Alan, you can have a nice yellow with natural dyes on wool.
The problem with linnen, it doesn't take the natural dyes like wool.
60% Madder will give you a bright red on wool, but it fade out after a while.
Tested it on linnen and it came out light pink 8)
I've had yellow problems, too. My "brick red" (or "old red") has held up fairly well, but I try not to wash it often. It's the "just off the steppe" look. :whistle:
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
I've been thinking lately of putting together an outfit for this period and I'd like to ask about the short-ish cloaks with the round brooches seen in some statuary. Are these accurate as far back as the 1st century? Did anyone other than the Parthians wear them?
3rd-century relief of the Biblical Magi Arch of Septimius Severus
Interesting how the square-knotted belt and shoes tied around the ankle in the latter picture look almost the same as ones from Persepolis -- the style, then, didn't change much in 700 years?...
Dan D'Silva
Far beyond the rising sun
I ride the winds of fate
Prepared to go where my heart belongs,
Back to the past again.
-- Gamma Ray
Well, I'm tough, rough, ready and I'm able
To pick myself up from under this table...
-- Thin Lizzy
I took a look at the two links above. The illustration of the Magi isn't accurate, if indeed the Biblical tale is based upon anything beyond far-fetched legend. The Magi were from Sousa, originally a Mede family, so we might think they wore clothing similar to the Persians.
The second illustration is late, as is the solid round fibula. The dyptograph of Stilicho shows him wearing one. A Roman center for crafting these brooches was in Munita. Many of them had Indic jewels embedded in the Migration Era style, and a number have been found in both Italy and Britain. For the 1st Century reenactor, they are extremely late. :-|
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Quote:The illustration of the Magi isn't accurate, if indeed the Biblical tale is based upon anything beyond far-fetched legend.
Well, since they're dressed like the Parthians on Septimius' arch, I figure the artist used contemporary Parthian clothing to indicate that the Magi were from roughly the same part of the world. That's assuming the clothes on Septimius' arch are accurate, but I can't think of why they shouldn't be.
So your feeling is, no cloaks in the 1st century?
Dan D'Silva
Far beyond the rising sun
I ride the winds of fate
Prepared to go where my heart belongs,
Back to the past again.
-- Gamma Ray
Well, I'm tough, rough, ready and I'm able
To pick myself up from under this table...
-- Thin Lizzy
I think they did have cloaks in the first century, but I don't believe Sarmatians used round Roman brooches that usually post-date the first century. mile:
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Those last two pictures on textile, I had never seem them before. Good depictions of the horned saddle and the Iranian standing shield in this period! Where did you find them?
Can't remember who posted them, maybe John or Robert.
The mustaches are impressive, and they show up on stele erected around the time of Alexander's invasion. At least one historian has projected that they were carved by the Saka/Massagetae who went north to a "sanctuary" in the Aral basin. The stele are supposed to represent Saka ancestry. What we see are men with moustaches, no beards. And even on the Pazryk tapestry we see the same thing.
The shoes in these illustrations, I find interesting. One style-- the upturned toe boots-- are about the same as what I wear. I get a kick out of movies which show "barbarians" wearing rags and furs, much like cavemen. The Sala/Alans were very style-concious, as were all steppe tribes... especially the women, who wore head-gear that towered into the sky. We see this influence on both the Mongols and Chinese, but the earliest examples are seen in the Altai and at Issyk Kul. Here are a few "stylish" illustrations:
[attachment=6647]SakaHorsemanPazyryk300BCE.jpg[/attachment] This guy is riding a horse of the same "style" we see on the Orlat Plaque. Quite the moustache.
[attachment=6648]Sakanobles.jpg[/attachment] Here is an artist's representation of the clothes worn by the Ukok princess and her consort.
[attachment=6649]Tomyriswithlong-swordakinakes.JPG[/attachment] This is a modern interpretaion of Tomyris, complete with akinakes and long-sword worn from a scabbard slide. The scabbard slide, according to Truesdale, does got back to the time of Tomyris.
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb