Caligae Construction

[Matt Lukes]

ARE improving the knowledge of a roman impression but overall? Not really.

Sure they are Matt- wide straps are simply WRONG. They're not accurate, not authentic, and as Martin mentioned are analogous to the Trooper helmet- and none of us would wear that thing. Caring about gross details is hardly nitpicking. We're not talking about a millimeter either way, we're talking about considerably more- enough that the difference is very clear.

This isn't a case of having 12mm ring butted mail and not having the other $650 necessary to upgrade to proper 8mm alternating riveted mail- that's a case where the economics can make inaccuracies understandable- but caligae are hardly that expensive so cost isn't a factor in this matter. Concessions can and should be made when there are large differences in cost or simply lack of availability of anything better- but why not do it right if you can?

Besides, no one's saying that because wide-strap caligae are so inaccurate that everyone should immediately dispose of them and get something better, but simply that they are indeed wrong. When replacement time comes or for folks new to the hobby or whatever, an attempt to get or make a thinner strap model is therefore recommended.

And authenticity isn't a matter of opinion or point-of-view here- the artifacts are phyiscal fact. Were we to only have depictions of them, then it'd be a different story. What various people's ideas on how MUCH authenticity they require is up to them- but that has nothing to do with what is and is not authentic. Only sufficiency can be chosen. If the widest real strap is 5mm, one can choose to consider 8mm or 1cm straps 'close enough', but anything larger not- that doesn't change the fact that 5mm and under is truly authentic.