Posts: 4,029
Threads: 90
Joined: May 2005
Reputation:
0
I thing that some member put an image of areconstructed roman razor.
Also somewhere I read of a guy named Thalamos, personal barber of Nero.
So I guess professional barber´s equipment was available.
Kind regards
Stefanos
Posts: 6,733
Threads: 489
Joined: Mar 2001
Reputation:
27
Quote:I thing that some member put an image of areconstructed roman razor
IIRC that was Cacaius.
Posts: 950
Threads: 216
Joined: May 2001
Reputation:
0
Posts: 8,090
Threads: 505
Joined: Jan 2005
Reputation:
0
Quote:Also somewhere I read of a guy named Thalamos, personal barber of Nero.
I also read that barbers and hairdressers were in high demand, and slaves of that type fetched very high prices.
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
Posts: 262
Threads: 16
Joined: Jul 2001
Reputation:
0
Is it true that Caesar had his beard plucked???  hock:
AVETE OMNES
MARIVS TARQVINIVS VRSVS
PATER FAMILIAS DOMVS VRSVM
-Tom
Posts: 655
Threads: 67
Joined: Sep 2005
Reputation:
0
Oooh,
hock:
I bet that had to hurt like a son of a gun.
Were Pugios ever made from broke gladiuses?
Mike
Mike Daniels
a.k.a
Titus Minicius Parthicus
Legio VI FFC.
If not me...who?
If not now...when?
:wink: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=":wink:" title="Wink" />:wink:
Posts: 4,029
Threads: 90
Joined: May 2005
Reputation:
0
Quote:Is it true that Caesar had his beard plucked??? hock:
Yes according to the "HISTORIA" magazine one method of shaving was
pulling the hair one by one with a special pincer.
Thalamos actualy was mentioned as "feather handed" with this method.
Because rasor and cuts difiguring the face were supposed to be against
Roman vanity so much as to be considered vulgar!!
For the emperor and the rich hemostatic ointments and oils were available but for the common folk the burber was applying a spider (!!!!!!) tucked first in oil :!:
Well they were shaving actually despite all that because nobody wanted to be called "woolly" or "Billy-goat". :!:
Kind regards
Stefanos
Posts: 262
Threads: 16
Joined: Jul 2001
Reputation:
0
Quote:Oooh,
hock:
I bet that had to hurt like a son of a gun.
Were Pugios ever made from broke gladiuses?
Mike
I was told they were, but I haven't read that anywhere as a confirmation.
Quote:Yes according to the "HISTORIA" magazine one method of shaving was
pulling the hair one by one with a special pincer.
Thalamos actualy was mentioned as "feather handed" with this method.
Because rasor and cuts difiguring the face were supposed to be against
Roman vanity so much as to be considered vulgar!!
For the emperor and the rich hemostatic ointments and oils were available but for the common folk the burber was applying a spider (!!!!!!) tucked first in oil
Well they were shaving actually despite all that because nobody wanted to be called "woolly" or "Billy-goat".
Holy crow! One wonders how long a process like that would take. They'd have to spend so much time getting the hair off, how did they have time to spend their hour every day at the baths???
AVETE OMNES
MARIVS TARQVINIVS VRSVS
PATER FAMILIAS DOMVS VRSVM
-Tom
Posts: 4,029
Threads: 90
Joined: May 2005
Reputation:
0
Well rich folks are reputed to live in the baths.
But soldiers have to use the "vulgar" razor (and the spiders!!) I presume.
Oh! Jupiter I volunteer to fight a Barbarian warband alone but NOT the spider! :x
Kind regards
Stefanos
Posts: 262
Threads: 16
Joined: Jul 2001
Reputation:
0
I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how a spider is used for shaving. Do they supposedly eat the hairs on your face?
AVETE OMNES
MARIVS TARQVINIVS VRSVS
PATER FAMILIAS DOMVS VRSVM
-Tom
Posts: 4,029
Threads: 90
Joined: May 2005
Reputation:
0
Leeches according to the above mentioned article were considered expensive and priviledge of the upper class.
The spider tucked in oil was away of the "3rd'rate barber" to stop bleeding from the cuts. (Yaicks!!! Can I fight the Barbarian warband alone Centurio Sir? Just keep the barber away from me please!) 
On a second thought can I skewer the barber with the puggio? :twisted:
I think I just discovered another use for it! :!:
Kind regards
Stefanos
Posts: 3,078
Threads: 50
Joined: Nov 2003
Reputation:
19
Sorry to jump in so late here - normally I would have fastened onto anything about pugiones like a bloodhound on a line of freshly spilt blood. I must admit to being quite busy lately.
