04-24-2006, 02:32 PM
Travis wrote:
Travis how could you :wink: . Here am I telling people not to ignore sources if they have Byzantine or Coptic in the title. I know what you mean though, the Byzantine court bore little resemblence to that of Augustus but they still considered themselves Romans. Equally however the court of Diocletian would have been strange to Augustan Romans, what with all those trousers and long sleeves.
Tarbicus wrote:
For the super rich upper classes yes. A bit more difficult in the wider context because everyone was trying to climb up the social ladder with wider clavi, fake purples etc. It would be similar today if you went to a wedding and even if all the men were in black suits It would still be possible perhaps to tell how well off everone was by the quality, label of their clothes.
Even if a private Roman soldier wore a yellow brown cloak and white tunic and stood next to an officer also wearing a yellow brown cloak and a white tunic it would still have been possible to tell them apart. The officers cloak and tunic would have been of far better quality both in terms of dye and material. His footwear too would reflect his status even again if they were of similar styles. His weapons also would follow this pattern, (This is something really difficult to put across today in the re-enactment world. After all how many of us could afford gold and silver swords daggers and belts etc.. ) Add to that of course his grooming and bearing.
As for the salute I am still waiting to hear the results of the Di Canio case in Italy where his lawyers are supposed to be finding out the origins of the Roman Salute. If I hear anything I will post straight away.
Graham.
Quote:Also, Romans aren't Byzantines.
Travis how could you :wink: . Here am I telling people not to ignore sources if they have Byzantine or Coptic in the title. I know what you mean though, the Byzantine court bore little resemblence to that of Augustus but they still considered themselves Romans. Equally however the court of Diocletian would have been strange to Augustan Romans, what with all those trousers and long sleeves.
Tarbicus wrote:
Quote:Are shoes a good way to differentiate between classes. For example, if you're approaching someone and have never seen them before, and if they are wearing a cloak, or the rest of their clothes are hard to distinguish for whatever reason?
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For the super rich upper classes yes. A bit more difficult in the wider context because everyone was trying to climb up the social ladder with wider clavi, fake purples etc. It would be similar today if you went to a wedding and even if all the men were in black suits It would still be possible perhaps to tell how well off everone was by the quality, label of their clothes.
Even if a private Roman soldier wore a yellow brown cloak and white tunic and stood next to an officer also wearing a yellow brown cloak and a white tunic it would still have been possible to tell them apart. The officers cloak and tunic would have been of far better quality both in terms of dye and material. His footwear too would reflect his status even again if they were of similar styles. His weapons also would follow this pattern, (This is something really difficult to put across today in the re-enactment world. After all how many of us could afford gold and silver swords daggers and belts etc.. ) Add to that of course his grooming and bearing.
As for the salute I am still waiting to hear the results of the Di Canio case in Italy where his lawyers are supposed to be finding out the origins of the Roman Salute. If I hear anything I will post straight away.
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.
