Roman Patera Replica

[Crispvs]

Dan,<br>
Thanks for your reply. One or two comments though.<br>
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"But Crispus, believe it or not, thin spun brass/bronze Paterae are just as authentic as cast ones".<br>
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I spoke with Lindsey Allison-Jones about paterae (or trullii if anyone prefers) a year or two back and she told me that paterae were normally cast and then filed down to a much lighter weight and thickness on a continuously rotating lathe, leaving only the rim, handle and base in their original thikness. I was already aware that Len's paterae are properly cast but sometimes are not pared down to the lighter weight.<br>
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"Because of the weight considerations, it is most probable that Roman soldiers preferred the lightweight versions"<br>
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See my comment above.<br>
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"more authentic in basic shape and style than Len's would be!"<br>
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As far as I know Len's paterae are designed for use by early Imperial period re-enactors.<br>
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"Also Crispus, the Romans used a great deal of "brass", particularly so in Imperial times. Besides military equipment, it was also used in the coinage of the large Sestersius coins, probably to quickly differentiate them from the slightly smaller copper Ass coins. The Romans called the metal "Orichulum"."<br>
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Yes, I was already aware that the Roman army used various types of brass extensively, as well as it being used for coinage. I am not one of those who refers to all varieties of copper alloy as 'bronze'. I seem to remember reading (off the top off my head I think it was Bishop and Coulston) that the patera was the only item of military equipment which was always made of bronze as opposed to brass of some sort.<br>
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Crispvs <p></p><i></i>