Question for re-enactors

[Alexand96]

Wow, a great bit of info here.

If there are not enough
rank and file on hand then sometimes this happens:

(LAFE ARK event March 009)

I thought Caesar died at the feet of a statue of Pompey??

A muscle cuirras is way to stiff and you can't do much in it (this also is true for a toga).

I concur with Jurjen, a muscle cuirass is very uncomfortable and can make tasks such as bending over very irritating.

Interesting observations gentleman. May I ask out of curiosity whether it was the anatomical sytle cuirass you wore? Or the shortened style that I've read (I believe it was Connolly) was supposed to be specific to mounted riders?

And if I may add, when doing an officer, you can't go half-way....Imagine being in 2451 and trying to reenact a CEO of a billion-dollars corporation. You just can't drive around in a Toyota,

Now that is a fascinating thought. I see what you mean as well - to make a convincing impression of a member of the richest and most powerful class in the world at the time, you'd have to 'pull out all the stops."

Once again, thank you for all of the informative responses. I see why there are few (if any) Gaius Mariuses or Scipio Africanuses waltzing around at events.

[Gaius Colletti]

Alexander, my cuirass was a the larger anatomical cuirass, and not the shortened style. I do not know if the shortened style would have made things any easier, though it certainly couldn't hurt

[Cheyenne]

It might be worth talking to Doc who posts on here - he is currently about to finish developing a higher ranking officers impression with excellent results - he has some pictures taken at the Columbus Day parade in New York and his kit looks very striking. As far as I am aware, he doesn't re-enact, but rather he gives talks by commission dressed in his kit

not the "cheap" 30$/30£ a yard stuff, but real officer quality

£30 a meter cloth is actually quite expensive to be honest - I only charge £25 a meter for hand dyed pure wool in an archaeological weave, although wool is very expensive at the moment and the price is increasing all the time.

Cloth exponentially, in relation to income would have been a very real commitment to investment in the ancient world. This is why we see such a massive amount of reuse and recycling of cloth, especially relating to tunics and clothing of the later empire. The cut of clothing also hints towards a culture of reuse, with scraps of cloth with different weaves making up aspects of the various known examples of trousers and bracae.

[Alexand96]

Yes, Cheyenne, I'd love to see those pics of Doc in full kit. I've seen his musculata which seems to me to be the most accurate modern recreation (based on the Roman musculata featured in D'amato's work) I've yet seen.

[Cheyenne]

If you PM him on this forum, His recent incarnation looks very striking, I made the soft kit for him (the tunic and paludamentum), he constructed the subarmour himself...

[agrimensor]

[attachment=2008]legatus.jpg[/attachment]
our group CORBVLO has legat in armour so there are some.
vale

[john roberts]

Wasn't there one general (and future emperor) who was mistaken for a common legionary because he dressed like one? I can't remember who it was just now, but that would make for an economical general or legatus impression.

[PhilusEstilius]

Jos.
I think that where you show the cuirass from the group Corbvlo there is a slight difference as compared to the picture of Trajan.
The Trajan one does not have the abdominal cover as the Corbvlo one shows, and this is where many might consider a cuirass as an uncomfortable piece of armour.
Where we look at the line of the waist of the Trajan one it is straight, which would indicate that the Emperor could ride a horse in comfort and even be able to lean forward in his saddle.

It does look a short type cuirass of course but it is not exactly the same, I think that this is where many who make a Cuirass become tempted to create the more clasical style as we see worn by the Emperors and other very high ranking people.
Therefore for Commanders and other Officers who would wear them in the field they would have to be able to ride a horse in comfort ie a very short waist type.