01-30-2007, 02:20 PM
Rubicon,
If you are looking for weapons on finditarmoury I would be very careful. I just took a quick look at the site and of all of the weapons currently shown, the only one which looks in any way like an actual one is the one listed as: 'Roman Gladius w/Scabbard and Baldric', which also appears to include decoration copied from the Hod Hill evidence. None of the other weapons are accurate enough. Roman gladius scabbard chapes should NEVER be curved. Late Roman spatha scabbards should not have suspension rings. There are too many things wrong with the daggers for me to even start here.
I note that you mention attaching your cloak derectly to your armour. I know of no evidence for this actually being done and it is rather one of those things like wrist guards which Hollywood invented some decades ago and have been using ever since. The best way to attach your cloak is to do it up at your right shoulder with a brooch if it is a straight cloak. If it is a hooded semi circular paenula type cloak it could be sewn up at the front or done up with buttons or toggles.
I note also your comment about centuriones and segmentata. Don't believe everything you hear. Many people will tell you that centuriones never wore segmentata. They base this on the fact that there are no surviving depictions of centuriones in segmentata. However, there are only nine (I think) known depictions of centuriones altogether and of these, if I recall correctly, only five are armoured. Two wear scale, two wear mail and one may be wearing a breast plate or he may be wearing mail. This is much too small a sample to state the centuriones never wore segmentata. If the same standard was applied to the rank and file we would have to say that nobody at all wore segmentata during the first century AD, as there is not a single sculpture (as far as I know) which can be proved to show it. However, the archaeological evidence for its use is overwealming. Nothing at all exists to tell us beyond any doubt who it was who wore it. When it comes to centuriones not wearing segmentata the best any of the 'mail and scale only' fraternity can really say is that there is no positive evidence to prove that centuriones wore segmentata. That is a long way from being able to say that they never wore it!
Crispvs
If you are looking for weapons on finditarmoury I would be very careful. I just took a quick look at the site and of all of the weapons currently shown, the only one which looks in any way like an actual one is the one listed as: 'Roman Gladius w/Scabbard and Baldric', which also appears to include decoration copied from the Hod Hill evidence. None of the other weapons are accurate enough. Roman gladius scabbard chapes should NEVER be curved. Late Roman spatha scabbards should not have suspension rings. There are too many things wrong with the daggers for me to even start here.
I note that you mention attaching your cloak derectly to your armour. I know of no evidence for this actually being done and it is rather one of those things like wrist guards which Hollywood invented some decades ago and have been using ever since. The best way to attach your cloak is to do it up at your right shoulder with a brooch if it is a straight cloak. If it is a hooded semi circular paenula type cloak it could be sewn up at the front or done up with buttons or toggles.
I note also your comment about centuriones and segmentata. Don't believe everything you hear. Many people will tell you that centuriones never wore segmentata. They base this on the fact that there are no surviving depictions of centuriones in segmentata. However, there are only nine (I think) known depictions of centuriones altogether and of these, if I recall correctly, only five are armoured. Two wear scale, two wear mail and one may be wearing a breast plate or he may be wearing mail. This is much too small a sample to state the centuriones never wore segmentata. If the same standard was applied to the rank and file we would have to say that nobody at all wore segmentata during the first century AD, as there is not a single sculpture (as far as I know) which can be proved to show it. However, the archaeological evidence for its use is overwealming. Nothing at all exists to tell us beyond any doubt who it was who wore it. When it comes to centuriones not wearing segmentata the best any of the 'mail and scale only' fraternity can really say is that there is no positive evidence to prove that centuriones wore segmentata. That is a long way from being able to say that they never wore it!
Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers. :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:
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