SNAPPY SOLDIER TUNIC PLEAT

[John M McDermott]

I believe I have come up with a way to achieve the pleating effect you see on much Roman sculpture of Roman soldiers. Pictured below are grave steles showing Roman soldiers with very "salty" pleats on the front of their tunics. Steles are by no means the only place you see this depicted. How then, did the Romans do this? Was this just artisitic convention, and, nothing else?

I believe that Roman soldiers, like all good professional soldiers, took a pride in their appearance and had certain styles of wearing their clothes to make a dashing and rakish appearance.

This can be achieved by taking two fibula and using them to create a pleating effect. I got the idea from some of my wife's clothing that used a drawstring along the side seam of the garment. When you pulled the drawstring, you not only shortened up the garment, but created a pleating effect also. You take a fibula to each seam of the tunic. I begin about 11 inches below the armpit and insert the pin of the fibula about eight separate times, drawing up the fabric each time into the round, curved part of the fibula. I then close the fibula pin. Next, I put on the tunic and insert the cord or belt I use to blouse up the tunic through the curved part of the fibula(some fibulae come with an eyelet that can be used for this purpose) and pull the fibula up around my wasit and tie off the belt. I then draw back the fibulae around my waist to pull everything tight and then pull them forward to slightly in front of my waist. This creates the desired pleating effect. You then blouse the tunic normally to cover the belt. I am pictured below wearing my tunic this way. It takes a few tries to get a really neat effect, but practice makes perfect.

[Neuraleanus]

I had thought that these guys were wearing a specially cut tunic, but perhaps not. Your pleats look good. I'll have to give the method a try.

[John M McDermott]

The fibula, was, I think, the duct tape of its day. I just started experimenting, and got good results. You might try sticking the pin through more times or any other things that make it look better.

[Crispvs]

Interesting and possibly a solution to the problem of why the Rhineland sculptures show tunics draped that way. You might be interested to know that the Velson soldier was found with two fibulae, and although these are normally assumed to have been associated with a cloak, if your suggestion is right then we might be seeing the evidence there.

Incidentally I normally achieve a very similar effect with my tunic by belting it tightly with a waist tie while it is still hanging at full length. I then hitch the material up over the waist tie at the sides, first left, then right and so on, pulling up only a small amount of material at a time. This method produces a series of crescent shaped folds at both front and back. The only problem is that it also pulls up my undertunic, which I have to keep pulling back down again.

Crispvs

[richsc]

Two questions; what is your sleeve length on that tunic, and could you post a photo of your fibula with the fabric gathered in it?

[Graham Sumner]

Hello John

The use of fibulae to achieve the draping effect is a useful approach which would also help explain why there are so many brooches found on military sites. However as Crispus rightly points out similar effects can be achieved without them often simply by pulling the tunic up slightly higher at the sides.

Even so while creating a curved effect this rarely duplicates the amount of folds that the Roman sculptors have obviously gone to great lengths to depict.

It would be interesting to see pictures of your tunic without the apron if possible to get a better idea of what you have done. Nevertheless you can also see, even in the sources that you have supplied that the curving effect is beginning to happen on the upper body as well so perhaps you could try having the brooches higher up. I for one would certainly be interested in seeing the results of that experiment.

Graham.

[Magnus]

How about ironing them to make the pleats? Similar to how the japanese make their hakama.

[Neuraleanus]

How would you then create the curvature of the hem?

[Matthew Amt]

I thought the Velsen soldier's fibulae were found at his shoulders, where a tunic was usually pinned. Have to look that up.

Matthew

[John M McDermott]

Here is a picture of the fibula in place. It is not very neat looking, but it gets the job done. Remember, it functions as belt loop this way too. I think with repeated practice, a lot better result can be obtained, like tying a tie knot.

These are pictures of my first attempt. The sculptures show lots of very neat pleats. It could represent artistic convention or it could be that the number and perfection of the pleats was a point of expression with the individual soldier. The more and better the pleats, the sharper the look. I know from my own stay in the Marine Corps that such expression through one's uniform was very commonplace.

On these sculptures I think the pleats on the upper body come from the sagum. I am working on a correct expression of this too. I have worked out one way of wearing the sagum that matches some sculpture, but have not yet perfected the way it is shown on these sculptures. I have seen other sculpture that shows pleating on the upper part of the tunic too. Haven't been able to match this yet.

[A_Volpe]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing your insights on this, it does give a good idea on how the tunic was pleated, indeed!

Although, my concern would be the pin of the fubula making the wrong way into your body at an inopportune time...Ocuhy!

I've tried the tight-tunic-tie version as Crispvs has done. Although lately I've been more concerned with showing "too much Roman" at the all-ages programs I do, so I just end up pulling the tunic down to just my knees and leave it at that.

Semper Ubi Sububi!

[mcbishop]

I've spent years trying to sort this out and almost got it several times (much draping of sheets on more-or-less willing volunteers...), but each time something was not quite right. I tried using draped lengths of material, sewn bag type tunics and who-knows-what, but the one common denominator I came up with was the use of the cummerbund (aka fascia ventralis) to gather the material at the waist and hoist it slightly at the sides in order to get the curving pattern of folds shown on the pre-Flavian tombstones. Nearly all of the tombstones that show this distinctive patterning have the cummerbund.

All the available evidence (including those tombstones themselves, as well as excavated burials) shows brooches to have been used at the shoulder, principally for fastening the cloak... and of course upside down, compared to the way they are usually drawn (ie the 'wrong' way up).

My current favourite interpretation of the pre-Flavian tunic employs a variant on the paenula, a length of material with a central hole for the head, draped over the body, then gathered with the cummerbund and arranged at the sides so that they overlap and are slightly higher than the front and rear hems. Not 100% convinced by it, but it's the best I've seen yet.

Flavian tombstones have much less elaborate folds - one interpretation might be a change in the type of tunic used, but it could equally be fashion amongst sculptors. You pays your money and takes your choice...

Mike Bishop

[John M McDermott]

With all humility, Mr. Bishop, (seeing how the page I used came out of your book) could you post a picture of the cummerbund in action?

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi John,
Most, perhaps all, of the tombstones on the page you used are in the imagebase. The cummerband effect is hard to see on most. These two show a straight line just above their belts.
[url:1464za8q]http://www.romanarmy.com/imb/imagebase-show.asp?ID=7[/url]
[url:1464za8q]http://www.romanarmy.com/imb/imagebase-show.asp?ID=37[/url]

[Antonius Lucretius]

John,

I don't know whether a fibula was used or not. What I know is what you achieved is the closest thing so far to the tombstones. Congratulations!
The more I look at your pictures, the more I think that's it..