09-21-2007, 06:12 PM
"And that's made from grass "
I believe the particular species is known as 'hair moss'. Celer, Caballo and I were at Vindolanda recently and had a good look at the crest. It appeared that strands of the grass had been put into small 'sheaves' which had been bent double and tied at the base to hold both ends of the 'sheaves' upright to produce bristles which were about five inches long. Lots of these had been sewn side to side to produce a continuous row which immediately looks like a crest. The fact that the bristles were sewn together so close to their bases indicated that they could not have been positioned through holes in a wooden crest block. It also looked as if there might be a portion of another one lying underneath. The crest also appears to have been associated with a curving piece of copper alloy plate which could conceivably be part of the side of a metal crest box.
This caused us to develop the hypothesis that perhaps the original crest might have consisted of several layers, each equivilent to the surviving hair moss crest, placed side by side (hence the apparent fragment of another underneath) in a metal crest box and glued in place with pitch or something similar. Several layers side by side would give thickness to the crest as the surviving piece gives the impression that it could never have been very thick. We also wondered whether the whole crest could have been treated with pitch as a preservative, as the 'moss', being an organic substance, would surely pose some danger of rotting if not treated in some way.
Unfortunately, Vindolanda does not allow photography so I am unable to post up a picture of the crest (all this assumes of course that the object concerned has been correctly identified).
It should be noted that even if our suggestion of how the original crest may have been constructed is correct, there may have been several different methods of crest construction current in different places at the same time.
Incidentally (and sorry this has got somewhat off topic) there is also a 'lady's wig' from Vindolanda made from the same stuff, which looks rather stiff and uncomfortable for a wig, particulary when we know there was a brisk trade in wigs made from human hair. Caballo pointed out that it could just as well have been intended to be fitted to a helmet. This is particularly pertinent as we know that there were Batavian units stationed at Vindolanda. Those people who subscribe to Ancient Warfare magazine will know what I mean. Peronis' article on Batavian helmets can also be read on our website (address below).
Crispvs
I believe the particular species is known as 'hair moss'. Celer, Caballo and I were at Vindolanda recently and had a good look at the crest. It appeared that strands of the grass had been put into small 'sheaves' which had been bent double and tied at the base to hold both ends of the 'sheaves' upright to produce bristles which were about five inches long. Lots of these had been sewn side to side to produce a continuous row which immediately looks like a crest. The fact that the bristles were sewn together so close to their bases indicated that they could not have been positioned through holes in a wooden crest block. It also looked as if there might be a portion of another one lying underneath. The crest also appears to have been associated with a curving piece of copper alloy plate which could conceivably be part of the side of a metal crest box.
This caused us to develop the hypothesis that perhaps the original crest might have consisted of several layers, each equivilent to the surviving hair moss crest, placed side by side (hence the apparent fragment of another underneath) in a metal crest box and glued in place with pitch or something similar. Several layers side by side would give thickness to the crest as the surviving piece gives the impression that it could never have been very thick. We also wondered whether the whole crest could have been treated with pitch as a preservative, as the 'moss', being an organic substance, would surely pose some danger of rotting if not treated in some way.
Unfortunately, Vindolanda does not allow photography so I am unable to post up a picture of the crest (all this assumes of course that the object concerned has been correctly identified).
It should be noted that even if our suggestion of how the original crest may have been constructed is correct, there may have been several different methods of crest construction current in different places at the same time.
Incidentally (and sorry this has got somewhat off topic) there is also a 'lady's wig' from Vindolanda made from the same stuff, which looks rather stiff and uncomfortable for a wig, particulary when we know there was a brisk trade in wigs made from human hair. Caballo pointed out that it could just as well have been intended to be fitted to a helmet. This is particularly pertinent as we know that there were Batavian units stationed at Vindolanda. Those people who subscribe to Ancient Warfare magazine will know what I mean. Peronis' article on Batavian helmets can also be read on our website (address below).
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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<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
