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The rule of the Antonine Emperors, from Antoninus Pius to Commodus, represents the Roman Empire at the height of its glory. The empire was powerfully armed and prosperous, its legions atride Europe and Asia. Other than Commodus, the emperors ruled justly and, mostly, wisely. One of them, Marcus Aurelius, was even a philosopher whose writings on that subject are still avidly read today (and sometimes quoted by brilliant Baltimore cannibals).
This line represents the legions and auxiliaries of this summit of empire in their combat with Germans, Sarmatians, Parthians and others around the fringes, not to mention with themselves, for civil war was never far from even the Antonine emperors. The line focuses on the period of Marcus Aurelius, and as such the legionaries wear beards in imitation of their emperor. Legionary and Auxiliary infantry are provided with both spears (lancea in the case of the auxilia, pila in the case of the legionaries) and swords for a choice of armament. Legionary shields had different degrees of curvature, so the shields can be left as is or curled around a wooden dowel to give them greater curvature (which would not have been possible to capture in a two part mould, unfortunately).
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