Scale Thorax Research

[John Conyard]

Thank you. But I must stress this isn’t really my field.

But Roman armour is. James (2004) writes that Robinson had probably never seen the thigh guards from Dura. Neither have I. James states they do not have the texture of appearance of rawhide. Blair (1958) calls them cuir boulli, or hardened leather. My pair are made from tanned leather hardened in boiling wax.

Reconstructors like hard evidence, just like lawyers. There does seem so much evidence for the use of hardened and laminated tanned leather, I do wonder why we look to rawhide or tawed leather as alternatives for shield or armour construction.

The tube and yoke has plain lines and does not look moulded. The shape could be produced by lamination. However the edges of laminated leather would be susceptible to damp, and would need edging. In my opinion this edging can be seen on tube and yoke armours.

Anyway, now I’m off to wear my tube and yoke all day. The colouring is in part based on Ariston’s.