07-21-2015, 01:28 PM
Hi folks! I've been lurking here for a while and have a few questions.
Right now, I'm trying to put together an impression of a Late Roman soldier, particulary a member of the pseudocomitatenses unit Corniacenses, circa 380-400 AD. From what I have read online, this unit may have started out as limitanei at Cornacum in modern-day Croatia before being raised to pseudocomitatenses with the Gallic field army. As such, I'm trying to figure out if the lower-status unit has an influence on clothing and equipment, namely:
-- Pannonian cap. I handmade one myself for another project last year, but it's made of red wool. Does the color red signify authority/higher rank? I was thinking of making a brown one if red was reserved for officers and the like.
-- Tunic. I have my tunic cut out and ready to be sewn up, but I have been waiting to apply the clavi first. Would lower-status troops have highly decorated tunics or would they be unadorned? I know plain clavi/orbiculi are now seen as a sign of a inexperienced/inaccurate reenactor, but would a poor-man tunic ever just have, say, plain clavi and nothing else? Also, are orbiculi or segmentae more accurate for 380-400 AD?
-- Brooch. I have read that the crossbow brooch is tied to authority as a symbol of rank, especially gold ones. Would an old tarnished bronze one still be considered too "high-up" for a common soldier?
-- Spatha baldric. For this 20-year time period, is the thin baldric more accurate? I have seen highly decorated thick ones with metal openwork pieces and phalerae, but was there any decoration commonly seen on the thin ones aside from a buckle?
Thanks for any help you can give!
Right now, I'm trying to put together an impression of a Late Roman soldier, particulary a member of the pseudocomitatenses unit Corniacenses, circa 380-400 AD. From what I have read online, this unit may have started out as limitanei at Cornacum in modern-day Croatia before being raised to pseudocomitatenses with the Gallic field army. As such, I'm trying to figure out if the lower-status unit has an influence on clothing and equipment, namely:
-- Pannonian cap. I handmade one myself for another project last year, but it's made of red wool. Does the color red signify authority/higher rank? I was thinking of making a brown one if red was reserved for officers and the like.
-- Tunic. I have my tunic cut out and ready to be sewn up, but I have been waiting to apply the clavi first. Would lower-status troops have highly decorated tunics or would they be unadorned? I know plain clavi/orbiculi are now seen as a sign of a inexperienced/inaccurate reenactor, but would a poor-man tunic ever just have, say, plain clavi and nothing else? Also, are orbiculi or segmentae more accurate for 380-400 AD?
-- Brooch. I have read that the crossbow brooch is tied to authority as a symbol of rank, especially gold ones. Would an old tarnished bronze one still be considered too "high-up" for a common soldier?
-- Spatha baldric. For this 20-year time period, is the thin baldric more accurate? I have seen highly decorated thick ones with metal openwork pieces and phalerae, but was there any decoration commonly seen on the thin ones aside from a buckle?
Thanks for any help you can give!
