03-20-2008, 04:18 AM
From this thread: http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... segmentata
Mike Bishop's reply:
"I was joking, but there is a serious point there. There are very few representations of centurions in armour and, given the paucity of depictions of segmentata in general, I don't think it's possible to categorically say centurions did not wear lorica seg. Now my principle as an archaeologist trained as an ancient historian (and thus doubly anal!) is always to stick to the available evidence, so I would say what little we have to work from indicates centurions wore mail or scale... but then it also shows us ordinary legionaries wore those types of armour as well as segmentata. As ever, accidents of survival could mask reality and (altogether now) absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
In such circumstances I see no problem in reconstructing a centurion in lorica seg so long as nobody starts saying 'this is how it was done' rather than 'this might have been how it was done' (because that is how factoids are born). I even recall Peter talking to me about this reconstruction, since he thought it slightly mischievous to depict the brass fittings on the centurion's cuirass as being tinned or silvered, possibly to distinguish it from the 'ordinary' armour, and wondering if anyone would notice (they have now;-). "
Mike Bishop's reply:
"I was joking, but there is a serious point there. There are very few representations of centurions in armour and, given the paucity of depictions of segmentata in general, I don't think it's possible to categorically say centurions did not wear lorica seg. Now my principle as an archaeologist trained as an ancient historian (and thus doubly anal!) is always to stick to the available evidence, so I would say what little we have to work from indicates centurions wore mail or scale... but then it also shows us ordinary legionaries wore those types of armour as well as segmentata. As ever, accidents of survival could mask reality and (altogether now) absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
In such circumstances I see no problem in reconstructing a centurion in lorica seg so long as nobody starts saying 'this is how it was done' rather than 'this might have been how it was done' (because that is how factoids are born). I even recall Peter talking to me about this reconstruction, since he thought it slightly mischievous to depict the brass fittings on the centurion's cuirass as being tinned or silvered, possibly to distinguish it from the 'ordinary' armour, and wondering if anyone would notice (they have now;-). "
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Magnus/Matt
Du Courage Viens La Verité
Legion: TBD
Magnus/Matt
Du Courage Viens La Verité
Legion: TBD
