Sorry I've been so quiet lately - I've been on holiday to Rome! First there was all the planning and preparation, then, last week, there was the actual trip. It was, frankly, an amazing holiday. I can't remember ever enjoying an holiday so much. We saw masses, and masses, of ancient Roman 'stuff'. The photo above is from our trip to the Museo Della Civiltà Romana (Museum of Roman Civilisation), which is home to lots of models and reproductions of artefacts, telling most of the story of the city and Empire. One thing it has, is a complete set of castings from Trajan's Column…
One thing I hadn't ever realised, looking at relatively small, low resolution photos, is that you can actually see the texture of the chain mail on figures so equipped - as this detail from my photo above reveals:
So it's easy to tell which figures are armoured and which are merely wearing tunics!
Unless you count chariot racing or gladiatorial combat, there isn't a lot of purely 'military' interest in Rome, but just going and seeing the Imperial Palaces, the Forum, walking into the Curia (Senate House), etc., is a joy - seeing the places the Emperors lived, and where senators worked, and where decisions that would affect the whole of the then-known world were made, is fascinating. Walking down the Appian Way, visiting the circus of Maxentius (probably the best-preserved chariot racing track in or around Rome), and imagining the road with the crucified remains of Spartacus' army lining the road.
And I've had an idea about wargaming with Late Romans. Whilst standing in front of the (truly massive!) Basilica of Maxentius, it struck me that, given that I can't decide which barbarian enemy army to paint (largely because, if I'm honest, none of them appeal very much!), I might as well do a civil war - such as that between Constantine and Maxentius (Battle of Milvian Bridge and all that), or Constantine and Licinius. That way, I get to paint lots of lovely Romans, and don't have to worry about smelly, hairy, barbarians!