11-20-2005, 06:17 PM
L.C. Cinna Wrote:
Vegetius calls the hats Pannonian and that they were made from leather.(Epit., 1.20)' The correct term for these hats however would appear to be Pillei and they may have been introduced into the Roman Empire via Persia evolving from the elaborate Persian Tiara. Indeed the hats worn by the Tetrarchs in the statue in St Marks Venice have slots in them, perhaps for fitting jewels.
Other sculptures show this style of hat with a rough textured surface presumably sheepskin with the wool left on as mentioned in the Price Edict of Diocletian.
Hats would not just be worn to keep out the cold. The Emperor Carinus supposedly wore a hat to hide his baldness (De Regno, 12 OP., m66, 1804) while some surviving examples of hats have come from Egypt. At least one more hat has recently been found at Mons Claudianus and it might be worthwhile looking out for some of the latest reports from there.
A few hats from Egypt are helmet shaped, others have bands of coloured decoration and tufts of wool on top. Another could be a type of hat called the Petasus. It is round in shape with a brim. These hats look quite spectacular but there is no evidence to confirm that they were worn by soldiers.
Plautus describes a sailors dress in 'Miles Gloriosus' (1176) as including a broad brimmed hat which might be of Petasus type but could also refer to the straw hats seen in many mosaics especially worn by fishermen. Again nothing specifically military.
Robert is quite correct in stating that in a military context the 'Pannonian' hat does not appear to have been used by the Romans before the 3rd century, perhaps later in the century rather than earlier. However the late 2nd century column of Marcus Aurelius shows auxiliaries wearing Phyrgian hats. You could wear one of those but you do run the risk of looking like a garden gnome!
There are two other ancient references apparently to hats in relation to the military. one is the well known account of Ammianus Marcellinus (xix,8.8) using a hat from inside his helmet to collect water and a poem by the first century author Petronius who makes a joke about a dove nesting in a soldiers bonnet. Both accounts appear to have been mistranslated and in the light of recent discussion the helmet lining in the first case and a helmet in the second would make better reading.
Graham.
Quote:The caps worn by some reenactors are called Pannonian if I got that correctly. Were they only worn by late Romans or did the troops in the 1st and 2nd century wear them as well? were there other kinds of caps or hats used by the army in winter?
Vegetius calls the hats Pannonian and that they were made from leather.(Epit., 1.20)' The correct term for these hats however would appear to be Pillei and they may have been introduced into the Roman Empire via Persia evolving from the elaborate Persian Tiara. Indeed the hats worn by the Tetrarchs in the statue in St Marks Venice have slots in them, perhaps for fitting jewels.
Other sculptures show this style of hat with a rough textured surface presumably sheepskin with the wool left on as mentioned in the Price Edict of Diocletian.
Hats would not just be worn to keep out the cold. The Emperor Carinus supposedly wore a hat to hide his baldness (De Regno, 12 OP., m66, 1804) while some surviving examples of hats have come from Egypt. At least one more hat has recently been found at Mons Claudianus and it might be worthwhile looking out for some of the latest reports from there.
A few hats from Egypt are helmet shaped, others have bands of coloured decoration and tufts of wool on top. Another could be a type of hat called the Petasus. It is round in shape with a brim. These hats look quite spectacular but there is no evidence to confirm that they were worn by soldiers.
Plautus describes a sailors dress in 'Miles Gloriosus' (1176) as including a broad brimmed hat which might be of Petasus type but could also refer to the straw hats seen in many mosaics especially worn by fishermen. Again nothing specifically military.
Robert is quite correct in stating that in a military context the 'Pannonian' hat does not appear to have been used by the Romans before the 3rd century, perhaps later in the century rather than earlier. However the late 2nd century column of Marcus Aurelius shows auxiliaries wearing Phyrgian hats. You could wear one of those but you do run the risk of looking like a garden gnome!
There are two other ancient references apparently to hats in relation to the military. one is the well known account of Ammianus Marcellinus (xix,8.8) using a hat from inside his helmet to collect water and a poem by the first century author Petronius who makes a joke about a dove nesting in a soldiers bonnet. Both accounts appear to have been mistranslated and in the light of recent discussion the helmet lining in the first case and a helmet in the second would make better reading.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
