08-16-2011, 09:51 PM
Thanks for the excellent summary, Mike! One question, however - the cavalry armour you describe, is it typical "field kit" or "parade armour"? (or maybe that entire question is invalid?)
With regards to the rectangular slots and the question of "what else could they be for?" -- I was wondering if they could not simply use the same attachment method as the stillfried girth hoops. This idea is even mentioned (very briefly) as a possibility in Bishop's Lorica Segmentata volume 1.
The main reason that I was pondering this is that such an attachment seems highly impractical for functional armour - as confirmed by the experience of some reenactors, the pins tend to work themselves loose, letting the plates separate at inopportune moments. This can be remedied by using a split pin to keep the key from pulling out, but if you're going to keep things held together with a split pin anyways, why bother to make the fixture turn at all?
As has been pointed out by many people wiser than myself, "common sense" is not a reliable guide to historical reconstructions. After all, the practical utility of the hinges on segmentatae shoulder sections is somewhat dubious, but there can be no doubt about their continued and widespread usage.
However, examining Lorica Segmentata Volume 2 reveals that there have been several finds of Newstead-style tie loops with a "round" shank, so the possibility that the male fitting was similar to a girth plate tie loop does not seem to be inconsistent with the pierced plate from Zugmantel.
Just my 2 cents...
With regards to the rectangular slots and the question of "what else could they be for?" -- I was wondering if they could not simply use the same attachment method as the stillfried girth hoops. This idea is even mentioned (very briefly) as a possibility in Bishop's Lorica Segmentata volume 1.
The main reason that I was pondering this is that such an attachment seems highly impractical for functional armour - as confirmed by the experience of some reenactors, the pins tend to work themselves loose, letting the plates separate at inopportune moments. This can be remedied by using a split pin to keep the key from pulling out, but if you're going to keep things held together with a split pin anyways, why bother to make the fixture turn at all?
As has been pointed out by many people wiser than myself, "common sense" is not a reliable guide to historical reconstructions. After all, the practical utility of the hinges on segmentatae shoulder sections is somewhat dubious, but there can be no doubt about their continued and widespread usage.
However, examining Lorica Segmentata Volume 2 reveals that there have been several finds of Newstead-style tie loops with a "round" shank, so the possibility that the male fitting was similar to a girth plate tie loop does not seem to be inconsistent with the pierced plate from Zugmantel.
Just my 2 cents...
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Ross
[url="http://galeforcearmoury.blogspot.com"] Working on a segmentata.[/url]
Ross
[url="http://galeforcearmoury.blogspot.com"] Working on a segmentata.[/url]
