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+--- Thread: Bear or wolf? (/showthread.php?tid=2410)
Bear or wolf? - Anonymous - 10-20-2004
for a cornucien? Dan Peterson says to use bear, the ESG uses wolf, and I really can't tell from Trajan's column (what animal is that that they're wearing?). What other evidence is there?<br>
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By the way, here's a picture of the revised Deepeeka cornu that I brought back from Nashville:<br>
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66.66.131.145/roman/cornu.jpg<br>
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Some assembly is required, the soldering together of the three brass sections. <p></p><i></i>
Re: Bear or wolf? - Anonymous - 10-20-2004
Glad to hear that someone else has a cornu! Now they'll have two of us to throw things at... Seriously, two cornus and a tuba is a pretty heavy horn section. I am planning to start work soon on another one soon. This one will be longer and use larger tubing so the sound should be much deeper and mellow. As far as the pelts are concerned, I just picked up a copy of Osprey's Guardians of the Roman Empire.on page 24 there is a photo of Trajan's column and a caption that says the corniciens are wearing lion skins. They are different from the "traditional" view, in that the rounded ears are visible and the muzzle seems somewhat short and pointy. To me this would indicate female or more juvenile cats than the shaggy-maned king of the jungle usually depicted. Also conspicuously absent are the crossed paws. I've seen or read of musicians wearing wolf, bear, lion, tiger, and leopard. As with most things we are at the mercy of the artistic license of some sculptor in Rome to tell us what was happening in the far reaches of the Empire. Having been in the military and dealing with the modern "scribes" in the press, I can vouch that you are lucky if 70% of what you say survives the translation. Personally I tend to agree with the notion that (unless directly circumscribed in the historical record) "If they had it, they used it at least once somewhere". As always the best method is trial and error. Make your best copy using available sources then get out there and wear it, play it, or throw it to find out how to make the next one better. They had 1000 years to get it right.<br>
Regards,<br>
Randi A. Richert<br>
Legio III Cyrenaica <p></p><i></i>
Re: Bear or wolf? - Anonymous - 10-21-2004
Lion? I'm looking at plate 7b in Webster's book, "The Roman Imperial Army", and the cornicen on the bottom row looks to be wearing something that looks more like a wolf to me. Might be a bear, it's hard to tell. It's very unlikely that I'll be able to obtain a lion pelt. Besides, I thought that only the praetorians wore lion.<br>
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Cassubius, when you finish your latest horn please post a picture. Bending brass tubing is a skill that I've yet to master. <p></p><i></i>
Re: Bear or wolf? - Caius Fabius - 10-22-2004
I have seen no evidence that the wolf was worn by Roman soldiers in the Imperial times. The evidence for Republican times is questionable. The epigraphic evidence is for bearskins without faces for auxiliaries and with faces for the legions. (Note: It is 100% certain that coyote skins were NOT worn.) <p>"Just before class started, I looked in the big book where all the world's history is written, and it said...." Neil J. Hackett, PhD ancient history, professor OSU, 1987</p><i></i>
Could someone post a clear picture? - Anonymous - 10-22-2004
of an iconographic image of either a cornicen and/or a signifer wearing what is clearly a bear pelt? Looking at the photos from Trajan's column I'm having a difficult time deciding what kind of animal the legionaires are wearing.<br>
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By the way, if there's no evidence for the wearing of wolf, then why are we all doing that? Is this another case of mindless copying of the ESG? <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=neuralmancer>Neuralmancer</A> at: 10/22/04 2:36 pm<br></i>