07-15-2019, 07:45 PM
Hello,
I need some help with my soft kit AKA a civilian.
I'm student of Archaeology currently doing excavation works in Aquileia, the famous Roman city in the north eastern part of Italy, we are working on the Great Bath, a Constantinian era bath dated thanks to an epigraphy which says so (CIL V, 8269). They were a sumptous public building of the late Roman city with many refined mosaics and inlay-work floors, marble wall-liners, today they are completely concealed below cultivated fields and unfortunatly most of the architectural decorations were spoiled during the Middle Age (but we're working on it!). With a colleague of mine we developed a project of reenacting the Late Antiquity life in Aquileia using "our" excavation: the great bath will give us a background for our impression and probably we'll use our impressions to teach about the History of the great bath, we'll make Living History and maybe, in the future, even experimental archaeology.
The mosaics of Christian basilica, one of the first Christian church ever built (might be the third one) and likely Constantine himself "payed" for it, will give us sources for the clothing. Villa Armerina's mosaics will surely help. And our local Museo Archeologico Nazionale will give us plenty of buckles and brooches (but I have to visit them again) (http://www.italianways.com/wp-content/up...65x729.jpg, the Good Shepherd of Aquileia basically looks like the first of the Medievaldesign's offers, indeed he even wears campagi).
Given that I'm not that good at sewing I was thinking about buying the set Medievaldesign sells, I already bought from them a 17th century garb and I trust them. But I'm not sure about which one of them would be more correct, they sell various kits: one of them, the "Dura Europos" one seems more correct for early 4th century, however even the Villa Armerina looks good and correct. The campagi they sell is the correct one. (http://www.medievaldesign.com/restricted...e_8675.jpg, http://www.medievaldesign.com/restricted...e_1564.jpg, http://www.medievaldesign.com/restricted...e_7173.jpg).
I just have one single doubt, the belt. I think the ring buckle belt would be a better choice, however even a plain bronze buckle and a rectangular buckle would work too, personally I like more the ring buckle belt or the rectangular buckle. (http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEquip...gulum.html, they give quite a good, however broad, typology) (which one of these do you suggest? https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Germ...::243.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::444.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::445.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::447.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::449.html).
A crossbow fibula is almost universally accepted as Late Roman. (https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Germ...::224.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Germ...::225.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::362.html, https://www.replik-shop.de/Replicas/Roma...::364.html).
