Hi all.
I know this topic has been covered before but I would just like to add a few new ideas.
This weekend coming. LEG II AVG (UK) will be at a show and we will be trying to utilise the Furca in the assembly of our Contiburnium Tent. As has been stated by many before, we will have 2 uprights and 3 horizontal pieces lashed together, (the rope that each Legionary carrys) to form the "goal" shape/ridge. Now moving to fresh ideas.. I think, apologies if this has been stated already, the rope from the other members of the Contiburnium would pass over the ridge but under the leather, pass through the leather tent by means of a re-inforced hole/grommet, and pass diagonally to the ground to be pegged out X6. This eliminates the excess usage of poles. The last 2 isoldiers ropes pin out the uprights, all 8 used. The geometry of this has yet to be worked out, but a start is a start.
Maybe any members with clever mathematical skills could do the maths for me/us/the group ie...space allotted to each tent, height of furca required and angles of ropes etc etc.
Well I hope this gets your brains ticking. I will welcome any criticism or advice given.
Ta muchly.
Kevin
Please make lots of pictures of your experiment - sounds interesting!
It's a nice experiment indeed, but why? If you find a way to put the tent on the back of a legionnary instead of a mule, It could be a really nice and complementary of your experiment. Other way, I don't think the poles of a tent it's such a trouble for a mule or two. How do you manage a contubernium if only 4 ou 5 legionnaries are on it?
I don't really know how human losses where managed, but it seems to me that you'll always have at some point incompletes contubernia.
A Conturburnia would be 8 men....break down the Century or even the cohort if need be...but allways have the Conturburnia in full force....no guard duty or other duties could be performed whilst understrengthed. Same as the modern military. . How many mules were allowed? Marius reforms state the soldiers carry what they need, why carry excess wooden poles? even on the mules? Imagine that you have to make the easiest ;life possible. How would you do it?
Kevin
I look forward your experiment
During a march, I found that a big furca was better, for balance and in case of gliding : I could avoid the fall by using my furca.
If it's big enough, I can conceive it's use on a tent, what do you think?
The pole/Furca to be used is big in diameter....2 to 3 inches...that makes sense again due to the weight of gear carried by the soldier. Also assembled correct, the equipment just slides off of the pole ready to be utilised on the tent.
We will find out the hard way.
Kevin
Kevin.
I have put this idea forward in the past about this particular subject where each man gets 2 feet width of space on the floor of a tent four each side, however there are only 3 poles needed 2 end centre poles with fork ends to them and a long ridge pole layed on the top of these two.
Then each man puts the Furca at the side panels and lays out his kit in his 2ft space then use there ropes to secure the side walls and ends.
Then when they have to break camp they simply remove the furca's take out the 3 long poles and wrap them into the leather tent rolled up and tied with their ropes and put onto a Mule all set to trot.
Thanks Brian
To confirm.....2 uprights..furca poles....one long ridge pole carried in the mule...then 3 furca poles either side of the tent pulling it out from the ridge....I think I see the picture. Similar to the rope thing passing through the tent and over the ridge.. If time is on our side I will suggest this as well.
Kevin
Kevin.
It works out 3 large poles 2 with fork ends these carry the bulk of the tent then 4 furca's on each side making a conteburnium, 8 ropes 2 at each end for the fork poles and 1 each corner, ie one conteburnium tent.
Something akin to this at the not so neatly circled corner.
Kevin
[attachment=7418]tent.jpg[/attachment]
Look right and click on pic....bigger pic than I thought.
This is better
[attachment=7419]144.jpg[/attachment]
Kevin
One thought is that you do not have to carry all the poles required, either man or mule.
One of the first things you do when deploying military camouflague is go and forage for suitable lengths of wood as straight as nature will allow. They are then discarded when you move on, or perhaps in ths instance, chopped into smaller peices and used for fire wood for the next stop on the march.
Perhaps not such a good idea in a desert environment when there is not much natural forest avaiable, but certainly applicable to European campagining.
Or you sling your tent up in the trees...
Moi.
I can't imagine that the Roman soldier is going to have any time what ever to go searching for wood poles each time they stop to set up camp, for the advance troop would have marked out the camp site. Then with the arrival of the main body half would be set to work digging the ditches. While the rest would be setting up the tents with the already made poles wrapped in the leather of the tent that was carried on the mules and they would not have had much time left before sunset..
Brian
Quite possibly. Depends on the circumstance of the march I would say. We can speculate to the cows come home though.
From a practical perspective, however, and as a soldier, I'd far rather locally source large, awkward pieces of wood than carry it!
Moi.
As you say we can only speculate on these things but I'm sure from my many detatchments out and around on various tours, these guys were very much the same as all we soldiers the gear would all be at hand and it's off the back of the mule roll it out throw it up.
PS then get the kettle on for a brew.