4th century Authentic March

[Mithras]

Hi,

I'm a member of British 4thC group Comitatus [url:3j3bwqo7]http://www.comitatus.net/[/url]. In January we walked up England's highest mountain in kit: [url:3j3bwqo7]http://www.geocities.com/zozergames/roman3.html[/url].

Next month we are planning a short two day walk along Hadrian's Wall, call it a patrol. We will be carrying, and eating and sleeping in, only authentic 4thC Roman stuff. We think we have what we need.

For other 4thC re-enactors - what would would you take? What would you need? My particular interest is in 4thC tents and in 4thC rations.

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Paul,

As you probably know I'm very impressed both by your website as well as your 'expeditions'!

The thing is, are you going to carry all or do you take a mule with you? If not, those tents that you described on your website look very well for the job. How heavy is your 'Kelmarsh-version'?

Is this one OK to sleep rough in?

I have some doubts as to your interpretation of Carol van Driel-Marry's reconstruction. Or rather, I doubt her reconstruction. With just a bit of tiny pieces she reconstructed a large large lanel. I doubt that's scientifically possible.

[Carlton Bach]

Can't help you with the tents, but if this is a 'patrol' you'll probably only use tarps anyway. The same thing goes for rations - I would assume if a unit were patrolling an area, it would simply buy, draw or requisition supplies along the route. So I'd carry ready-made food rather than go through the trouble of preparing it in marching camps as you would on campaign,

As to what to take, the main item should be bucellatum - biscuits. We don't know the exact composition, but I strongly suggest not going the ships' biscuit route and instead making it from good, well-risen wholemeal wheat sourdough bread. Just slice it and bake it at low heat till bone dry. Then you'd be wanting sour wine to mix with the local drinking water for posca, or, if you can get it, better quality wine for similar purposes.

So much for rations, I don't think the Emperor will give you more, officially. Of course 4th century authors always bewail how pampered their troops have gotten (does anyone take that seriously?) so I could see a good deal of extras coming along - if not on the military budget, then at the soldiers' personal expense. Pork was distributed in the city annona and I'd be surprised if the troops didn't get any. Of course, you'll be limited to bacon for carrying (or you could take dried meat, which would have to be beef, goat or mutton). Anthimus describes the habit of eating bacon raw as common in the Rhineland in the early 6th century, but that needn't mean you have to, True Romans would cook it, I guess. Sausages also would be good, as would a hard goat or sheep cheese. Dried fruit are always popular, tough in the northern provinces they're liable to be expensive. All of these rations are also convenient to carry as you get lots of calories packed into little weight, and can store them without much concern for them going off. If you feel peckish, bring some sesame seed honey crackers or quince paste cooked with honey to gelling point. Galen describes both as popular sweets, and they travel well.

Of course, for the 'legionary experience' you'll want to grind your own grain to bake flatbread in the ashes, but as I said, I don't think that's likely for patrol units.

[Mithras]

Thanks for the praise, Robert. You have created the Late Roman site par excellence, however 8)

Regarding Carol van Driel-Marry's reconstruction, I was easily swayed by Aitor's posts on the subject! But disregarding that leather, I still have the Vienna Genesis 6thC illustration to copy.

That tent of mine is around 12kg with ridge pole. Definately not man-portable, but it matches that illustration is good for my 400 AD date and I suppose would get thrown into a wagon or on a mule.

For a tent, it looks like we are going to use the same technique, but lashing a lancea to two veruta. We tried this and it fitted the three of us in (minus equipment!).

I'll be carrying the canvas as a roll on a leather strap, a bit like an American Civil War 'mule-collar', and carry my stuff (food, frying pan, spare sandals, string, camp knife) inside it. I'm copying this off of another panel in the Vienna Genesis, a traveller leaves home (in long sleeved white tunic with orbiculi and clavii), with a red blanket rolled up (probably stuffed with belongings) and tied over his back. Since I can't find any evidence of a loculus being used (and I have one) I don't want to take it on the march. I really want to get into the spriit and the detail of this.

