12-08-2008, 04:08 PM
Who determines "reenactment quality"?
It is possible to create an international standards board.... with certificates of authenticity... "seals of approval" ..... Genuine replica... "This Segmentata Approved by Authenticus"....
....but short of that:
Each individual has to educate himself and make up his own mind. Read, ask questions, compare, email folks, call them on the phone...
...never take a vendor's word for it... profit is a powerful motivator and its co-worker is compromise...
But, as things are now, if he's going to be a Roman soldier independently then the standard is his. If he joins a club then it's theirs.
Q: Are their GENERALITIES?
.... a birch plywood scutum is more authentic than a luan plywood scutum, which is better than a fiberglass scutum...
.... CR mild steel is better than stainless steel which is better than aluminum...
... ash is better than polar which is better than teak...
.... or in the case of gladius scabbard cores: pine is better than balsa which is better than paperboard...
.... vegetable tanned leather is better than chemical tanned leather which is better than naugahyde...
.. cast brass is better than cast aluminum which is better than cast resin..
Something like that might be possible to find concensus on.
I think we can all agree on things like: A pugio blade made from hand smelted and forged iron using replica tools and techniques by a blacksmith with 30 years of experience wearing a hand spun hand woven tunica is of a higher standard than one made from 19th C Railroad spikes by a guy in bluejeans using a three burner gas forge which is better than one ground from HR steel barstock by a guy wearing cutoffs and a Hawaiian shirt... ... :wink:
Then there's the question of form and function. It looks correct (scutums with polycarbonate plastic cores) but it does it function like a scutum?
Ultimately it gets down to someone assessing what's available, knowing that some folks disagree on "standards" and why they disagree, and then making up his own mind about what he wants.
It is possible to create an international standards board.... with certificates of authenticity... "seals of approval" ..... Genuine replica... "This Segmentata Approved by Authenticus"....
....but short of that:
Each individual has to educate himself and make up his own mind. Read, ask questions, compare, email folks, call them on the phone...
...never take a vendor's word for it... profit is a powerful motivator and its co-worker is compromise...
But, as things are now, if he's going to be a Roman soldier independently then the standard is his. If he joins a club then it's theirs.
Q: Are their GENERALITIES?
.... a birch plywood scutum is more authentic than a luan plywood scutum, which is better than a fiberglass scutum...
.... CR mild steel is better than stainless steel which is better than aluminum...
... ash is better than polar which is better than teak...
.... or in the case of gladius scabbard cores: pine is better than balsa which is better than paperboard...
.... vegetable tanned leather is better than chemical tanned leather which is better than naugahyde...
.. cast brass is better than cast aluminum which is better than cast resin..
Something like that might be possible to find concensus on.
I think we can all agree on things like: A pugio blade made from hand smelted and forged iron using replica tools and techniques by a blacksmith with 30 years of experience wearing a hand spun hand woven tunica is of a higher standard than one made from 19th C Railroad spikes by a guy in bluejeans using a three burner gas forge which is better than one ground from HR steel barstock by a guy wearing cutoffs and a Hawaiian shirt... ... :wink:
Then there's the question of form and function. It looks correct (scutums with polycarbonate plastic cores) but it does it function like a scutum?
Ultimately it gets down to someone assessing what's available, knowing that some folks disagree on "standards" and why they disagree, and then making up his own mind about what he wants.
Hibernicus
LEGIO IX HISPANA, USA
You cannot dig ditches in a toga!
[url:194jujcw]http://www.legio-ix-hispana.org[/url]
A nationwide club with chapters across N America
LEGIO IX HISPANA, USA
You cannot dig ditches in a toga!
[url:194jujcw]http://www.legio-ix-hispana.org[/url]
A nationwide club with chapters across N America
