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Anyone know of any Hamata fragments that may have been tinned or silvered. How about scales?
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IIRC some Roman scales were tinned. I think they sometimes even tinned bronze scales but I don't have a cite atm.
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Yeah, it seems fairly clear that the Romans used tinning as decoration, not as a means of protecting the metal from corrosion.
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Because copper alloys need no protective coating. Because often selected parts of the armour were tinned - usually in some sort of pattern. How much evidence is there for tinned iron scale?
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I am of the opinion that they did it to give the impression of wearing iron or silver armour...although the anti corrsion interpretation had sounded plausable.
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
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