The BA thesis focuses on Roman greaves and knee guards classified as parade armour. The chronological frame, into which the greaves and knee pieces discussed in the thesis fall, is either the 2nd or the 3rd century AD. The geographical area, from where the material originates, includes the following provinces: Germania Superior and Inferior, Noricum, Pannonia Superior and Inferior, Dacia, Moesia Inferior and with Raetia functioning as the most prominent province due to having the most documented finds. As a base, securely dated greaves and knee pieces (e.g. Straubing, Eining) have been selected. With them, specimens of uncertain date, usually from private collections or simply lacking contextual information, will be compared and analysed. The analysis will rest on interpretation of depicted motifs, finding similar patterns of execution amongst the exemplars and finally, categorising the motifs according to their recurrence within a certain chronological span. The aims are therefore to: interpret the motifs in their sociological context; assign them to a specific chronological frame; refine the dating of Roman greaves and knee guards by comparing their motifs with well-dated examples; determine the intended leg based on the orientation and composition of the motifs; and offer a new explanation of parade armour, considering that not all greaves and knee guards were decorated.

Starting biblioggraphy: 

Born, H. – Junkelmann, M. (eds.) 1997: Römische Kampf- und Turnierrüstungen. Sammlung Axel Guttmann, Band VI. Mainz am Rhein.

D’Amato, R. – Negin, A. E. 2017: Decorated Roman armour: from the age of the kings to the death of Justinian the Great. Barnsley.

Fischer, T. 2012: Die Armee der Caesaren: Archäologie und Geschichte. Regensburg.

Gächter, H. R. 2022: Ikonografische Analyse der mythologischen Darstellungen auf römischen Paraderüstungen. Innsbruck. 

Garbsch, J. – Kellner, H.-J. – Kiechle, F. – Kohlert, M. 1978: Römische Paraderüstungen. Katalog der Ausstellung. Münchner Beitr. Vor-und Frühgesch. Band XXX. München.

Jülke, C. D. 2012: Studien zu Arm- und Beinpanzerung der römischen Armee. Köln: Philosophische Fakultät der Universität zu Köln. 

Junkelmann, M. 1996: Reiter wie Statuen aus Erz. Mainz am Rhein.

Keim, J. – Klumbach, H. 1978: Der römische Schatzfund von Straubing. In: Münchner Beiträge zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte. Band III. München.

Kellner, H.-J. 1978: Der Römische Verwahrfund von Eining. In: Münchner Beiträge zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte. Band XXIX. München.

Schamper, J. 2015: Studien zu Paraderüstungsteilen und anderen verzierten Waffen der römischen Kaiserzeit. In: T. Fischer (Hrsg.): Kölner Studien zur Archäologie der römischen Provinzen. Band XII. Rahden/Westf.