I agree that the pugio would make a reasonable back-up weapon in combat. The blades could be nearly a foot long, which was probably close to the maximum size which could comfortably be worn whilst also wearing a sword without being so big as to potentially restrict movement, as wearing two swords might have done. The idea that the dagger could be used to parry, rennaissance style, in the place of a lost shield is interesting but I am inclined to think that the loss of the shield would expose the soldier too much to such weapons as spears and slashing swords, which would be difficult to parry effecctively with a pugio. I do think however, that it would be the ideal weapon to be holding when searching bodies for valuables after a battle as the action of searching the body would bring the soldier sufficiently close to the body to make it difficult to bring a gladius to bear should the 'corpse' turn out still to be alive and in the mood for a fight. A pugio would be a much better size to use if a speedy close range dispatch was required.
I do not consider the pugio to have been a utility knife. As has been pointed out above, its size and shape make it unsuitable for most 'utility' tasks. In any case, smaller knives which would certainly be suitable for use as utility knives are far more common finds on Roman sites than daggers are, meaning that it is unlikely that soldiers would often be forced to try to use their daggers for tasks they were not suited to.
As to shaving with a pugio, I find the thought alarming. Believe it or not, I have actually shaved (many years ago) with a sheath knife with an eight inch blade and would not recommend the experience to anyone! As eight inches would be rather small for a pugio I think it unlikely it would ever have been used in this way. In any case, the blade of a pugio is rather too thick to be able to maintain a suitably sharp edge for shaving for very long. In addition, small folding knives are not uncommon finds and it has been suggested that these may be razors.
As to being made from broken gladii, I am not aware of any examples which can be shown to have been made from re-used parts of other weapons, but this is something which would, in all probability, be difficult if not impossible to spot most of the time. I think that it might be possible to make either a type 'A' or type 'C' blade from a larger broken blade, but as I have said, I think that this origin would be extremely difficult to spot and I cannot think of any examples which can be shown to have been made from other weapons. If anyone knows of one please let me know about it, preferably with a picture and provenance.
Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers. :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
Posts: 655
Threads: 67
Joined: Sep 2005
Reputation:
0
I am not sure why this did not "dawn" on me, but real life experiences in hand to hand combat have shown me that once you actually have to grapple with an opponent, a sword is a bit too large to effectively use as you roll around in the mud. A Pugio, would be about the right size for close quarter combatatives though I think even a slightly shorter blade is better professionally.
A bit off topic, but is there any evidence to suggest that lanyards or "dummy cords" were used to help prevent the loss of a gladius or pugio. Meaning a leather cord tied to the legionariey's body as well as to the weapon should the individual unfortunately become disarmed or have to switch weapons in a hurry.
A lot of the riot batons and police billy clubs have a leather cord that runs through the pommel that can be wrapped around the thumb abd hand to help prevent loss in the even the weapon is knocked free of the hand.
Cheers!!
v/r
Mike
Mike Daniels
a.k.a
Titus Minicius Parthicus
Legio VI FFC.
If not me...who?
If not now...when?
:wink: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=":wink:" title="Wink" />:wink:
Posts: 1,337
Threads: 175
Joined: Apr 2005
Reputation:
0
Quote:As to being made from broken gladii, I am not aware of any examples which can be shown to have been made from re-used parts of other weapons, but this is something which would, in all probability, be difficult if not impossible to spot most of the time. I think that it might be possible to make either a type 'A' or type 'C' blade from a larger broken blade, but as I have said, I think that this origin would be extremely difficult to spot and I cannot think of any examples which can be shown to have been made from other weapons. If anyone knows of one please let me know about it, preferably with a picture and provenance.
Crispvs
Crispvs,
Here is a photo of a pugio recovered from Vindonissa in Switzerland. It looks like a small pugio blade with a gladius style grip, and a guardplate. One thing I noticed was how small all of the pugios from this site were. The almost reminded me of toys, even the couple of gladius blades. Are we as re-enactors making our items larger than their historical counterparts?
"...quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est."
a.k.a. Paul M.
Posts: 4,029
Threads: 90
Joined: May 2005
Reputation:
0
Agree with Crispus(me too from persomal experience). Its a bad idea to try and shave with a blade.
I am to inclines to agree that it might be more usefull for "souvenir gathering"
arklore70 has a point. Many Renesance-Napoleonic paintings show folk having their swords attached with straps to theit wrist.
I see no reason for the legionerries not utilizeing something similar.
Kind regards
Stefanos
|
