Those measurements you have given for the 4 pieces whichyou mention are just about right for the size of the average mans fist to go thro' this would indicate that these purses would have fitted just on the forearm.
Mmm, mine is 9x8cm and fits above the elbow.
I realy want to see some more pictures before I make a secound version.
Sutoris
Where you say yours is 9x8cm I must take that as when it is not worn and pushed together. Then when worn yours will expand that far as you have a 3 piece type handle which allows it to expand so far.
If you look at the original this one will only expand as far as the 2 springs come together only on the forearm.
Where you have shown a pic' of your armpurse on it's side it is a good construction, however looking at the original the 2 halves of the handle taper down very thin and were much longer than you have made yours.
Then the two halves of the actual handle itself becomes the 2 springs where each end of the handle has been wrapped around the other to hold it together.
I keep refering to these things as springs but they are not springs in the true sense, they simply hold the handle together loosely, and allow it to expand and contract but then it can only expand to the limit of when the two springs come close together this is what would give the tension of the handle against the arm when worn.
The tension of these armpurse handles is such that the pull is inwards and they have to be pushed apart just gently to go on the arm.
When on the arm, would such a purse be carried the way a woman carries her purse? In other words, the strap is at the elbow joint and the arm has to be bent to stop it from sliding off.
Suppose then that someone tried to steal the purse off the owners arm and this person is a soldier, how would he use his gladius with one hand and try to keep the purse from sliding off the opposite arm. It certainly would not be on the same arm the soldier would use to fight with the gladius.
"You have to laugh at life or else what are you going to laugh at?" (Joseph Rosen)
I think you find that by clenching the fist as you grab hold of your Pugio with the right hand the armpurse will stay where it is on the right wrist, and any one foolish enough to put his hands any where near that purse will meet a very sharp blade.
I'm sure it would be the Pugio for that is the more likely weapon carried by the soldier on his off duty time in the Vicus, which would also be one of the only times that many are going to see that armpurse.
Then again I think that fools and thieves would have a very healthy respect of soldiers who carry daggers.
I do not think that I can get my purse above by bicept without stopping the circulation.
At the wrist is no problem. Brian, the stela that we see always have a soldier not in full armor carrying the gladius and the pugio with his belt(s). I do not think that a soldier could get very far with the pugio. Besides, it's the gladius that people feared not the pugio.
"You have to laugh at life or else what are you going to laugh at?" (Joseph Rosen)
In most Roman Forts there was the building known as the Armorum ( armory ) where most weapons were kept, and I'm sure that in more peaceful times that is just where most weapons would have been kept.
The soldiers who were put on evening guard duty would go to the armory to collect their weapons for this task, infact we do find that many pieces of weaponry have soldiers names etched into them and we have to ask ourselves just why this is so.
The soldier in his relief time from duty would I think only have his Pugio, as this appears to be the more personal weapon.
Thanks to a friend I finally managed to get some more information.
Apparently there are two types of locks and two types of construction.
The type of construction determent the type of lock.
A Chase: Spring Lock
B Cast : Sliding Lock
Here are pictures of the type of armpurse I make where the lid itself is spring loaded with a catch pin that goes into one of the arms of the purse and to open the handle is pulled apart which throws the lid upwards.
[attachment=5412]purse191Medium.jpg[/attachment]
Nice work Brian,
I see you let the lid open off-center,how is the hinge made?
I like the wrapping around the handle.
Can you put it around the upper arm?
As mentioned the lid is spring loaded so that when the two halves of the handle are pulled apart the lid bounces upward with the lock pin releasing from the arm.
The hinge is just a very small rectangular slot in the other end of the lid which has a very small metal plate going through it that is riveted to the other arm, when the lid comes open it can be lifted higher then just pushed out at one side to allow for taking out the money which would be wrapped in velum or a piece of cloth.
There are giude vanes on the inside of the lid so when it is closed these vanes help locate the lid, then pressure on the lid snaps the lock pin back into its hole in the arm. It has been discovered from some purses found that the coins would be in velum or cloth because silver coins such as Denarii when punched out are stressed metal and can be broken if allowed to roll around in a purse.
It is the beating of the metal bowl that helps to create the tension on each arm where they tend to pull inwards where the spring join is, hence the tension on the locking of this purse very similar to one or two found in the museum at Chesters Fort on Hadrian's Wall these have no bolts or rings to them they are just smooth all over.
This purse as I think like most would only need to fit the forearm however Guy de la Bedoyere in his book "The finds of Roman Britain" considered they would fall off the arm and so he thinks they would have been tied to a belt. This I find absoloutly ridiculous for what is the name of this thing other than an ARM purse and of course what is its shape for other than fitting an arm.
