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Balteus Question
#1
This is a set of 2nd-3rd Century bronze balteus fittings that also include two elongated objects that are apparently from a second belt.<br>
<br>
members.optusnet.com.au/~...index.html<br>
<br>
I sought help from Dr Mike Bishop author of the 'Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies', have been advised as follows,<br>
<br>
"The openwork belt plates and buckle belong together (the buckle would have been attached to one of the plates by means of an integral long narrow strip bent back under the plate and passing through the rectangular loop on the buckle). The objects to left and<br>
right in the foreground are strap terminals, used to finish the split ends of the type of belt fastened by a ring buckle. Ring buckles could be just a simple circle with the belt passed through it on either side and fastened back on itself with a fungiform stud like the one immediately in front of the buckle. So, to sum up, you<br>
have elements of two different types of belt all of them 2nd or 3rd century AD in date."<br>
<br>
This however raises another question, and I believe I have pestered Dr Bishop enough already.<br>
<br>
If two belts of different types were worn, how and why were the two belts worn? Clearly this second belt was not the usual 'cingulum' over-the-shoulder sword belt, as this was attached directly to the Gladius scabbard and therefore had no ends for terminals to be attached to.<br>
<br>
It is of course possible that the items were not actually found together as claimed, but there are two reasons why I believe that they were.<br>
<br>
1. The absolutely uniform patina across the entire group of objects.<br>
<br>
2. There seems to be another set of balteus components found in exactly this combination. I have not yet discovered where the originals are, but they can be seen here in replica form,<br>
<br>
www.hr-replikate.de/katal...&image=274<br>
<br>
Does anybody know where the original was found?<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#2
Wasplank,<br>
<br>
<br>
On a German-written site Ratsdorf describes the find spot as follows:<br>
<br>
"With the building of a garage in Lyon, France, in an old Roman well pit were found the remnants of a Roman soldier with his purse, sword, military belt and booklet. The letters, form the label "Utere Felix" ("use it with luck"; "U" and "T" at the beginning are pulled together to a Ligutur) and probably were distributed circulating around the entire belt."<br>
<br>
It has been assumed that the man was killed during the battle between the British governor Clodius Albinus and his opponent Septimius Severus at Lyon in 197 AD. The latter won the battle.<br>
<br>
Greets Uwe<br>
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=uwebahr>Uwe Bahr</A> at: 8/12/04 10:13 am<br></i>
Greets - Uwe
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#3
Thank you Uwe, do you know where this belt is now? I would like establish that the elongated strap-ends shown with the replica were indeed found with original as this would indicate the wearing of two belts by this individual.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#4
I am sorry, Wasplank, but I don't the actual repository of the girdle parts.<br>
<br>
Uwe <p></p><i></i>
Greets - Uwe
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#5
Wasplank,<br>
The cingulum fittings and the other objects recovered with the soldier's skeleton are deposited at the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine, at Lyon. I cannot understand why Mike Bishop told you that the two strap-ends belonged to a different belt, because double strap-ends are attested at least from 1950, when the Lyon finds were published (Pierre Wuilleumier 'Informations... Lyon-a) La bataille de 197' in Gallia 8 (1950) 146-148. Here goes the accompanying photo:<br>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tribunus/Lyon.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
You can find line drawings on Bishop&Coulston page 133 and on Feugère page 149 (original Frenxh edition)<br>
Another contemporary belt with Greek lettering was posted some time ago here on RAT:<br>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tribunus/Buchstabengurtel3.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
It is allegedly in a German private collection. Holger Ratsdorf told me that he knows of its present whereabouts...<br>
Hopa that this will help you, You own a fine set and it would be interesting to see more detailed pics of the items!<br>
<br>
Aitor<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.

Rolf Steiner
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#6
Dear Aitor.<br>
<br>
Thank you very much for that invaluable information. It confirms what I had suspected to be the case. I will be taking detailed photographs of each item in the next few days and adding them to my website. I would be happy to email high resolution images if you are interested.<br>
<br>
In the two belts you describe, the buckle is attached by a hinge pin through the first belt plate. Mine has a different buckle design with a simple bar cast into the buckle for attachment. I have considered how it would have been attached, and theorize that the fungiform stud was utilized in some way. Perhaps a simple loop of leather through the buckle, turned back to the belt and fixed with the stud?<br>
<br>
The final item seems to be a phalera which may or may not have been attached to the belt.<br>
<br>
Holger Ratsdorf has also helped me in this matter, it was the terminals supplied with his exquiite replica of the Lyon belt that initiated my investigation.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#7
Hi Wasplank,<br>
The way your buckle was attached to one of the plates, the one to the extreme left (look for iron rust on it. The attaching mean did not neccessarily have iron components, but it is a possibility) is the one Mike described. I'll try to scan a pair of drawings to make it clearer to you, but it would be better if I could e-mail them directly to you.<br>
The phalera could be part from a sword-baldric (that is the component called 'balteus' in Latin, the belt is called 'cingulum')<br>
Good pics will be always welcome. My e-mail address is on my webpage.<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=aitoririarte>Aitor Iriarte</A> at: 8/15/04 5:40 pm<br></i>
It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.

Rolf Steiner
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