Stuff To Blow Your Mind Shields Like Fish Scales, Part 1: The Mythical Lost Legion
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Apr 29, 2025 AI Snips
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Roman-Han Empire Distance Insight
- The vast distance and intermediaries between Roman and Han empires made direct contact rare and difficult.
- Parthians and Kushans served as middlemen in trade, keeping the two great empires separated geographically and culturally.
Fish Scale Shield Anecdote
- A Chinese protector general fought a Hun warlord and reportedly saw soldiers fighting in a fish-scale shield formation.
- This formation is thought to resemble the Roman testudo shield wall, sparking a speculative historical hypothesis.
Roman Testudo Shield Theory
- Homer Dubbs hypothesized that fish-scale shield formations seen in China are from Roman testudo formations of captured soldiers.
- This theory implies surviving Roman soldiers served as mercenaries far east beyond their empire's usual reach.