Questions about the forging of a pugio and a balteus

[Tim Edwards]

Niels,

In my opinion, for belt leather you could take one of two options:

a) Thick calf - This is what most reenactors choose. Make sure its not modern chrome tanned or split leather. A strap end from Vindolanda appears to be made from this material

b) Thin goat - This is a double layer, sewn together at the edges with waxed linen thread. A great many of the bog finds from Germania Libera of roman associated baldrics and belts are made in this manner. This mirrors finds from within the bounds of the empire, most notably the apron strap from Mainz, which is one of the few scraps of evidence we have for belt construction.


Given the choice, I would go for b!

I'm about to witch my own belt to this style, as I believe its more authentic. The strap end from Vindolanda has fittings characteristic of horse harness, making me think that the thick leather strapping we usually use would probably be better reserved for horse tack!

The only reason everyone seems to take option A is because most simply copy other members of their group, making the assumption their mates got it right!

Once you've chosen your leather, you'll need to consider colour. Some people consider the light colour of modern natural leather not dark enough for the methods the romans used in their veg tan process, though you'd need a more informed opinion than mine on this area.

But hey - why not dye it? Many of the baldrics visible on second century military portraits from Egypt are red. I recently saw a grave stone of a soldier in the capitoline museum which had traces of paint still adhering, again the belt was red.


Hope that helps,