrease in favor of a medium heavy cavalry using either bow and spear from shock and defends himself with armor-type scale Sarmaticus or laminated.

When the horse is protected by a shell, it is often a rectangular and covers only the front.

The combination of a shooting arrows to mess up the enemy followed by a post at the spear, will be a secret weapon that will continue to exist for centuries, the Byzantine Empire.

Even the appearance of the infantry units is anything but uniform units of soldiers protected auxiliari lightly armed with axes or other weapons rather than derived from their ethnic background.

Hun Warriors often make up the personal guard military commanders, always consists of mounted troops.

The spread of the arc features in the Roman cavalry troops of the East.

The spread defenses laminated conical helmets and segmented in the continuation of the second half of the century featuring the appearance of this Roman Commander:

And this Gothic Commander in the service of the Empire.

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The Battle of Adrianople, 378 AD

Much has been written about the battle of Adrianople, some scholars would be traced back to the very end of this date ' Western Roman Empire, claiming that the imperial army never recovered from that defeat, it was painfully reconstituted with the introduction of whole barbarian tribes which, by their tradition, not dressed as defensive armor and helmets, changing the army also in his appearance.
Other scholars suggest the defeat of the typical infantry formations romane dovute all'introduzione delle staffe nella cavalleria Alana e Gota che avrebbe consentito un vantaggio tecnico enorme ai cavalieri sia leggeri che, soprattutto, pesanti .
Queste congetture, nel tempo si sono rivelate sbagliate, l'esercito romano dell'epoca era reduce da decenni di successi, dal tempo della Tetrarchia in poi, si era sempre imposto sui propri avversari, quasi sempre molto più forti numericamente. Era estremamente differenziato per poter affrontare gli eserciti riccamente equipaggiati dei regni Orientali, come pure le tribù che razziavano nei confini Occidentali. Anche la situazione economica e demografica dei territori imperiali ( soprattutto nella parte Orientale..) era in costante crescita .

The fate of Rome, in fact, was writing in the remote steppes of the Russia where a strong congregation of Unne various tribes, was advancing to West subjecting the people he met on his journey as the Alans and Ostrogoths and pushed entire populations to pile on the borders of the Empire.
Probably, if this had not happened, the phenomenon of absorption of the Germanic peoples and their conversion to Roman culture could be done gradually and peacefully and the Western Empire would not have fallen, but maybe it would even giovato..!

Comunque quando le masse di profughi si attestarono ai confini, le gerarchie imperiali dettero il peggio di se : permisero il passaggio entro i confini perche non erano in grado di controllare una così grande moltitudine, ma la affamarono a morte, dando loro cibo scadente in cambio di donne e bambini da ridurre in schiavitù, ed in sostanza alimentarono un tale odio che, presto, scoppiò in tumulti, ribellioni e saccheggi dei terreni e ville circostanti . I Goti, poi,  assalendo ed impossessandosi di alcuni presidi militari romani, poterono armarsi ed organizzarsi per intraprendere successive e più vaste scorrerie nei territori interni romani .

Quando l'imperatore dell'Oriente Valente decide di attaccare il nemico senza aspettare il congiungimento con le forze Occidentali dell'imperatore Graziano ( forse perche male informato sulla reale consistenza del nemico o forse per egoistica  gelosia nella condivisione del successo..) i Goti sono asserragliati al centro di un enorme cerchio formato dai carriaggi  they use in their journey from the East. They are as protected by a wooden fort, their light cavalry (Goths) and heavy (Alan) is far out to pasture.

The Romans take positions, long and contentious negotiations begin in the summer sun, without a preconceived plan, the impetuous masters of light cavalry to the right of the line, give way to provocation and should attack, but they are easily rejected by the launch of bullets of the infantry Gothic.

In the meantime, warned by couriers, the large Gothic cavalry arrives suddenly and attack the left side of the file where the Roman catafratta cavalry can not keep the deployment and disperses.
A quick pincer movement around the Gothic Knights of the Roman infantry central place that accumulates and is also attacked by infantry coming out of the circle of wagons.

Surrounded on all sides, the cavalry on the run, the Roman legions are defeated and decimated: two thirds of the army and their officers and commanders veterans fall, the Emperor Valens and his guard shelter in a cottage in the area that is besieged and set on fire.
The defeat is bitter and unexpected but the Empire still has enough energy to regain control of crisis in subsequent years.

The appearance of the Goths in military weapons Romans and that of the military is almost identical, the only difference the fabric of the tunics, the preference of the Goths for the composites rather than helmets crested el 'use of mesh or nape of the total removal of the latter to make room for long hair.