Achaemenian reenactment

[Dan D'Silva]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is in the right place or not (since it's not "of Rome"), so let me know.

I'm interested in reenacting a Persian/Median archer from around the Battle of Marathon. I have the rough picture of what it should look like, but I'm having a hard time finding sources on construction methods or patterns.

I have access to JSTOR and a few other databases, some public libraries and bookstores and possibly to the Drexel U. library.

Thanks in advance.

[Jona Lendering]

I remember having seen an article on the quality of the reconstruction of the reenactors at the Shah's celebration of what he called 2,500 years of Iranian monarchy; but I did not read it and I have no idea where I spotted it. I know this is not a great help, but we know that there is at least one person on this person who knows how to judge good and bad reconstructions. :wink:

[Sean Manning]

Hi Dan,

I'm actually working on the same thing myself. You can find my linen tiara/kybarisia on this forum if you search for it, and on the Bronze Age Center I'm posting progress on my scale armour. I'm actually considering starting a thread about Achaemenid tunics to see what other early clothing is known from areas where people wore tunics and trousers. I'm also at the stage of looking at art and wondering how to turn it into a pattern.

The book "Forgotten Empire" from a British Museum exhibition has lots of useful pictures of art including fragments of frescos from Susa. S.I. Rudenko's book on Scythian finds from the Altai Mountains has the pattern of a Scythian linen shirt and mentions a felt tiara/kyrbasia which he doesn't sketch or include in the photographs Erik Schmidt's books on the Persepolis excavations have some interesting things too.

Here are my thoughts so far on Persian clothing.

The ordinary male outfit was the 'Median dress' of cap with neckflap and chin flaps, knee-length sleeved tunic, sash, trousers, and soft leather shoes. This is depicted in many sources such as the Persepolis reliefs, gold plaques in the Oxus treasure, and the Alexander Mosaic. Unfortunately, art doesn't tell us about many details, such as how the trousers were held up or what was worn underneath. We can tell that the outer tunic is narrow at the wrists, fairly close about the chest, and wide below the waist to allow walking. There is no sign of a vertical slit at the neck, although the neck opening does look fairly tight and people are rarely seen from the front in art from the empire.

The most promising text is from Strabo, where the geographer gives an antiquarian description of the Persians:

Strabo, Geography, 3.15.19 (from Lascus Curtius, tr. H.L. Jones): They serve in the army and hold commands from twenty to fifty years of age, both as foot-soldiers and as horsemen; and they do not approach a market-place, for they neither sell nor buy. They arm themselves with a rhomboidal wicker-shield; and besides quivers they have swords and knives; and on their heads they wear a tower-like hat; and their breastplates are made of scales of iron. The garb of the commanders consists of three-ply trousers, and of a double tunic, with sleeves, that reaches to the knees, the under garment being white and the upper vari-coloured. In summer they wear a purple or vari-coloured cloak, in winter a vari-coloured one only; and their turbans are similar to those of the Magi; and they wear a deep double shoe. Most of the people wear a double tunic that reaches to the middle of the shin, and a piece of linen cloth round the head; and each man has a bow and sling. Persians dine in an extravagant manner, serving whole animals in great numbers and of various kinds; and their couches, as also their drinking-cups and everything else, are so brilliantly ornamented that they gleam with gold and silver.

That sounds to me like a wool or linen undertunic with sleeves and a wool overtunic with sleeves. There is some disagreement between Greek art, which shows Persian tunics as baggy, and art from the empire, which shows a smoother, tighter look. I'm inclined to follow art from the empire, although the truth was probably in the middle. Someday I should look at the finds from the Persepolis excavations for possible buttons and buckles.

Sean

[Paralus]

Persians dine in an extravagant manner, serving whole animals in great numbers and of various kinds; and their couches, as also their drinking-cups and everything else, are so brilliantly ornamented that they gleam with gold and silver.

That sounds to me like sometrhing well worth re-enacting. Indeed I did so with a pig on the lawn and aged shiraz for my fiftieth.

I stopped short of the Median garb: it might have been a little "loud" for the neigbourhood judging by the restored "Alexander sarcophagus"!

[Dan D'Silva]

Thanks. I had no idea about the layered clothes. I'd been considering using modified Viking patterns, for expediency, if no Persian/Mede ones turn up, since they look similar. I'd assume the round neckline ties closed.

A tiara would be good, but maybe a domed Mede cap would be simpler to make?

Can't tell how the belt buckle closes.

I've read that the Persian bow was similar to the Skythian, and these are plentiful. But the gorytos has me really stumped, as I can't find out how to make one (not that I have the skill anyway) or anyone selling them.

[Sean Manning]

As far as I can tell the Persians used two styles of bows. The “B-shaped” Scythian style with a recurved center was more common, but there is another “C-shaped” style without the set-back center. Darius the Great holds one in the Behistun relief and Persian chariot archers use it in a painting of his Scythian war. Probably either style would be OK for the early 5th century, and a Scythian bow would be easier to buy. I'm not sure about the gorytos, but it looks like there is a pocket on one side for the bow and a pocket on the other side for the arrows. Maybe some sort of stiff material in the center? I know there are some Scythian reenactors our there, and they may have some ideas.

