2020 Advent Calendar: Day 13

Between the foundation of Rome in 753 BC and the end of the Western Empire in the middle of the 5th century AD, the Roman civilization lasted more than thousand years. No wonder that this history keeps on fascinating so many people.

There will be no exception with this blog as we (re)discover today the most famous soldier of the Empire period.

Day 13 of the Advent Calendar: a Roman legionary in full armor, the Lorica Segmentata.

This soldier is the symbol of the Empire at its full extent. His duty is to protect the Roman world against the assaults of the Barbarians living beyond the edge of the known world. We can see him on guard duty in front of the door of a wooden fort. I like this standing pose, popularized by Strelets in the past years. And this big shield was a real temptation for a painter :)

Our legionary is soon disturbed by two of his comrades coming back from reconnaissance - yes, the very same that were on display on Day 7 of the Calendar. What sort of discussion do they have ? I let you imagine.

The wooden palissade with a door comes from the Zvezda range. It was originally designed to be part of a wooden Russian fort in the 14th century AD.

See you tomorrow !