copper-alloy Type \'A\' sheath

[Matthew Amt]

I'm still new to this period and just want to be clear on the term "copper-alloy" used to describe the original. :?

Does this mean that it is made of roman "brass" with has a higher copper content than modern yellow brass?

Would yellow brass be the best choice to make one, or could it be made out of copper?

"Copper alloy" is just a "safe" way to refer to brass or bronze, if no actual analysis has been done to determine its specific ingredients. It avoids getting yelled at for calling something "brass", for instance, when someone finds out that it's really bronze!

I would use brass, not copper. Yes, modern yellow brass has more zinc than the Romans tended to have in their orichalcum, but they really don't seem to have used straight copper much at all.

That second scabbard, the one shown with iron side gutters, is about the same as one shown elsewhere--I think in JRMES somewhere--except that as I saw it there were only the brass front and back plates with nothing between them. So is this a different piece, or one "filled in" with restoration?

Valete,

Matthew