Carlton. YOu have given me some very interesting ideas on trail food to digest ( ). Thanks for that. Again, I aim to be very faithful. I can eat rough food for two days, I'm not bothered too much. I want to know what it was like... the frustrated time traveller in me. Carlton, what is the difference between a ships biscuit, then, and bread biscuits baked bone dry??

[Carlton Bach]

Ships' biscuits were barely leavened small cakes made from very coarse meal. That made them wellnigh indefinitely storable (I think I still have one of the souvenir ones from Portsmouth from the early 90s - the box said you can eat it, but it isn't recommended). It also makes them hard, unpalatable, and very dense. Pretty much indestructible.

If you make your bucellatum from properly leavened bread slices, the result will not be as durable - under the best conditions it will stay palatable for a few years, but any moisture, any impact or friction, wil damage it, and if ist stays moist it will go mouldy much more quickly than a whole cake with the crust to protect it. But it is something you will actually want to eat.

[Robert Vermaat]

Thanks for the praise, Robert. You have created the Late Roman site par excellence, however 8)

You flatterer you! :oops:

Regarding Carol van Driel-Marry's reconstruction, I was easily swayed by Aitor's posts on the subject! But disregarding that leather, I still have the Vienna Genesis 6thC illustration to copy.

indeed, that image is telling enough, even though we can't be sure what fabric was used.

That tent of mine is around 12kg with ridge pole. Definately not man-portable, but it matches that illustration is good for my 400 AD date and I suppose would get thrown into a wagon or on a mule.

That's the 'Kelmarsh tent'? I assumed you used the lancea there, too..

For a tent, it looks like we are going to use the same technique, but lashing a lancea to two veruta. We tried this and it fitted the three of us in (minus equipment!).

Yes, I'm going to try that next weekend (hope it does not rain too much). What do I need in terms of leather thongs, pegs, that sort of stuff? What;s the best method to tie a lancea to two veruta?

I'm copying this off of another panel in the Vienna Genesis, a traveller leaves home (in long sleeved white tunic with orbiculi and clavii), with a red blanket rolled up (probably stuffed with belongings) and tied over his back.

Ah? Picture, please!

[aitor iriarte]

Paul,
Carol supposed that a small one-man tent like the Deurne one would be probably put up using lances (veruta are good choices for the vertical poles) intstead of carrying specifically made poles. In fact that leather sheet from Deurne was surely rolled around the rest of items recovered from the site. I'd like to have one of those leather mini-tents reconstructed but the evidence available from the Deurne one is not enough!
In any case all points to the Vienna Genesis style!

Aitor

[Mithras]

Hi Robert,

As I dig up the things I need to answer your questions I will add them to the thread.

Firstly, my 'Kelmarsh' tent uses timber from the local forest. The canvas is 4m x 2.8m. The 'ridge' pole is about 3m long. I use rope to lash this tent.

The knot I use to lash the poles is called a SQUARE LASH. It begins with a very simple knot called a CLOVE HITCH. With spear/javelins I use simple string which is easily strong enough. I lash the poles flat, then gently stand them up and tap the heads into the ground. With help I then throw over the canvas.

The SQUARE LASHING

Lookat this Boy Scout webpage: http://www.4thtyldesley.co.uk/skills/la ... ash001.htm

[Mithras]

You could use string instead of a lancea like this:

[url:37428k3d]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/lord_mithras/DSCF4009.jpg[/url]

Again, simple string seems strong enough. String will do for the loops, too. Spread out your canvas (or large blanket, or 2 sagum/sagii?? flat and try the following technique for fixing loops without damaging the canvas:



I simply tie string around the corners with a loop, and use the pebble method to fix loops of string halfway down the canvas. I find that once the canvas is over the spear/ridge that unless you have loops at either end as well, the canvas slides into the centre of the spear away from the upright javelin poles. So I use pebbles and put loops in there as well (the loops go over the tops of the upright javelins). I hope I am being clear. If not, just experiment and you will find your own solutions to problems ...!

