Puttees

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

The problem with your might be the width of the wrapping Aitor?
Looks very like the pictures, bar the gaps.... :?

[Franklin]

Our experiment at Prima Gallica

Unless perfectly made, I agree on better wearing them over leggings to avoid the ugly gaps... 8)

Aitor

Aitor, welcome back!

[Graham Sumner]

According to Bishop and Coulston's second edition of 'Roman Military Equipment', you are all wasting your time. They say Roman soldiers never wore leg wrappings or leg bindings ever!!!

Graham.

[Mithras]

They are bloody useful though! Even over trousers they protect your kit especially when moving through briars and forests, or bogs and swamps. (Having done both)

[Graham Sumner]

I suspect it is something like the fact that soldiers in the Zulu wars used to wrap rags around their Martini- Henry rifles to protect themselves from burns when the guns overheated. You will not find that in the Queen's regulations or in any picture book but we know they did it!

I myself was incapacitated by a torn calf muscle after standing around in kit for a full day. I might just as well have been hit by a missile and if that injury could have been prevented by a piece of cloth wrapped around the lower leg I am sure Roman soldiers would have done something similar.

Nevertheless, there are indeed Roman accounts which mention leg wrappings and they are pictured worn by soldiers too. So I am somewhat puzzled as to why B&C were so dismissive of them.

Graham.

[Caballo]

Went back and checked in B&C...and there it is, with only servants wearing puttees. For once, and very rarely, I disagree with B&C.
Graham, do you have a pic you can post as an example of a soldier wearing puttees?

Regards

Paul

[Tarbicus]

If you're thinking of the Piazza Armerina, how does anyone know they're soldiers? B&C clearly believe such later representations are of hunters, countrymen, etc.

[Bran ap Maclou]

I suspect it is something like the fact that soldiers in the Zulu wars used to wrap rags around their Martini- Henry rifles to protect themselves from burns when the guns overheated. You will not find that in the Queen's regulations or in any picture book but we know they did it!

Graham.

Yeah ! That's a great rule of war.

I know quite well a french soldier. Actually, they have to stay in garrison with the reglementary equipment and they suffer in exercices with the same official "NATO approved" equipment.

But when they go to foreign countries for true operations (currently 4 to 6 months per year for a french soldier), they throw away some official gear pieces to get some more practical or efficient equipments in sports and game shops. They modify some other pieces also despite the high rank officers pressurize them to strictly keep their official gear. That's universal ! The guy in first line always adapted his gear to his needs for fighting and surviving. The only thing which stay the same for everybody are the weapons for ammo supplies questions. You can find such examples all along history.

After their time in the army some of them go on in private security companies and they don't keep much of official military gear though they are free to choose their own gear and well better paid. So beware to the differences between texts or pictures describing the official furnitures and the good old veteran who knows one thousand tips to improve and make more safe his kit. But this is perhaps out of understanding for reenactors who are not really roman veterans, survivors of three campaigns. :wink:


Regards,

[Robert Vermaat]

B&C clearly believe such later representations are of hunters, countrymen, etc.

As far as I've seen the art from the Piazza A., I believe they are right. Those with weapons all have Thorsbjerg-type trousers, those with puttees never carrry weapons but for a single hunting spear. In this case, I would say that puttees seem to be represented as poor man's trousers.

[Graham Sumner]

Graham, do you have a pic you can post as an example of a soldier wearing puttees?

The evidence collected by Raffaele D'Amato and myself, both written and iconographic for leg wrappings and bindings will be published shortly, most of it is at the publishers now.

A soldier with leg wrappings, that is the square shaped pieces of material rather than the strip 'puttee' type which are leg bindings, has already been illustrated and reconstructed in Roman Military Clothing 3. The colour plate is based on a soldier from the mosaics a Santa Maria Maggiore where the leg wrappings worn with trousers are blue. Similar leg wrappings are shown in the mosaics at Constantinople were they are black with yellow ties. Black wrappings over white trousers also appear in a fresco from Bawit. Guardsmen wear purple leg wrappings in the Rabula gospel from Syria.

While it is likely that not every figure on the Piazza Armerina mosaic is military others have been identified as soldiers. M. Speidel even argues that some figures are Imperial Guards due to their highly decorated tunics some of which were clearly made with gold thread, while other figures have the familiar propeller belt plate stiffeners.

Graham.

[Crispvs]

"The evidence collected by Raffaele D'Amato and myself, both written and iconographic for leg wrappings and bindings will be published shortly, most of it is at the publishers now. "

Hurrah!!!!!! D D

Crispvs

[Caballo]

More examples of Late Roman soldiers wearing puttees- this time worn over the top of leg coverings and tied with a garter under the knee- the sixth century Vienna Dioscurides (white leggings, dark brown puttees, red garter), plus from the Vienna Genesis dark blue puttees over light blue leggings. No pics yet...

[Tarbicus]

6th Century Vergilius Romanus?

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/bytype/ ... 000/61.JPG

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/bytype/ ... 00066.html

[Robert Vermaat]

6th Century Vergilius Romanus?

Yes, and possibly even 5th c. But what does the image show here? The feet seem covered too?

[Tarbicus]

I imagine the feet are covered with shoes. They do seem to be closed and different on the top of the foot, and the soldier in the background has a distinctive separating line at the ankle.