Making Pteruges (or at least trying to make Pteruges!)

[John M McDermott]

What i am getting at is that Most modern centurions choose leather over material. I personally find leather pleasing to the eye. I am sure in the real roman world personal choice accounted a lot for what type of material was used for whatever as well as money as it does nowadays

Spoken like a man of the 21st c. My question still stands:Why would a Roman have used leather? Consider:

First he would have had to kill a cow. But then, how plentiful were cows? Rome was not a cattle culture, but a sheep and goat culture.

Once he had the hide, he had to tan it to soften it. Then he had the pleasing stuff you are referring to.

Then to use it as armor, he had to find a way to stiffen and harden it; but he just removed its hardness when he tanned it. This goes no where. A Roman wouldn't have bothered, especially when he had other material available that was lighter, more comfortable and better defensively than softened leather: like felt or linen.