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Hello.
I'm currently working on a early fifth century german federate kit, and I have some hesitation about the choice of a crossbow brooch for this kind of soldier.
Indeed, all the artifact of this period are fine works, and, in my opinion, designed for high ranking characters.
What's your opinion ?
P.S : I hope this message is understandable, because my english is quite rusted.
Baptiste Legeron
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Yes and no.
You are right, some crossbow fibulae were extremely fine artifacts, and we know of some types that they were only for the higher ranks.
But there are many crossbow brooch types of the 'normal' type, and in fact we know that they were mass-produced in Pannonia, in all probability for the army. So when your federate soldier would have received his material from the army, it's likely that such a crossbow brooch would have been among the items received.
BUT :!: , if your Germanic soldier was a 'pure' federate, it's possible that he would have carried just a few Roman items in his attire. Germanic soldiers joined the regular Roman army, and they were equipped by the Roman state. But federates were not regular troops, and were probably mostly paid, but not equipped, by the Roman state.
So, your federate may have worn any sort of fibula, not necessarily a crossbow type.
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Good !
Thanks for your answers, Valerius.
Precisely, my project is a wisigothic federate between 397 and 418. So, a "pure" federate.
If I follow your advice, I can equally wear a late Tcherniakov fibula or any roman civilian fibula (omega type, for instance) ?
Baptiste Legeron
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Yes you can. If this man is not trying to look like a regular soldier he can wear almost anything for a fibula.