For pegs, I have made some durable types carved to match one found at Velsen (to use with the sturdy Kelmarsh tent), but simple lengths of branch with bark-on, cut sharply at an angle will do well as 'improvised' camping pegs.

I've worked out a system to get these types of ridge tent up and pegged out single-handed, but I'm not even going to try and explain that procedure here!!!! hock: [/url]

Here is a reference to these type of 'A' or 'ridge' or 'pup' tents being used in the American Civil War: There was another tent, which was used exclusively in the field. This was the "dog" or shelter tent. It was very similar to the twentieth century "pup" tent used during World War II. However, this tent had no floor and no front or back flap. It was very small; just large enough for two men. This was the tent of the rank and file. Each man was issued a shelter half, which he had to carry on the march and join with the half of another soldier when it came time to camp for the night. The halves were buttoned together. Saplings were usually cut for poles, or if no saplings could be found the two muskets of the partners or "pards" as the soldiers called each other, were fixed with their bayonets and stuck into the ground. A guy rope (supplied with the tent) or an adequate stick was then strung between the trigger guards of the muskets. Over this the tent was then pitched. Many times, if the night was clear, the soldiers would not bother to pitch this abomination and sleep in the open. Billings does not have very much good to say of this particular type of tent. "I can imagine no other reason for calling it a dog tent than this, that when one is pitched it would only comfortably accommodate a dog, and a small one at that.''

[Mithras]

I know I didn't deliver anything new with the 'illustration of a Tetrachic gravestone carving with Intercisa style helm' a few weeks ago ( :lol: ), I'm pretty sure nobody's mentioned this piece of evidence before. I've checked virtually every thread on RAT in the archives ...



Here's the full panel. I love the exquisite, natural-looking child with tunic unbelted. All very 4th/5thC ... I intend to try this method of carrying equipment and food. Its been used before in the American Civil War, so the technique is well known.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/ ... joseph.jpg

This American Civil WAr re-enactor talks at length about using a 'blanket-roll' : [url:2pkh6jmo]http://www.columbiarifles.org/Articles/Lowly_blanketroll.html[/url]

I'm still looking for an illustration of ACW soldiers carrying these, though. I've seen some on the Web somewhere, damned if I can find it again now

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Paul,

Thanks! I'll tell you how our experiments worked (or not) after the weekend..

[Robert Vermaat]

OK, I promised to keep you posted.

We-ell...
Considering I did not bring enough rope, fabric or knowledge of knots.. I think we did just fine.

[url:24mcv0l0]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/vechten2005_sep24.jpg[/url]

[url:24mcv0l0]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/vechten2005_sep23.jpg[/url] (don't mind the bl...y cars that boxed us in) :evil:

[url:24mcv0l0]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/vechten2005_sep22.jpg[/url]

I think it was a nice little shelter, when with enough canvas it would even have been cosy. the method of securing it with just a thong, a pebble and a little stick worked like a dream. With my francisca doubling as a hammer I nailed it down perfectly.

[FAVENTIANVS]

Is it your son? What's his name? How old is he?

[Robert Vermaat]

Yep, that's Jeroen my son, or Hieronimus when he's got his tunica on. He'll be 5 by the end of this month :wink: That day he wore a cloak for the first time, and he was mighty proud of it - my little Roman!


[url:361mmsof]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/vechten2005_sep19.jpg[/url]

[Arthes]

Yep, that's Jeroen my son, or Hieronimus when he's got his tunica on. He'll be 5 by the end of this month :wink: That day he wore a cloak for the first time, and he was mighty proud of it - my little Roman!


[url:2bncuhaq]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/vechten2005_sep19.jpg[/url]

Greetings,
I bet he always gets his way when he looks like that.....lol
A good looking little boy you have there.....
Maybe we should do some matchmaking with Aitor's little girl in a few years :roll:
regards
Arthes