COBI Celtic Warriors Set 20074

COBI's Celtic Warriors set contains 38 blocks making three figures, with capes, helmets, spears, a sword and three differently decorated shields. All markings are printed onto the blocks; the set contains no stickers, including the blue body patterns.

What Rome took from them

The Celts are usually told as Rome's victims, which is only half the story. The other half is that much of what made a Roman soldier recognisable came from them.

Mail armour — thousands of interlinked iron rings, flexible and difficult to cut — was a Celtic invention. Rome adopted it wholesale and called it lorica hamata, and it stayed in service for centuries alongside the plate armour that came later. The same goes for helmet design: the standard legionary helmet of the late Republic is a Gallic pattern, named after the sites in France where examples were found. Roman cavalry, never a strength, was largely recruited from Gallic and Germanic horsemen.

The empire that conquered them spent the following four hundred years fighting in their armour.

In the COBI range

These figures are built as opponents for the Romans set (20067) and appear alongside the Roman Camp sets. Germanic Warriors (20075) provide a second barbarian force in the same format.

Specifications

Pieces: 38 · Figures: 3, with helmets, spears, sword and three decorated shields