Show here your Sarmatian warrior impression

[Alanus]

Hi Alan,

Some parts of the impression can be found earlier, like the splint greaves that date back to the Scytian era but continued into late Roman Britain.

Actually we Late Romans tend not to use splint greaves because that can't be dated to anywhere before the 7th century.. I would surely welcome your references to splint greaves in Late Roman times, Britain or elsewhere!

Back to you Robert, and also John

I made the statement about splint greaves based on my theory that various pieces of armor were carried directly from one time period to the next in a continuum, not "reinvented." I had seen this style of greaves in the Ashmolian at Oxford, early, Scythian, and made from bronze strips attached to a leather backing. Likewise, I found photos of late Roman reenactor/cavalrymen also wearing them. I believe the connectiveness would be the interim influence, the Sarmatians.

The pot helmet in my kit is based almost exactly on the early archer's helmet at the Sofia museum, Bulgaria-- the right period and place. I noticed British reenactors portraying Hamian archers also used the same style, but (for whatever reason) they added a wide band around the lower portion of the helmet. Perhaps this was done to accomodate a "long-headed" person even though the originals were designed for a "round-headed" skull. But my version is closer to the original Sofia helmet, which was quite fancy. I added a little fanciness to the basic pot; and since there were holes along the rim of the original, I used chainmail and left off the cheekpieces.

My idea for the impression was to depict a 1st century Roxolanus archer within a Roman auxilliary unit, the 1st Cohors Pannoniarum. Putting this kit together was not easy, since I had no other Sarmatian reenactors as an exampe to follow. The kit is light, very easy to maneuver in, and suits a reenactor of my age. It shows many eastern influences that (hopefully) would have been correct for the period.:?