Is that a crossbow bolt in Aquila's left hand? It's far too short to be an arrow she could fire from her bow. Though I don't think the Roman Empire even had crossbows.
Is that a crossbow bolt in Aquila's left hand? It's far too short to be an arrow she could fire from her bow. Though I don't think the Roman Empire even had crossbows.
This seems to be a reference to the late Roman Empire (between the 2nd the 3rd Century). By then, the Romans had already faced the first european crossbows during their wars against Visigoths and Franks invaders, and they copied them for their legions.
Is that a crossbow bolt in Aquila's left hand? It's far too short to be an arrow she could fire from her bow. Though I don't think the Roman Empire even had crossbows.
It looks to me like a shortened arrow for use in a tong-ah device, that red and blue tube hanging below her right hand.
About the "Peace" in the note, I'm pretty much sure that it's supposed to be the ChiRho symbol, the initials of Christ (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ) in Greek, it was an imperial insignia in the late Roman Empire after Constantine.
About the "Peace" in the note, I'm pretty much sure that it's supposed to be the ChiRho symbol, the initials of Christ (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ) in Greek, it was an imperial insignia in the late Roman Empire after Constantine.
It clearly is, I'm creating a tag for it since it apparently there isn't one.
No offense, but the attire is Mid-Byzantine and High Medieval. Yes, this is a Byzantine attire. To reiterate from a friend of mine:
"[...] Her cloak is a Chlamys, the Ancient Greeks already wore it, including the fibula on the right shoulder and the contrast between tunic and coat. The tunic is Byzantine. Flared sleeves are so 11th century, the belt supports the skirt (one could even interpret that as the work of a hook) at her right hip. She shoes are difficult to position. The dress is Byzantine to the core, especially the embroidery. That is beautifully done. Sadly, she does not have her hair covered, but that is a nitpick."
I apologize for not posting about the details of the attire earlier.
