Show here your Roman soldier impression

[Crispvs]

I've put this up elsewhere but it seems appropriate to put it here as well.

Therefore, this me in my new squamata in late August. Photo courtesy of Caballo.



Crispvs

[Caballo]

And Crispus modestly doesn't mention that he made the squamata himself, scale by scale....

[sulla felix]

...and it looks absolutely splendid Crispus!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Well done Again Crispus!

[Theodosius the Great]

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Dazzling! Are you wearing the 'Late Roman greaves' from your website, Peroni?

~Theo

[Peroni]

Hi Jaime,

Thank you! and yes, they are the same greaves, but I have removed the top and bottom flarings on my pair.

[Vindex]

Impressed by all of them but particularly like the squamata, Crispus.

Well done gentlemen!

[Paul Elliott]

I too love Crispus' scale armour; I wish I had the dedication for such a task. I think I have a three-day limit. If it can't be completed in 3 days, I don't start it: shield, greaves, belts, quivers, boots, tunics etc. All 3 days or less. The thought of committing tens or even hundreds of hours to a scale shirt is really very impressive!! hock:

[Joze Noriker]

And Crispus modestly doesn't mention that he made the squamata himself, scale by scale....

Congratulations!!

Joze

[Crispvs]

Thanks everyone! :grin:

To be fair, I was given the scales some years so didn't have make them myself. The breast hooks came from Len Morgan. It was constructed by attaching the rows of scales to the heavy canvas backing by laying a strip of linen across the top of each and sewing up through the scales and over the linen, following the method used on the fragment of scale from Carpow.

Having had the scales sitting around in a box under the stairs for years, I actually started it in mid March, with the vague and unrealistic aim of having it ready by Good Friday. There was no real prospect of this of course and after Easter I left it for nearly a month before doing any more work on it. Since then work on it has happened in several bursts of concentrated effort, sometime separated by as much as a fortnight. In all it has probably taken in the region of three hundred hours and has used 32 metres of copper wire as well. I feel the effort was well spent though and it is an unlooked for bonus that others like it too, so thanks again.

Crispvs

[Vindex]

Do you have any "diary" photos of putting this together? I know you've described it but piccies make it easy for a simple soul like me... :wink:

Edited to add: ...does that mean a new thread though as I'd hate to hijack the Impressions thread with "how to"...

[Paul Elliott]

Still working on this. I thought I step out of my comfort zone and try a legionary on campaign in northern Britain, probably Legio VI Victrix campaigning north of Hadrian's Wall in the 130s or 140s.



I'm waiting for a Pompeii gladius from Rusty Myers for a sword. I think I might be able to get a Corbridge B to go with the impression A Newstead would be nice, but from my reading of MC Bishop there were several years overlap during the Hadrianic/Antonine period. You could say I'm going for the 'Fall of the Roman Empire' winter-look, though I want to do a bit better than Hollywood!

I'm using as inspiration the following (Trajanic) painting by Russian artist Nikolay Zubkov, from the 1990s.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Ha ha! You and me both!

[Crispvs]

Looking good so far Paul. Aside from the awaited sword, the next things would probably be a subarmalis and a new belt. For a soldier of the second quarter of the second century, the one you are wearing in the photo would be very old fashioned indeed (probably typical of the middle two quarters of the first century AD). A suitable choice of plates for the period might be either heavy openwork plates or plates of the 'trompetmeister' style. The pugio might be a bit late in style but then again it is difficult on the present evidence to say when that type entered service. There is certainly evidence that sheaths of roughly that style were in use by the time of the Marcomannic wars but whether they were in use as early as Hadrian's reign is unknown at present.

Moi,

I did take a few rather poor quality photos along the way, but I don't think this is the right place for a 'how to' on making squamata. If you like I could start a separate thread for it though.

Crispvs

[Paul Elliott]

The belt is newly bought (!) on Bishop & Coulston advice its OK through the Hadrianic period. I really did want to buy Newstead or Arbeia plates and build my own mid-2ndC belt, but economics got in the way. So I guess its a 120s - 130s impression! Wall-building period.

I do have a subarmalis - just not in this shot!

The pugio is a large frame type, similar to the Bar Hill example, which I believe is 160ish. So, I think your right, Crispus, I'm guessing at an earlier introduction of the larger style dagger. I may certainly pick up a slightly earlier pugio soon. The big Deepeeka dagger is a fearfully nasty weapon, but not a pretty one