Mainz gladius with frame scabbards

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

Is there any evidence for Mainz gladius sheaths with a simple frame scabbard?

So just the guttering, without the decorative plates.

Something like the scabbard at the bottom of this page:

http://www.swordsmith.net/roman.asp?gal ... =138#Items :


Valete,

[M. CVRIVS ALEXANDER]

I might have missed something, but I did not find any in Miks that would not have plates on the front.

[arklore70]

Jef,
Bishop and Coulston, page 81, illustration 1 has an example of a Mainz type scabbard found near the River Ljubljanica that has "U" shaped guttering with a filigree network.


I think the attachment here is from Miks, but Illustration 45 seems to an examples that Mark Morrow on the web site is copying. I do not read German, but perhaps this might be helpful. I have never inspected or seen a real Roman scabbard up close, but what great folks like Matt Lukes have told me is that when you inspect the guttering up close, you can see where it was bent back a bit, making one think that perhaps the plates were removed or inserted at one point.

I have a disk of photos of different gladii and scabbards that I got from Caius Fabius, I'll take a look at see if I can find anything else there for you.

Mike

[Marcus Mummius]

Thanks, very interesting. I agree about the plates being torn/lost. They could indeed be removed from the scabbard.

I actually got Miks book today so I'll start reading (luckily I understand german) D D

[Magnus]

That's too bad...a plain mainz scabbard would look nice. I don't think that would be much of a stretch?

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

Probably, some kind of framed scabbard were used without plates, but in my opinion, always with a locket and chape.

Some kind of lockets with very simple decoration have been found. Those were placed over the gutters, covering or a leather covered wood planks or a thin metal plain plate (tinned brass) over the planks.

[arklore70]

Matt,
I agree with you that a more plain Mainz scabbard would look good and not too far of a stretch; in fact, I have one made that way that I took to Lafe this year with me. Its the one in the blue scabbard.

I use it for the more rough outings when the weather is expected to be particularly wet or sour like Lafe was this year or where things might get a bit sporty.

Mike

[Magnus]

Love the blue leather Mike! I wish I had inspected it much closer...