Notebook Bag

[Martin Moser]

The drawing scale is 1:2, giving an overall reconstructed length of 28cm, and a width of 7 cm. One fascinating detail revealed is that the holes for the thread appear to have been made by a knife rather than an awl.

Thanks for mentioning this, it had escaped me that a scale was given (I hope and assume it is actually true, sometimes images are reduced in the printing process nevertheless, making scales given worthless). This would make it a

In the museum in Augsburg I was shown a number of awls with flat tips (like a small screwdriver so to say) by Christian when we went there during the RAT Conference, so it could have been something like that sas well.

The description reads "(Period III, 5) Tongued strap, with three separate tabs,one of which remains, sewn to grain side, but as the thread impressions on the flesh are extremely faint the strip may have been attached to other layers forming the reinforced end to a girth made of webbing. The edges are bound and a rib is visible on the grain where the tongue narrows, possibly indicating the resting point of a metal buckle."

I'm not quite sure about that seperate tab she mentions and which seems to be the one depicted right below - if that actually was part of the longer piece of leather above and that long piece of leather actually was such a tablet container, what would have been its function? I have no real idea so far. Note that this piece is mentioned twice in the text, on p15 and p18.

I think you are absolutely right in identifying it as a small pouch/ bag, though.

I'm only following the authors of the article from Vindonissa, they report that van Driel-Murray herself now believes both pieces to represent such tablet containers

However, a quick mock up (thank heaven for photocopiers which expand pictures and easily cut goatskin) indicates that another reconstruction may be possible.
This would omit side panels and sew the edges directly to each other. Not as good looking, but a very practical purse for coins that could easily be secreted in a waistband/ fascia ventralis (as Avitianus suggested). The purse/ pouch has dimensions of 6.5 cm x 9 cm.

Interesting idea and certainly worth a try - although I have to admit that I think that both the decorative stitching and more so the still visible folds at the bottom and at the start of the flaps reported by the authors are a strong indicator for such side panels at least in the case of the piece from Vindonissa.