sunburned legionary is a crippled legionary

[Goffredo]

Hi guys, at the beach in north-east Italy. I myself am a red-head and there are some very-fair skinned Germans, Swiss and Austrians around. Most tan well but there are a few of us that MUST cover ourselves with hi-tech sunblock creams else we get into big trouble. I've seen some bad cases of sun burn. How would the Gaul, German, Britain, norther province fellows perform in assignments in north-Africa, Syria, east provinces? Most OK, but not all!

Any idea how sunburn was avoided? Just a curiosity, but maybe not. Either there were ways of PREVENTING sunburn or at least curing it, or maybe there was some form of selection of individuals according to their skin type. Just any bloke from Britain might have ended up dying from sunburn. What a un-heroic way of being a burden on your fellow comrade and of passing away.

[Magnus]

Well, the sun probably wasn't as bad then as it was now (they have more ozone than us), and probably spent time outdoors all day as opposed to many of us who have jobs in the office. So they were probably deeply tanned.

[Praefectusclassis]

Wouldn't most soldiers have been outside types (at least, that's what Vegetius says), so they'd have died from sunburn long before growing up or be much more bronzed anyway. Being bronzed helps somewhat, doesn't it?

[Magnus]

Yeah, tanning is the body's natural defence against the sun's UV rays. Something to do with the "melanin" going darker to protect the skin I think.

[Tarbicus]

I suspect the Picts and Caledonans may have been the exception, and Britons from near Hadrian's Wall. :wink:

[hoplite14gr]

Covering the skin with oil is mentioned in Homer.
Most cultures used some "greasy" stuff to plaster themselves.
No tanning in its self does not protect yu from sunburns.
My cousin Alexandra who is a fair skinned blond with green eyes uses olive oil while she tries to get a suntann in the beach and she never got sun burns.
Kind regards

[Tarbicus]

Stefanos, when I was on holiday on Rhodes many years ago myself and my girlfriend got pretty badly burned on an exceptionally hot day. We went to the pharmakeio (spelling?) and were given calcium cream, and boy did it do the job. Do you know if you still have it there, because I've never found it here in the UK which is madness? When I say it got rid of the burning within a few hours I don't exaggerate in the slightest, and I'm talking about the kind of sunburn that makes people weep in misery.

[Carlton Bach]

I would assume that being accustomed to the sun would have done much for both southerners and northerners (sunburn is not so much a function of heat as of exposure to sunlight, and you *can* get prett<y badly sunburned in northern latitutdes if you don't pay attention). Of course northern troops would still have all manner of trouble performing in southern climes, but the modern phenomenon of tourist rotisseries has much to do with the fact that these people don't get exposed to the sun at home.

That said, I'm fairly sure Roman troops would also have been sensible enough to use protection - olive oil for the skin, scarves and/or hats to shield the eyes, face and neck, and in extreme cases long garments, like moder desert dwellers do. I also have recipes fpor 'sunburn cream' dating to the twelfth century AD based on rendered goosefat, olive oil, white lead, orris root and wax that may well hae been used in this or a similar form in antiquity. The ancients certainly knew of salves to protect the eyes from bright light and drying.

[hoplite14gr]

Jim calcium cream is available. Be careful though if you go to a rather remote location-things run out of stock and are not easily replenished!
Yes you spell it OK in Greenglish :lol:

This June in the UK at the Hoplite festival my neck and head were adequatly protected with laurel-leaves oil. I was careless not to protect my shoulders and I got badly burned at the parts not covered by the chiton.

Carlton I think I must try this recipy. The modern phemomenon of "roasted tourists" has to do with people forgeting sometimes and the small minority who are negligent.

Kind regards

[egfroth]

In 921 AD, the Arab traveller and geographer travelled to what is now Russia and encountered the Rus - the Vikings who traded down the rivers of Russia.

He describes them thus:

"I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the Volga. I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blonde and ruddy."

I have also seen this translated as "red-faced" - perhaps a description of sunburn?

And unfortunately, some people with blonde or red hair, and very pale skin, just don't have sufficient melatonin to tan - they either develop freckles on exposure to the sun, or just plain burn - no matter how gradually they build up their exposure. They just don't have the physical make-up that allows them to tan.

[hoplite14gr]

Steve, I think skin´s inability to adjust to the sun is rare and in a few cases pathological.
Pselos describes Varangians as pink-faced. I have seen North Russians and North Swedes with natural "ruddy" complaxions. I cannot belive that the whole city of Archangelsk was sunburned in March!
Kind regards

[A_Volpe]

grind up some dried up bones from last nite's dinner into a fine powder (or some egg shells), mix it with some olive oil - there's your calicum cream!

course, I have no idea if that would work, if it was historical or if it's safe. Just finding that amusing of picturing Romans in the sun with a dolop of white on thier noses notunlike golfers today hehehe.

[Peroni]

Covering the skin with oil is mentioned in Homer.

...And bake in a slow oven (or desert) for 8 hours a day or until a crispy golden brown

[hoplite14gr]

Covering the skin with oil is mentioned in Homer.

...And bake in a slow oven (or desert) for 8 hours a day or until a crispy golden brown

Well that what cousin Alexandra did and as I said before the laurel-leaves oil protected my skin where it was applied- so jokes apart- both these oils do work.

Kind regards

[Spurius]

Let's not forget that when Romans bathed, they used oil. So one might say that in routine care of sanitation, they were also using oils which would have helped give some resistance to sunburn.