1st Cen. wool Subarmalis?

[Marcus Cassius LegioXIV]

Was wool Subarmalis ever used in the 1st Century? Also I've heard of plain Leather and linen being used, but what else? Thanks

[Tarbicus]

No one knows for absolute sure as none have ever been found, and it is all speculation, some far more learned than others. Linen and leather seem to be the punter's favourites. It is generally accepted that the strip pteryges are part of a subarmalis.

Personally, I would point out that front fastening garments, like a coat, are not exactly fashion of choice in the Roman 1st C, so you should consider one that goes over the head like a tunic. But that's only my and some others' opinion as far as I'm aware.

However, that said, one type of wool subarmalis that is recently being speculatively speculated on is the tunic itself, of the big baggy pillowcase type; the gathering and folds possibly acting as a buffer by themselves once under armour. Maybe. A tighter fitting T-shaped tunic (yawn) would not really be suitable.

Hope this helps, and no doubt there are plenty of other opinions.

And if a subarmalis has been found I would be very interested to know.

[FAVENTIANVS]

http://florentius.com/subarmalis.htm

http://www.romanhideout.com/LegioV/fabr ... lis_it.asp

[Chuck Russell]

dude you have on my sub!! hehe mines a tad longer, goes to about the belly button area if not a tad lower. great minds think alike and all that jazz

[tlclark]

Wool felt seems to be a good contender for the subarmalis.

Go to the "padded armor" thread on the Archaeology forum and just keep reading.

Travis

[Matthew Amt]

For all we know, a soldier may well have made his own subarmalis out of old tunics! Records indicate that a soldier could go through 6 to 12 tunics per year, so that's plenty of fabric to chop into new padding, socks, leggings, cleaning rags, etc.

Matthew

[Tarbicus]

My jury's out on the subarmalis until the next JRMES with the new findings on Roman plate. Sure, something could be between metal and tunic, but I get the feeling a thick one could be overkill.