01-03-2009, 08:56 AM
1. *edit:*<Some of t>he plates from Numantia in the RGZM have a metal backing of thin bronze plates with a lozenged pattern pressed into them with a chisel.
2. The small number of plates found (also in comparison to other military items from the period betweern 150 and 80 BCE) suggests that there were not too many of them around
3. The soldiers were generally not payed regularly at that time, and they rather were farmers / not-so-well-to-do. The first item to invest their metal (i.e. money) into most certainly was a helmet, then maybe a breast plate. Belt plates certainly weren´t way up on the list. At that time a bronze helmet was still worth a considerable amount of money. The belts full of plates seem to be common only from the early Augustan period onwards, but, regarding the whole of the Empire apparently not as common as we think. See the Pula relief, again. Tim Edward´s pic above shows what may be a set of a complete belt. Add an other "frog" and a clasp to one of the belts, and there you go. No need to imitate the Augustan belts, IMO. What I would suggest, though, is using sheep skin in double layer, colours and stitching. Or a simple tablet-woven striped band with a hercules knot. We´re talking of a militia, after all.
2. The small number of plates found (also in comparison to other military items from the period betweern 150 and 80 BCE) suggests that there were not too many of them around
3. The soldiers were generally not payed regularly at that time, and they rather were farmers / not-so-well-to-do. The first item to invest their metal (i.e. money) into most certainly was a helmet, then maybe a breast plate. Belt plates certainly weren´t way up on the list. At that time a bronze helmet was still worth a considerable amount of money. The belts full of plates seem to be common only from the early Augustan period onwards, but, regarding the whole of the Empire apparently not as common as we think. See the Pula relief, again. Tim Edward´s pic above shows what may be a set of a complete belt. Add an other "frog" and a clasp to one of the belts, and there you go. No need to imitate the Augustan belts, IMO. What I would suggest, though, is using sheep skin in double layer, colours and stitching. Or a simple tablet-woven striped band with a hercules knot. We´re talking of a militia, after all.
Christian K.
No reconstruendum => No reconstruction.
Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.
No reconstruendum => No reconstruction.
Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.
