Romano-Byzantine helmet plumes

[Martin Smith]

Hi all.
I'm near the end of painting a 'Romano-Byzantine/Early Byzantine/Belisarian' army, 493-578 AD, and need some advice. Is there a currently accepted  colour scheme for helmet plumes in this army?
I have Mr Barker's AEIR, 4th ed., 1981, which seems to suggest (p60) red for foot, yellow for horse, maybe white for guardsmen ("in accordance with what may have been a later Byzantine practice").
I also have Roy Boss's 'Justinian's Wars', 1993, the colour plates of which show red plumes for Bucellarii and the general himself, and white-ish plumes for foot and line cavalry, black on the antesignani.
I have Belisarius himself, bucellarii, line cavalry and heavy foot/skutatoi awaiting plumage. Any help or advice appreciated.
Martin

[gavindbm]

Hi Martin,

Quick response.  Ian Heath in Armies of Dark Ages 600-1066 notes the military manuals specify each Brandon had lance-pennons, plumes, shields and standards in a particular distinctive colour. 

Memory says I did find this when I read Strategikon but I have not checked it.  Memory also says the lance-pennons were removed before battle according to Strategikon.

As I am considering a Heraclian Byzantine force, I would be interested to know what scale and manufacturer you used for your force. 

Regards,

Gavin

[Martin Smith]

Thanks for the reply, Gavin

The army is in 15mm scale. I've used Donnington Miniatures (from Ancient and Modern Army Supplies). The majority are from their Romano-Byzantine range (which I reviewed just over a year ago in Slingshot), and a few extra 'barbarian types' came from their other dark ages ranges (Huns/Lombards etc). Like the figures a lot, lovely sculpts, and they're painting up well, too, despite my best efforts(!).
Martin

[aligern]

In the Strategikon it says 'The fields of the flags in each meros should be of the same colour  and the streamers (attached to each flag) in each moira should each have their own colour so that each
individual tagma may easily recognise its own standard. Other distinctive devices known to the soldiers should be imposed on the fields of flags so that they may easily be recognised according to meros, moira and tagma.'
Book I,2 waxes lyrical lyrical about small plumes on the helmets and plumes (6) on the horse furniture, but nothing is said about colour. Similarly in the infantry section they are to have a small plume on the helmet and tassels on the cheek pieces, but no mention of colour.

I recall Phil Barker saying years ago that horsehair was hard to die. It occurs naturally in black and white and that Romans coloured it yellow for cavalry. Other plumes were red.
I suspect that those four are the odour palette. No doubt the emperor had purple plumes, maybe generals had those too?

Roy

[Martin Smith]

So if 'hard evidence' is lacking, I could safely pick any one of those colours without causing offence, I guess? Red for the Bucellarii and general, white for the troops should look the part, I think. Thanks for your replies. Much appreciated!
Martin

[aligern]

Yes, as white and black are the natural colours they would be the cheapest options and most appropriate for the less expensively equipped troops.
It is apparent that the Byzantines had a problem in fully kitting out everyone so that back rank infantry would have fabric or no armour(in the eleventh century people were issued felt hats coloured to look like helmets). Front rankers and cavalry appear to have been issued the full equipment.
It appears that the way of kiting troops in the sixth and seventh centuries was to issue them money o buy armour etc. from private contractors.  In that intubation it may well have Ben that helmets and armour varied within units( actually this is likely even with state owned fabricae making the gear).
The likelihood is that plumes might well not have been standard even within units.
When generals are recruiting Bukellarii they take in barbarians as individuals and as groups and they recruit from regular army units. Surely all these men would bring their own kit, again being likely to have different variations of body rumour helmets and decorative plumes and tassels. Of course there is a possibility that a rich general would give his comitatus uniform distinctions.
The Heraklian army, which must be mostly like that described in the Strategikon,  does make an attempt at uniformity. It appears that Bukellarii were taken from the generals and combined into a 'regiment' the tone of the Strategikon is an attempt to deliver uniformity against a background of insufficient finance and the chaos of losses to the Avars and Persians and then Arabs.
So maybe there would be a lot less uniformity than we tend to assume in Byzantine armies.
Roy