Propeller belts & plates in the 3rd century

[damianlz]

I have decided to dedicate to the 3rd century as it allows me to use a variety of helmet and equipment styles and I like the idea of the crisis, reasons rah rah rah. While I have no problem with swords and equipment I cannot seem to find a good source of 3rd century belts other than the wide shoulder baldric.

I was wondering if the wider 4th century propeller blades would have sen a presence in the 3rd century, or if anyone had more information on the belts and plates that a 3rd century roman would wear?

Edit. Romancoins.info has some of the best variety I have found so far but I am after whatever else I can get

[Flavivs Aetivs]

The Propellor Belts all have deposit dates between 375-450, roughly.

[Longovicium]

The Roman villa at Piazza Armerina in Sicily displays mosaics where at least one Roman belt is worn with its distinctive 'propellor' design. The dating is uncertain however with Maximinian being suggested as the patron. This would put the construction of the mosaics circa first quarter of the Fourth Century (contra Evan above). If true, then one 'might' posit a slightly earlier date for the belt designs but not by much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_Casale

[M. Val. Naso]

Which mosaic part is supposed to show propeller stiffeners?

[Crispvs]

If you are wanting to do a third century AD impression, then I would suggest either plain belts with ring buckles, for the mid third century onwards or FELIX VTERE mounts for the earlier part of the century. These latter are found in Lyon burial, dating to the late second century AD, along with the earliest evidence I know for the wide baldric. By the middle of the third century these seem to have been superseded by the ring buckle type. Trompetmeister type belt mount may also have survived into the mid third century, as part of one was found in Dura, although this may have been a loss from an earlier phase, as this type seems to have become common nearly a century before.

By the way, this thread is in the wrong place. It is neither a rule nor an announcement as so should have been posted in the Re-enactment and Reconstruction forum. Perhaps a moderator might oblige.

Crispvs

[Longovicium]

[markusaurelius]

A ring buckle would be a good 3rd century belt. I don t know of a good reproduction however.

[Martin Moser]

3rd century certainly is the era of the ring buckle. If you want to look further into propeller et al. belts I recommend Sommer, Markus. Die Gürtel und Gürtelbeschläge des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts im Römischen Reich.