08-24-2011, 08:49 PM
Hi
Caecina's dress is seen by Tacitus as an insult to the good toga wearing citizens of Italy. This is also how Cicero views Mark Antony's Gallic dress and boots when he returns to Rome direct from Gaul.
Tacitus also refers elsewhere to the allies being given Roman equipment and weapons but the Roman populace do appear to have been shocked by the wild appearance of their frontier troops whenever they arrived in Rome. This presumably means Legionaries as well as Auxiliaries. It is probably a case of the Romans adopting frontier dress and the native troops adopting Roman dress. This evolves into the long sleeved tunic, sagum cloak and trousers that is so common in third century military dress.
In this instance I am reminded of a painting of an officer of the 8th Kings regiment who served in North America in the mid eighteenth century. He is entirely decked out to look like an Indian chief but that does not mean the entire 8th regiment dressed completely like Indians too, although they may have adopted the leggings and tomahawks which ironically were probably made in Britain for the North American market!
At least one Vindolanda tablet refers to the collection of clothing from Gaul and if the order was for anything like that given to weavers in Egypt then it would have been for garments in plain white wool. Presumably these could then have been dyed somewhere else if required.
Graham.
Caecina's dress is seen by Tacitus as an insult to the good toga wearing citizens of Italy. This is also how Cicero views Mark Antony's Gallic dress and boots when he returns to Rome direct from Gaul.
Tacitus also refers elsewhere to the allies being given Roman equipment and weapons but the Roman populace do appear to have been shocked by the wild appearance of their frontier troops whenever they arrived in Rome. This presumably means Legionaries as well as Auxiliaries. It is probably a case of the Romans adopting frontier dress and the native troops adopting Roman dress. This evolves into the long sleeved tunic, sagum cloak and trousers that is so common in third century military dress.
In this instance I am reminded of a painting of an officer of the 8th Kings regiment who served in North America in the mid eighteenth century. He is entirely decked out to look like an Indian chief but that does not mean the entire 8th regiment dressed completely like Indians too, although they may have adopted the leggings and tomahawks which ironically were probably made in Britain for the North American market!
At least one Vindolanda tablet refers to the collection of clothing from Gaul and if the order was for anything like that given to weavers in Egypt then it would have been for garments in plain white wool. Presumably these could then have been dyed somewhere else if required.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
