The final century of the Roman Republic was a tumultuous time, witnessing several civil wars and frequent large-scale street fighting between different factions as each tried to get their man into power, or promote their particular cause. Different gangs might also decide to battle each other, though from the perspective of the average citizen living in the city, the motivations of each were probably of little interest when the end result was the same. Linear-A have already created a set that depicts such gang members engaged in a fight as Set 1, but this second set offers us something very different.
As can be seen, here we have a very motley and diverse selection of figures, so some extended introductions are very much in order, beginning with the two ladies in our top row. These, we are told, are acrobats, although how often acrobats performed in the nude we do not know. Another mystery is what they have to do with any gang culture in ancient Rome, but as we shall see, this set does not actually have one common theme. Instead, we have these two doing various acrobatic things, and since they are naked, they can only be doing so at some private party, which of course greatly limits their use.
It gets weirder. Figure number three is a Roman actor, wearing the usual mask in order that the audience can easily see who his character is and what their basic characteristics are. In this case, the mask suggests something to be feared such as an angry demon, so presumably he is performing in a tragedy rather than a comedy. He holds two spear heads for no obvious reason, but the mask is properly done (though it has no visible means of being held on the head), so unless actors also formed gangs, this guy is another random element. However the theatrical element is continued by the next figure, which is another actor (this time without mask). As a dwarf, he probably does not need any further clues for the audience as to what he is portraying, and his disability may well have given him few opportunities to earn a living outside of the performing arts.
By contrast, figure five as enormous, standing about 29 mm (2.9 metres) tall to the top of his head, and this despite being a hunchback. He is described as ‘Son of Orcus’, which refers to a Roman god of the underworld who was particularly responsible for punishing those that broke oaths. Again his disabilities but apparent great size and strength might mean he would find a more friendly home in some criminal gang than in an honest trade, so this may be our first actual criminal pose, though far from a typical one! We guess that the name suggests a servant of the grim underworld deity, and perhaps could be the equivalent of the modern ‘Hells Angel’?
The last figure in the top row is very short (barely 20 mm or 144 cm) and is labelled as ‘mactator’ on the box. Now this word is an alternative one for murderer, but he is dressed as a butcher. Over his tunic he wears an apron, and has a cleaver in one hand and a sheep’s head in the other. Why such a figure was ever created we have absolutely no idea, but is no more out of place than any other in such a random set as this.
After the weirdness of the top row, things settle down in the second. First we have a perfectly ordinary piece of a child pulling at a woman’s arm, followed by three assorted civilians. Not much to say about any of them, except that they are dressed normally, and the man with folded arms wears some sort of sash tucked into his belt, perhaps displaying the badge or colours of his gang?
The last figure is identified by name – he is Gaius Sempronius Gracchus, ‘tribune of the plebs’. He was a fairly radical tribune that proposed many law reforms, but made many enemies amongst the elite. In 121 BCE, following a proposal to repeal one of his laws once out of office, he and his allies gave weapons to a mob and seized the temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill. The authorities assaulted and regained the position, killing many in the process, and Gracchus too died in the fighting. However, presumably his inclusion here is to emphasise that even quite senior politicians of the later republican period were not above calling on the mob to commit acts of violence in support of their aims. Here he is speaking and pointing upward, perhaps inciting the people to this act of resistance, though as he simply wears the traditional toga, he would work perfectly well as any elite making a speech.
These 3D printed figures are beautifully made, with perfect proportions and realistic costume (those that have any). Since they are printed, there is no flash and no loss of detail. The poses are, well, fine, given that it is hard to understand what the purpose of this set is, although even ignoring those of diminished or exceptional height, the average of the rest is still much too tall for an average Roman citizen of the day.
Some may well have already recognised these figures. Most are straight copies of 28 mm metal figures sculpted by Paul Hicks for Footsore Miniatures for their Gangs of Rome series, and the rest are certainly very closely inspired by other figures in the same range. This is a game, and not necessarily based on anything historical, but we find ourselves wondering what exactly this set was meant to achieve. Certainly the selection is unusual – frankly weird in some places – and an eclectic look at various aspects of Roman life and culture. Nothing here really says gangs to us, nor mobs or even minor criminality, though the ‘Son of Orcus’ defies any categorisation. Anyone buying this set on the title alone will be in for a shock, but now you know what it contains, perhaps the best that can be said is the figures are beautifully made, and would certainly be something very different from the usual soldiers this site showcases!