Sounds of Late Roman equipment

[Razzoriel]

For those who possess Late Roman equipment of any kind (3rd-5th Century), if I was to reproduce a sound of a weapon or something hitting it, would Middle Age or any modern item able to reproduce the sounds? For example: A Spatha hitting a wooden shield. Would the sound be similar to any middle-age replica sword hitting a wooden planked shield? How about the Lorica Hamata; for sound reproduction, could a middle-age Mail armour reproduce the sound of a knife stab or sword cut on it? Or would the materials/method of manufacture differ enough that the sound would be slightly different?

I'm quite uncertain in those points. If anyone who possess this type of equipment could describe the best way those sounds of real battle, that would be nice! Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I meant to post this thread in Roman Re-Enactment & Reconstruction; could a Mod move it, please?

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Alan,

I think it's imposible to tell with 100% accuracy how the originals would have sounded, so why would you want to tell the difference between modern replicas of different periods? Mail is mail as to the sound it makes I think, and an iron sword of one period would hardly make a different sound from that of a later period - all are modern replicas.

Out of interest: for what would you need the information?

[Razzoriel]

I'm looking to use sounds of such for historical accuracy in a personal project of mine.

I was under this assumption as well; mail is mail, metal clashing against metal makes almost exactly the same sound, regardless of quality.

I'm just curious if there's any out-of-place sound in amidst a battlefield in the period. The Draco, for instance, supposedly makes a "whoosh" sound because of the wind coming in from it's mouth, but I'm uncertain if it's correct. Perhaps a reenactor could confirm this.

[Robert Vermaat]

I tend to agree with what you say about the sound of mail armour.

The draco is supposed to make a 'hissing' sound:
Arrianus, Tactica 35: "however when charging they fill with air through the wind so they are most like the beasts and even hiss when a strong wind flows through much movement."
Ammianus Marcellinus 16.10.7: "the dragons, sewn from purple covers and placed on the gilded and jewel-studded tips of spears, letting wind through an enormous opening and in that way hissing as if they had been aroused in anger and the bodies of their tails flowing in the wind."

No-one knows what made the sound and no one has as yet been able to reproduce it. The BBC did it with chinese whistles on the shaft, personally I'm thinking of the tail.