I've always thought that the Signifer and Aquilifer had the best look with the animal skins over top the helmet and legs tied around the neck. I've seen many different impressions, some using bears, wolves, lions...Did any of the ancient writers mention the types of animal pelts used? Bears and wolves would have been common in Europe at the time, lions were also fairly common in the East and Africa.
What would be appropriate to use today? Foxes and Coyote's are readily available for reasonable prices while lions pelts are probably not allowed to be traded anymore unless they have an old provenance. Would any North American cats be a suitable substitute like mountain lions, coyotes? Let's see what people are using.
"The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones"
Bears are shown on Trajan's column. Here is Bob the bear on one of my helmets:
[attachment=4091]bobthebear.jpg[/attachment]
He is a North American Black bear with a brown coat standing in for a European Brown.
Titus Licinius Neuraleanus
aka Lee Holeva
Conscribe te militem in legionibus, vide mundum, inveni terras externas, cognosce miros peregrinos, eviscera eos.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.legiotricesima.org">http://www.legiotricesima.org
Quote:One of our Belgium friends of Legio XI at the Romeinenfestival. Looks impressive, doesn't it?
That is Matze from the Romercohorte Opladen (Germany) with the lion skin owned by the Dutch Gemina Project (LEG X GEM). It has been prepared by Paul Karremans, who did some more of the best animals around in re-enactment, in my opinion.
________________________________________ Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma CORBVLO and Fectio ALA I BATAVORUM
I'm from Legio XI in Belgium and so I'll show you one of our pelts too.
I have borrowed and worn Gemina's lion pelt and must say that it takes a strong neck to bear it for long periods! It is a great feeling though.
Here's a picture of me with my bearskin. I got the skin from a taxidermist in Canada. Initially I shaped the head with salt water and stuffed wool in it and used it like that for some years.
About two years ago my bear got a facelift by Paul Karremans who did a geat job.