Late Roman Tunica Patterns

[Demetrius]

Ave Milites,

I am trying to find a pattern for a Late Roman tunic. I just obtain several yards of blue linen for 2$ a metre and what the heck. I have a tailor that will make what I want for 2$ but I just need a pattern.

thanx

Vale,

Demetrius

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Demetrius,

First of all, could you add your real name to your signature please? Forum rules I'm afraid.

First, check this thread before you do anything. But remember that the sleeves should be as tight as possible.

If you have more questions, please ask them.

[Caius Fabius]

are you talking about a tunic or a tunica?
Tunica might be answered in this thread:
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=9629

also remember to have your real name in your signature, unless of course, Demetrius is your real name, in which case mea culpa.

[Theodosius the Great]

He's looking for a tunic pattern.

There's a pattern here :[url:2z4zvn6f]http://www.comitatus.net/research.htm[/url]

On the left side of the page where it says "Articles" click on the
third one that says "Comitatus Kit Guide."

It's a PDF file and you have to scroll down to the tenth page.

If you know of a better pattern, Caius, I'd like to know as well :wink:



Theo

[Demetrius]

thank you everyone and thanks for the great response

Bruce Willis

[tlclark]

thank you everyone and thanks for the great response

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis?!
hock:

The Bruce Willis?

If not, good joke, but I think the moderators are serious about a real name. :lol:

[Arthes]

Maybe after reading all the complaints about authenticity in Hollywood, he has decided to take advice for his next movie..... but hold on....wasn't it Gates of Fire he wanted to appear in?
.......thats a Spartan chiton Bruce, not a late Roman tunica...:lol: :lol:

[Demetrius]

My Roman name is Quintus Demetrius Romulus, my Red Army name is Ivan Andreivich Yerkovsky, my Renn name is Bernardo De Alvares, my Hebrew name is Baruch Ben-Eitan, and my legal name is Bruce Charles Willis. You can call me by any of these, but don't call me late for dinner!!!!

Bruce Willis

[Graham Sumner]

Bruce Willis wrote:

I am trying to find a pattern for a Late Roman tunic. I just obtain several yards of blue linen for 2$ a metre and what the heck.

Hello Bruce

Linen in Roman times was usually left undyed. The majority of military tunics would have been wool even in places like Egypt. However you could have a linen one for best or to use under the wool tunic.

There are probably no decent patterns available for late military tunics, although you could look at M. Pausch 'Die Romische Tunika' 2003 or G. Sumner 'Roman Military Clothing 2' 2003 and Raffaele D'Amato 'Roman Military Clothing 3' 2005, for illustrations of existing late tunics. If you can not get those books look at pictures of the Piazza Armerina mosaics or the Ravenna mosaics and the guards at the court of Justinian which feature in many general Roman history books.

Pausch includes a reconstruction of a Tunica Manicata in his book but like those on so many other modern re-enactors tunics the cuffs are too wide if you are going for a strictly military look. You can clearly see this if you look at the mosaics indicated above and many others and wall paintings too from the same period.

Graham.

[tlclark]

My Roman name is Quintus Demetrius Romulus, my Red Army name is Ivan Andreivich Yerkovsky, my Renn name is Bernardo De Alvares, my Hebrew name is Baruch Ben-Eitan, and my legal name is Bruce Charles Willis. You can call me by any of these, but don't call me late for dinner!!!!

Bruce Willis

Well I shouldn't be giving anybody grief. My initials are T-L-C, afterall :roll:

Welcome aboard!!

Travis

[Demetrius]

So, linen is no good for a marine impression.

[Graham Sumner]

So, linen is no good for a marine impression.

Hello Bruce

A simple question but like so many other Roman topics the answer never is.

If you are intending to be a British marine of the later Roman period then the answer is probably no. Linen in Roman times was generally left undyed and one of the few accounts relating to tunic colours we have from the Roman period is that of Vegetius who describes that sailors in the British fleet wore uniforms the same colour as the sea. He later adds that the colour is 'Venetian blue' which was the same as that used by the blue circus faction so you need to look at figures of blue charioteers to get the right colour. As I said above the military tend to use wool for clothing but linen can be used for undertunics.

Boris Rankov has recently disputed the Vegetian passage as largely fictitious. Even if Vegetius was correct does it mean that all marines in other fleets were similarly dressed? At least one tombstone of a marine from earlier times had traces of red paint on his cloak and tunic.
Well the research is ongoing and hopefully something will be published very soon.

Graham.

[TFLAVIUSAMBIORIX]

linen is only dyed as the main tunic body in rare instances, out of all i have seen and all the items in my collection only a few indicate a colored body, the color is a RED backing in my collection with a blue or grey clavus section, (very faded, couldve been either), dates to the 7th c., the other is a dark color, and is in the metropolitan museum of art, it is 5th c., and is hooded, cat. no. 37. I remember a colored body piece somewhere else, but cant put my mind on it.

this is out of literally probably near 40-50 tunics (9 complete tunics) and tunic fragments i have personally seen that date between 300 and 800 A.D.

[TFLAVIUSAMBIORIX]

the red is not a vibrant red either, although it is certainly faded.

[Theodosius the Great]

Hi Graham

Linen in Roman times was usually left undyed

What's the working theory as to why this was so ? Was it due to the expense of linen ?

If so, is it safe to say dyed linen tunics were most likely available only to high ranking officers and rich civilians ?



Theo