05-05-2007, 04:13 AM
All the above are valid points - over the length of the Republic/Empire, there were doubtless many styles of painting and even within one artistic epoch, perhaps as many styles as there were artists............ unpainted, part-painted, plain painted, and fully shaded/highlighted ( I am thinking of the 1st/2nd centuries A.D, when Roman Art was arguably at it's peak ( even by the time of Marcus Aurelius, artistic standards had declined - as a comparison between his column and the T.C demonstrates). Incidently, when the casts were made last century, before modern pollution 'got at' the T.C, traces of paint were visible, But I'll bet even if we knew the details it would not resolve 'The Great Tunic debate' !!! LOL!
As an aside on the difficulty of knowing these things, aircraft modellers constantly debate the colour schemes of WW2 aircraft, even well known aircraft of 'Aces' and are frequently unable to reach conclusions, despite the plentiful supply of photos ( including many in colour !! ),official documentary instructions,memoirs and unit histories, and even the memories of living veterans etc!! .....
.....Or consider the Napoleonic wars, the Peninsula war in particular when e.g a Rifle Brigade officer, whose"official" dark green uniform is well known, is recorded wearing a BROWN jacket, no sash, grey trousers (with the leg bottoms burnt off drying them ! ), a captured french knapsack, a captured french cloak....all heavily patched and describes green as the least common colour in the regiment !
What then might our Trajanic legionary look like after campaigning for a year in mountainous Dacia ??
In the light of that, what hope have we poor ancient-lovers got ?
Incidently, Seutonius records Augustus ( notoriously prone to illness ) wearing up to seven tunics at one time......for my own impression of a trajanic legionary ( a work in progress ), I wear a plain (unbleached/white) linen under-tunic, and a red woollen herring-bone weave tunic over it. In hot weather I strip down to the linen tunic, and in cold weather I add a second woollen tunic, so my appearance depends on the weather !!
regards, Paullus Scipio/Paul McDonnell-Staff
As an aside on the difficulty of knowing these things, aircraft modellers constantly debate the colour schemes of WW2 aircraft, even well known aircraft of 'Aces' and are frequently unable to reach conclusions, despite the plentiful supply of photos ( including many in colour !! ),official documentary instructions,memoirs and unit histories, and even the memories of living veterans etc!! .....
.....Or consider the Napoleonic wars, the Peninsula war in particular when e.g a Rifle Brigade officer, whose"official" dark green uniform is well known, is recorded wearing a BROWN jacket, no sash, grey trousers (with the leg bottoms burnt off drying them ! ), a captured french knapsack, a captured french cloak....all heavily patched and describes green as the least common colour in the regiment !
What then might our Trajanic legionary look like after campaigning for a year in mountainous Dacia ??
In the light of that, what hope have we poor ancient-lovers got ?
Incidently, Seutonius records Augustus ( notoriously prone to illness ) wearing up to seven tunics at one time......for my own impression of a trajanic legionary ( a work in progress ), I wear a plain (unbleached/white) linen under-tunic, and a red woollen herring-bone weave tunic over it. In hot weather I strip down to the linen tunic, and in cold weather I add a second woollen tunic, so my appearance depends on the weather !!
regards, Paullus Scipio/Paul McDonnell-Staff
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
