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SAXON WARRIORS
An extract from The Armies and Enemies of Imperial Romeby Phil Barker & Ian Heath
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108, 109 & 110. SAXON WARRIORS
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Not content with almost incessant warfare between their various petty kingdoms at home, the Scots of Ireland increasingly raided the western coasts of Britain during the 4th century. Permanent settlements were made in Pembrokeshire and later Galloway, the emigrants to the latter finally spreading out to conquer and amalgamate with the Picts in about 850.
Saxons wore a long sleeved tunic, trousers and often a soft leather or cloth cap. Upper class warriors usually had their clothes dyed in some sober colour like red or dark blue. Light blue and yellow were considered a little flighty. Peasants would be more likely to dress in browns or natural wool shades. Most Saxons had light brown or fair hair.
108 is almost certainly a king. Mail was very rare, and the helmet is based on that from the royal ship burial at Sutton Hoo, which incidentally is a jazzed up late Roman cavalry helmet. 108a shows an alternative helmet for someone less important.
109 is typical of the upper class warriors that provided the cutting edge of the warband. He carries a light throwing spear and a heavy cutting sword called a Seax. Heavier throwing weapons such as the Angon and Francisca are known from Saxon graves but are relatively rare. It is often very difficult to distinguish between the graves of late Roman soldiers of Germanic descent and those of early Saxons, as the weapons, buckles and shields are often identical. Some cemeteries seem to demonstrate continuity, the first arrivals being buried in Romano-British cloth and Roman military hobnail boots and later burials being normal later Saxon. 22 would probably not raise many eyebrows if he appeared alongside 109 in a Saxon warband.
110 is more likely to be a peasant called from the plough to fill up the back ranks and increase solidity. He is armed with a spear, knife, and possibly a javelin or two.
Saxon shields were stoutly made of solid planks of wood and with heavy projecting iron bosses. They were round or near round ovals in shape. The two painted shield designs illustrated are from later Saxon manuscript illustrations, but may serve to suggest the general style favoured.