Legio XX Roman Days

[richsc]

Just finished Legio XX's Roman Days, and wanted to post a photo of the revamped caupona, with our members Asellina/Allison (in green), Linda and Deb.<br>
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<img src="http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/v45/Richsc/S_DSC01310.jpg" style="border:0;"/> <p>Legio XX<br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i></i>

[Musivarius]

Nice looking building,do you really put down straw and then clear it away after each show?<br>
musivarius <p></p><i></i>

[richsc]

Thanks. No, the straw was courtesy of our hosts, Marietta Mansion, and I guess they rake it up afterwards, as they didn't ask us to do it.<br>
I should ask that I made the sandals on the center and right women. The blue ones are modeled after a set from Birkentraders, and the green ones are a copy of a Vindolanda pair. Fortunately for me, both women say they are very comfortable, so I must be doing something right. <p>Legio XX <br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i></i>

[richsc]

Some additional photos from Roman Days<br>
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66.66.131.145/roman/roman...s2004.html <p>Legio XX <br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i></i>

[Lepidina]

Yep! The sandals were way comfy. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't be and would slip off my feet. My instep and arches are really high making it impossible for me to wear most of the fashionable shoes around today. Poor Rich had to do several fittings to get them right but they broke in really quickly and I didn't have to do the Japanese shuffle to keep them on.<br>
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Just a note - hobnails are not made for modern floor surfaces which makes me wonder how the Romans fared on marble floors or did they not use marble for floors?<br>
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deb <p></p><i></i>

[richsc]

I was wondering about that, Deb. The Vindolanda shoes for women and children all have hobnails, so how was the fort paved? We will have to ask Birley on that one. As to Pompeii, the walkways and streets are paved, but maybe not the shop floors themselves. I think rough pavement, like bricks, is a tad easier than polished floor, but not by much. I slipped and fell at Mount Vernon on their brick walkways when I first got my caligae and was trying them out. Crushed gravel is a lot easier. <p>Legio XX <br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i></i>

[Lepidina]

I think our red brick is also a lot slicker than what the Romans were using as well. Concrete walkways are a lot easier to walk on than the brick ones which is probably closer to what the Romans had.<br>
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As for Vindolana, was the fort paved? The roads around it would certainly have been paved but would it be necessary to have flooring inside the fort? I hadn't thought of that. Was Roman concrete around then or around in England at that time? Would they have put down wood floors in the buildings?<br>
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Deb <p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Hobnailed shoes are indicative of people working usually outdoors on unpaved or gravel floors. Even the streets of most cities (But don't think that every Roman street of every Roman city boasted streets paved with stone slabs!) were tricky for hobnailed shoes' wearers.<br>
The streets of most Roman forts I've seen were just paved with earth or gravel/rubble, which made soldiers feel 'at home' witht heir hobnailed shoes, calligae or later models.<br>
On the other hand, you'd be surprised of the scarcity of concrete floors (let alone mosaic or marble ones!) in the North-Western Provinces. I feel (but it's only educated guess) that many 'earthen' floors inside houses and buildings were really wooden floors in Roman times and the planks have simply rotten away (leaving no traces, tree-nailed construction?) or have ended feeding squatters' or neighbours' fires.<br>
About Roman brick pavements, most of them were made of tiny rectangular (set on their narrow sides, forming a herringbone pattern) or romboidal bricks. It is usual to find them in kitchens and some baths' rooms.<br>
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Aitor <p></p><i></i>