Viking Age patterns sound like they could work. A neck slit might have been left out of pictures.

[MeinPanzer]

Gorytoi generally have the main "bag" for the bow (almost always strung), and then side pockets (usually tube shaped) or smaller packs attached to hold arrows and perhaps other bits as well. The various eastern Iranian peoples who employed the gorytus seem to have generally attached covers to the open end as well, presumably to shield the bow and arrows from the elements.

I recently found a picture of a complete and almost perfectly preserved gorytus from a 4th-3rd c. BC burial from the Altai mountains which I will post later to give some idea of gorytus construction.

[MeinPanzer]

And here you go. "A" is a photograph of gorytus found in kurgan 1 of the Berkh-Kal'dzhin-2 burial ground in the Ukok plateau of the Altai mountains. It shows the side of the gorytus which would face the bearer. You can see the general construction: the whole thing is made of leather, with a wooden "backbone" running along the long top edge. "B" is a reconstruction showing the other side of a gorytus from kurgan 3 of the same burial ground along with the belt it was found with. Both burials are 4th-3rd c. BC in date. Note the cylindrical pouch which holds arrows and the fact that only its top edge, along with the "cap" for the bottom, are sewn into the backbone. Also note the identical covers for both, made of red and brown pieces of cloth. Unfortunately, even with these very clear photographs, I still can't tell how the gorytus hook which is so commonplace in archaeological finds of steppe nomads attaches to the whole thing, though I suspect that it was probably sewn onto the backbone as well. I will be getting a hold of a few more sources relating to these finds soon, so I will post more information if I find it.

http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/images/gorytus.jpg

[Sean Manning]

Cool. Thanks Ruben. It looks a lot like the one that Darius' bow-bearer carries in a famous relief at Persepolis. Where was the gortyus published? The only book on finds from the Altai I know of is Rudenko's.

[MeinPanzer]

Cool. Thanks Ruben. It looks a lot like the one that Darius' bow-bearer carries in a famous relief at Persepolis. Where was the gortyus published? The only book on finds from the Altai I know of is Rudenko's.

This picture is taken from "Kostjum i tekstil’ pazyrykcev Altaja (IV - III vv. do n. e.)" by N.V. Polos'mak, L.L. Barkova, and V.I. Molodin. This publishes some good pictures of new finds from other, more recent discoveries from the Altai mountains, mainly from the Ukok plateau, which have included at least 3 burials of horse archers from the 4th-3rd c. BC, one of which even includes a very well preserved bow.

[Dan D'Silva]

Thank you, Ruben.

I ought to have used some search terms less obscure than "gorytos" -- it turns out there are plenty of bow quivers available, including one described as Scythian from Grozer Traditional Archery with the two-pocket design. But none of them look quite like that one or the Persepolis reliefs. It looks like a job for a custom leather worker.

[Renger]

I work for some time on my Persian representation.A Takabara 400 BC.It still lacks some things but I think my presentation of a Persian Takabara is already presentable.



I hope my presentation will have to complete this year

[Dan D'Silva]

Looks good! You seem to be using an uncut neckline? After examining a lot of art lately I'm considering switching to a wider round round one with no slit. The Sarcophagus is a wonderful source, especially the restoration, and I'm going for the red-and-blue one worn by the rider in the middle.

It never occurred to me to make a leather chape. I finally cast one that's not too messed-up to use (pewter, yes, but I'll imagine it's very high-tin bronze) after half a dozen tries -- it's still really rough and ugly, but I'm out of patience and I'm using it.

[Pharnabazos]

Hello,

Here my impression of an Achaemenian Persian Immortal Takabara (Persepolis background for added drama... :wink: )

The Median dress is made from an Persian bed cover made in Iran consisting entirely of woven cotton and silk. The pattern suited perfectly for the Achaemenian impression.

The Tiara is made of natural white wool.

The Taka is covered with leather and shows the Zoroastrian Farvahar.

I need to finish the spear and get some lamellar armor and dagger.

Hope you like it.

[Sean Manning]

Ingenious source for the cloth! What period are you aiming for?

I'm not sure if the shield should be so small and concave. There is also a discussion recently that Achaemenid leggings were probably hose (with two separate legs) rather than trousers (with the legs joined together) based on the reliefs at Susa and pictures of tribute-bearers at Persepolis.

All the Achaemenid metal body armour I know of is scale not lamellar ie. the scales were attached to the backing but not to each other. There are good drawings of surviving scales in Erik Schmidt's book on the excavations at Persepolis. The cut of the armour is either tube-and-yoke or hard to tell. A distinctive feature is the very tall guard for the back of the neck, especially on the armours which don't look like tube-and-yokes.