07-31-2007, 05:16 PM
I am trying to figure out the size of a tunic. It appears at least to me that in Mr. Summners book the final conclusion is that tunics are just big with respect to legionary use and narrowing them for reconstruction purposes would be incorrect.
The book further states that the excess material is in fact not a problem or an incovenience under any form of armor given some experimentation on the part of the Ermine Street Guard.
Althougth this appears to be the case given the sculptural evidence, how about the tunic of Sertorius Festus, Firmus Festus where scale armor is used and also the Musculata representations. In these representations, the tunics seem to be more tapered. I am not saying that they would be really tight fitting, but I do not see them being as voluminous as seen in the sculptures presented in Mr. Summners book. These tunics including the Prima Porta do not protrude throught the pteryges or bulge out from under the armpit area.
I just posted for my friend his pteryges and subarmalis which shows that the arm pteryges do not sit very nicely on the arm since the tunic is so voluminous. Yet observing the statues of where pteryges are found, the tunics seem more tailored.
The men in segmentatas on Trajan's column seem to have tapered sleeves. Of course this could only be the perspective of the sculpture. Nonethless, this voluminous tunic idea seems to be for the most part prevelant for tunics with no armor over them at least from the photos presented in Mr. Summners book.
The reason I am making the above statements is becasue the issue has me a little baffled. My friend whom I mentioned earlier is making another tunic since the one he has is so bulky that wearing the subamalis and pteryges over it causes the tunic material to bunch up and protrude throught the subarmalis arm hole and through the layers of pteryges even though he has three layer of pteryges on each arm. The weight of the three layers should be enough to keep them rather straight down on the arm as shown for most of the sulptures of musculata and scale armor (squamata or plumata).
The first bulky tunic he made was based on the measurments given in Mr. Summners book based on the ancient sources he quotes. Again however, as mentioned in his book, there is no real link fo these tunics or others as being for direct military use.
My friend is going to make a scale shirt thus I am wondering if tapering the tunic somewhat would be "incorrect".
To see what I am referring to about the pteryges not sitting straight down and material protruding through the subarmalis arm hole because of the tunics voluminosity go to the Reconstruction and Reenactment part and look at the post New Felt subarmalis and Linen pteryges.
Thanks for all your help
Paolo
The book further states that the excess material is in fact not a problem or an incovenience under any form of armor given some experimentation on the part of the Ermine Street Guard.
Althougth this appears to be the case given the sculptural evidence, how about the tunic of Sertorius Festus, Firmus Festus where scale armor is used and also the Musculata representations. In these representations, the tunics seem to be more tapered. I am not saying that they would be really tight fitting, but I do not see them being as voluminous as seen in the sculptures presented in Mr. Summners book. These tunics including the Prima Porta do not protrude throught the pteryges or bulge out from under the armpit area.
I just posted for my friend his pteryges and subarmalis which shows that the arm pteryges do not sit very nicely on the arm since the tunic is so voluminous. Yet observing the statues of where pteryges are found, the tunics seem more tailored.
The men in segmentatas on Trajan's column seem to have tapered sleeves. Of course this could only be the perspective of the sculpture. Nonethless, this voluminous tunic idea seems to be for the most part prevelant for tunics with no armor over them at least from the photos presented in Mr. Summners book.
The reason I am making the above statements is becasue the issue has me a little baffled. My friend whom I mentioned earlier is making another tunic since the one he has is so bulky that wearing the subamalis and pteryges over it causes the tunic material to bunch up and protrude throught the subarmalis arm hole and through the layers of pteryges even though he has three layer of pteryges on each arm. The weight of the three layers should be enough to keep them rather straight down on the arm as shown for most of the sulptures of musculata and scale armor (squamata or plumata).
The first bulky tunic he made was based on the measurments given in Mr. Summners book based on the ancient sources he quotes. Again however, as mentioned in his book, there is no real link fo these tunics or others as being for direct military use.
My friend is going to make a scale shirt thus I am wondering if tapering the tunic somewhat would be "incorrect".
To see what I am referring to about the pteryges not sitting straight down and material protruding through the subarmalis arm hole because of the tunics voluminosity go to the Reconstruction and Reenactment part and look at the post New Felt subarmalis and Linen pteryges.
Thanks for all your help
Paolo
"You have to laugh at life or else what are you going to laugh at?" (Joseph Rosen)
Paolo
Paolo
