09-09-2003, 04:06 PM
<< I meant no argument, no offense, I am just not so sure of all the "for sure" things.<br>
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I want to see more real proof. Maybe they did have time to kill, maybe not... alas, 'tis a hobby and whilst I find it interesting, it ain't my real life. >><br>
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Hey, I'm not getting mad, it's just that.... WHAT PART OF "WE CAN'T BE CERTAIN" DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?<br>
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What would constitute "real proof" for you? The aformentioned frozen legionary in a pristine, rust-free lorica? Finding an intact legionary manuel with step-by-step instructions on how to get that nice, mirror finish on your lorica?<br>
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At the risk of sounding like a stuck CD, we're dealing with 1,900-year-old evidence here, and no one back then thought about us poor reenactors of the future. So we have to interpret a very meager amount of evidence to the best of our ability. We can't rectroactively use our experience as reenactors to make any firm conclusions about how they did things, especially when it comes to purely aesthetic issues. Hence, a modern blacksmith's opinion about forge-blued or blackened or grayed or whatever armor has no bearing whatsoever on the kind of finishes the Romans employed on their armor. If you like the look of forge-blued or grayed or whatever armor, go ahead and use it-- no one is stopping you. It is, as they say, a free Empire.<br>
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OK, I'm done.<br>
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T. Flavius Crispus<br>
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<p></p><i></i>
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I want to see more real proof. Maybe they did have time to kill, maybe not... alas, 'tis a hobby and whilst I find it interesting, it ain't my real life. >><br>
<br>
Hey, I'm not getting mad, it's just that.... WHAT PART OF "WE CAN'T BE CERTAIN" DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?<br>
<br>
What would constitute "real proof" for you? The aformentioned frozen legionary in a pristine, rust-free lorica? Finding an intact legionary manuel with step-by-step instructions on how to get that nice, mirror finish on your lorica?<br>
<br>
At the risk of sounding like a stuck CD, we're dealing with 1,900-year-old evidence here, and no one back then thought about us poor reenactors of the future. So we have to interpret a very meager amount of evidence to the best of our ability. We can't rectroactively use our experience as reenactors to make any firm conclusions about how they did things, especially when it comes to purely aesthetic issues. Hence, a modern blacksmith's opinion about forge-blued or blackened or grayed or whatever armor has no bearing whatsoever on the kind of finishes the Romans employed on their armor. If you like the look of forge-blued or grayed or whatever armor, go ahead and use it-- no one is stopping you. It is, as they say, a free Empire.<br>
<br>
OK, I'm done.<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
T. Flavius Crispus / David S. Michaels
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
