09-08-2003, 06:14 PM
(SIGH)<br>
<br>
Do I have to state this again?<br>
<br>
We can't know FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAIN what kind of finish the Romans employed on their armor. We can't tell whether it was buffed to a mirror finish, or "satinized," or blacked, or blued, or pinked, or painted with red and green pokadots.<br>
<br>
However....<br>
<br>
ALL THE AVAILABLE PRIMARY EVIDENCE-- artistic, written, and whatnot-- suggests that whatever finish they employed, with was bright and shiny, not dull and dark. Those who support a blued or blackened or painted finish can't point to a single piece of primary evidence that supports their view. Their entire argument rests on "practicality"-- i.e. they didn't have the time or technology or whatever to make their armor look shiny all the time. This is the purest form of speculation.<br>
<br>
In fact, it has been amply shown time and again that, during the period the lorica segmentata was in use, Roman soldiers had an abundance of time on their hands to perform basic maintenance on their kit, which would include knocking the rust off and sanding-and-or-buffing it to a nice bright finish. To state that they had to spend all their time foraging for food is patently ridiculous-- this was the ROMAN ARMY, not a barbarian warband. Legionaries spent 90% of their time in a nice, fortified encampment. Food was provided and distributed at proper intervals, or a soldier could simply buy a sausage roll at any number of fast food stands outside the camp gate. When on the march "in country," huge amounts of food and fodder were hauled along with the baggage train and distributed among the contuburniae; when foraging was required, small foraging teams would go out, gather it up, bring it back, and distribute it. On the march, your average legionary certainly had the Roman equivalent of an MRE in his kit and could put together a nice evening meal in a minimal amount of time. Only in times of extreme crisis would a Roman army ever want for food, or have to spent an inordinant amount of time securing it.<br>
<br>
IF you want to forge-blacken and / or blue your lorica, go right ahead. You can say with perfect accuracy that this MIGHT conceivably have been the way at least SOME Romans finished their armor. Just don't say this WAS the way ALL of them did it, because modern experiments have proven yada yada yada. There is NO primary evidence for blued, blackened or painted finishes. Nada. Zip. Bagutsa. There is SOME evidence for a bright, light-colored and shiny finish. Until we find a Roman legionary frozen and perfectly preserved in an Alpine glacier, we'll just have to settle for that.<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis<br>
California, USA <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=flaviuscrispus@romanarmytalk>FlaviusCrispus</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/legiovi/vwp?.dir=/Flavius+photo&.src=gr&.dnm=flavhead2.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 9/8/03 8:39 pm<br></i>
<br>
Do I have to state this again?<br>
<br>
We can't know FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAIN what kind of finish the Romans employed on their armor. We can't tell whether it was buffed to a mirror finish, or "satinized," or blacked, or blued, or pinked, or painted with red and green pokadots.<br>
<br>
However....<br>
<br>
ALL THE AVAILABLE PRIMARY EVIDENCE-- artistic, written, and whatnot-- suggests that whatever finish they employed, with was bright and shiny, not dull and dark. Those who support a blued or blackened or painted finish can't point to a single piece of primary evidence that supports their view. Their entire argument rests on "practicality"-- i.e. they didn't have the time or technology or whatever to make their armor look shiny all the time. This is the purest form of speculation.<br>
<br>
In fact, it has been amply shown time and again that, during the period the lorica segmentata was in use, Roman soldiers had an abundance of time on their hands to perform basic maintenance on their kit, which would include knocking the rust off and sanding-and-or-buffing it to a nice bright finish. To state that they had to spend all their time foraging for food is patently ridiculous-- this was the ROMAN ARMY, not a barbarian warband. Legionaries spent 90% of their time in a nice, fortified encampment. Food was provided and distributed at proper intervals, or a soldier could simply buy a sausage roll at any number of fast food stands outside the camp gate. When on the march "in country," huge amounts of food and fodder were hauled along with the baggage train and distributed among the contuburniae; when foraging was required, small foraging teams would go out, gather it up, bring it back, and distribute it. On the march, your average legionary certainly had the Roman equivalent of an MRE in his kit and could put together a nice evening meal in a minimal amount of time. Only in times of extreme crisis would a Roman army ever want for food, or have to spent an inordinant amount of time securing it.<br>
<br>
IF you want to forge-blacken and / or blue your lorica, go right ahead. You can say with perfect accuracy that this MIGHT conceivably have been the way at least SOME Romans finished their armor. Just don't say this WAS the way ALL of them did it, because modern experiments have proven yada yada yada. There is NO primary evidence for blued, blackened or painted finishes. Nada. Zip. Bagutsa. There is SOME evidence for a bright, light-colored and shiny finish. Until we find a Roman legionary frozen and perfectly preserved in an Alpine glacier, we'll just have to settle for that.<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis<br>
California, USA <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=flaviuscrispus@romanarmytalk>FlaviusCrispus</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/legiovi/vwp?.dir=/Flavius+photo&.src=gr&.dnm=flavhead2.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 9/8/03 8:39 pm<br></i>
T. Flavius Crispus / David S. Michaels
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius