Republican-Era Shoes

[Crispvs]

"What evidence have you shown to support your cultural view point, which would not be the viewpoint of the soldiers at the sharp and pointy end of the spear??"

Really? How do you know what the common soldier's viewpoint was? Do you have access to some previously unknown ancient soldier's dairy? I am arguing from the point of view of the attitudes we know about. By contrast, you are assuming an attitude to suit your own desired viewpoint, on behalf of people who admittedly did not leave a record of their attitudes, but who may very well not have agreed with your modern viewpoint. Start with the evidence and work outwards from there. Never start from an assumption!"

"Merely the viewpoint of the elites and plebs in Rome and italy."

How do you know? Evidence????

"And closed boots? You have evidence to support your viewpoint that they did not exist in the Republican Period?"

That isn't what I said. In fact I said nothing of the sort! Go back and read my post again properly.

"And what evidence do you have that Romans used leg wraps only?"

I have never said that. Why pretend that that is my view, when you know perfectly well that it is not? We know they used cloaks, undercloaks, socks, extra tunics and almost certainly leg bindings. They may possibly also have used leg wraps.
I have spent time in cold conditions with this level of kit on a number of occasions and I know it works. You have not even tried to dress according to the evidence. Why on Earth should I want to reassess my own experience in the light of your assumptions?

"You should understand surely when I said the Romans mocked the greeks, I was referring to the fact that they mocked them for many things, as an example of them still using and taking part in practices they condemned."

Actually, according to our main source, ordinary Romans despised Greeks, and for a lot more things than that. I'll lend you my copy of Juvenal next time we see each other if you like.

"And to compare the Scots, a modern british culture with the ancient mediterranean troops? Really, that is grasping at straws."

You have completely missed the point of the example. The point was that 17th century AD Scotland was a lot colder than 1st century AD Britain (according to pollen analysis), but in those colder conditions, Scots were satisfied to wear a belted plaid and no trousers, which were not part of their cultural frame of reference. There is no need to assume that the Romans in a Britain with a similar climate to what we have today would have felt any need to take on an item which was not part of their own cultural frame of reference, especially when they already had so many ways of stopping themselves from getting cold. The formula: 'cold = the need for trousers' is clearly not a valid one.

There is no rigour in your 'arguments'. If I had dared to misquote and argue on the basis of assumptions, as you have done, when I was at university, I would still reek of red ink!

Crispvs