Bronze helmet for a Roman cavalryman, worn during demonstrations. The helmet depicts a woman, perhaps an Amazon, wearing a torque on her brow. Artist unknown; 2nd cent. CE. Found at Nola in southern Italy; now in the British Museum. Photo credit: TimeTravelRome/Wikimedia Commons.

Face mask (iron with silver overlay -- since stripped off) for a Roman cavalryman, found at Kalkriese, Germany. Artist unknown; 1st half of 1st cent. CE. Now in the Museum and Park Kalkriese. Photo credit: Carole Raddato.

Ancient Roman marble relief depicting a legionary.  Artist unknown; end of 1st cent. CE.  Found at Pozzuoli (ancient Puteoli); now in the Antikensammlung Berlin.  Photo credit: Marcus Cyron/Wikimedia Commons.

Fragmentary ancient Roman statue of a man wearing a cuirass.  Artist unknown; reign of Trajan (98-117 CE).  Found at Tindari in the province of Messina, Sicily; now in the Regional Archaeological Museum “Antonio Salinas”, Palermo.  Photo credit:  © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.5.

Statue of a Roman man (presumably an emperor or high-ranking military commander), wearing a corselet decorated with images of the moon goddess Selene and two Nereids.  Artist unknown; ca. 100-130 CE.  Found at Megara, Greece; now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.  Photo credit: DerHexer/Wikimedia Commons.

Bronze face-mask helmet of a Roman cavalryman, worn on special occasions.  Artist unknown; late 1st or early 2nd cent. CE.  Found at Ribchester, Lancashire, England; now in the British Museum.  Photo credit: Carole Raddato.

Sestertius of Nero, countermarked with an “X” for the Legio X Gemina.  On the obverse, a bust of Nero; on the reverse, the emperor on horseback and wielding a spear.  Photo credit:  Numisantica (http://www.numisantica.com/).

A Roman Legionary Rivals the Greek Heroes of Old

Anthologia Palatina 7.741 = Crinagoras of Mytilene (70 BCE- ca. 17 CE)

Ὀθρυάδην, Σπάρτης τὸ μέγα κλέος, ἢ Κυνέγειρον

  ναύμαχον ἢ πάντων ἔργα κάλει πολέμων·

Ἄρεος αἰχμητὴς Ἰταλὸς παρὰ χεύμασι Ῥήνου

  κλινθεὶς ἐκ πολλῶν ἡμιθανὴς βελέων

αἰετὸν ἁρπασθέντα φίλου στρατοῦ ὡς ἴδ’ ὑπ’ ἐχθροῖς,

  αὖτις ἀρηιφάτων ἄνθορεν ἐκ νεκύων·

κτείνας δ’, ὅς σφ’ ἐκόμιζεν, ἑοῖς ἀνεσώσατο ταγοῖς,

  μοῦνος ἀήττητον δεξάμενος θάνατον.

Call as a witness Othryadas- Sparta's great glory- 

  Or Kynegeiros the sea-fighter, or the deeds of any war you like.

An Italian spearman beside the banks of the Rhine,

  Having fallen half-dead beneath a hail of missiles,

When he saw the eagle snatched from his dear legion in the enemy's hands,

  Sprang up again from the battle-slain corpses,

Killed the man carrying off the eagle, and returned it safely to his commanders,

  The only man to receive death without defeat.

Notes

Othryadas: lone Spartan survivor of the Battle of Thyrea (546 BCE)

Kynegeiros: brother of Aeschylus, lost a hand while attempting to board a Persian ship after the Athenian victory at Marathon (490 BCE)

Roman soldiers battle barbarians on the Column of Marcus Aurelius