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Flavius,<br>
I myself 'own' a few items, purchased from more or less respectable antique-dealers. Anyway I'm conscious about the huge damage done all around the world.<br>
I also agree that it would be better for most countries, included mine, to follow an attitude towards detectorists like the British ones, but rmember that in poor countries archaeological plundering is not a matter of week-end detectorists but a fully organized and profitable industry...<br>
<br>
Aitor<br>
<br>
Arahne,<br>
Don't forget us, please! <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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Caius Fabius--<br>
<br>
Yes, there are indeed a lot of "questionable" items (to put it tactfully) on eBay. Unless you really know your stuff, if you're going to collect ancient coins or artifacts, it's usually better to deal through reputable firms like (ahem, cough cough) my own, Freeman & Sear. The "Sear" of which literally "wrote the book" on ancient coins.<br>
<br>
Slavey forgeries or other copies (which should clearly be marked as such, byt the way) are indeed a good option for those who just want a representation of what an ancient coin looked like, but might not suffice for those who want to actually touch a piece of history.<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI VPF<br>
CA, USA<br>
<br>
et, sales director<br>
Freeman & Sear<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
T. Flavius Crispus / David S. Michaels
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
As I said I'll provide better photos soon. Yes the scabbard is attached to the belt, as stripe shows. No evidence for existence of the baldrick. There were no finds in the sarcophagus, but in the chamber we found Arcadius coin, some fragments of IV century lamps. I measured the possible lenght of the sword and if I'm right it couldn't exceed 70cm. So shall we call it gladius? About my initial problem, I have seen different strap ends in the form of circle, but all of them are decorated in some way. This one is absollutely flat, undecorated, except the perls on the edge. Such perledged strap ends have been found in Pannonia but all of them are square, and decorated again. As I said thanks to you all.<br>
About the second topic.<br>
This knowledge of past times that we can speek of in the beggining of the 21. century didn't come from itself. It emmerged from the hard labor and development of different sciences of which is the archeology a distinctive part. Archeology is not the science but methodological approach, with basic idea of reconsidering the past by material evidence positioned in the space and by that means - in the time. From the method of comparing the analogical material we came to deeper conclusions so in the present times we can say that roman life perhaps is not unknown to us. And that is because of millions of things found in the archeological context. Compare it to the forensic, criminological analysis.<br>
One example.<br>
In the sixties a temple of Iupiter Dolichenus was found. In the part of it a handle for icon of Iupiter Dolichenus. In the late seventies my father purchased for his museum a guilded icon of Iupiter Dolichenus. As a matter of fact the guy who sold it is from the same place where the handle was found. And for the sake of the story, they match. But, we will never know where it stood.<br>
<br>
As Aitor said it is not the matter of weekend plunderers, it is part of the organized crime. Same people, deeling with drugs, child abuse, prostitution, weapons, and so one, sell through their same conections, antiques on the west. And I agree that we have to work with detectorists, they are the first hand in the chain, and sometimes they are willing to show us what they found. It depends if we speak about Sirmium, Singidunum, Viminacium, eastern Serbia, Kosovo. Different situations. <p></p><i></i>
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Arahne,<br>
Maybe you are overestimating the sculptor's abilities. He was not a bad one but not so a good one, indeed, as not distorting the overall proportions. I would take body references for the sword's length and, from them, estimate its possible length.<br>
The same goes for the strap-end, I think that the scultor did his most with the pearled edge but it would have been nearly impossible for him to render any incised or 'interrasile' decoration on the inner disc! I'd swear that I've seen somewhere such a round pearled estrap-end but I cannot tell it for sure and I have not time to start a search now (probably I shall be in better condition soon and then I'll do )<br>
Fifth century coins and fourth century lamps...<br>
<br>
Aitor <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
Well, Aitor, that's what I did. Soldier's height is 65 cm. Average human lenght was 1.65 m. Multiplying index is 2.54. Depicted swords length is 27 cm times 2.54, it is 68 cm rough. I know that someone saw this, that's why I posted. There is always the possibility that some part's where coloured. Arcadius is end of IV, beggining of the V century. Untipical fragments of IV century glazed (green) lamps. <p></p><i></i>
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Arahne,<br>
Maybe the sculptor did not keep the overall proportions or even the relative proportions between the components of the body. I mean that if, for instance, the sword reaches from armpit to knee length (only a hypothesis) I would measure the 'normal' distance from armpit to knee and not just make a direct proportion between total lengts...<br>
In any case, you can only trust for measurements the work of good sculptors and not always...<br>
<br>
Aitor <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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