01-15-2007, 03:23 PM
Thanks Adrian. That seems to support what I have heard, both the dying twice and the pale colour. Maybe for a small scale production such as might have been done in any small community dying textiles more than once would be OK but if you are doing it on an industrial scale as the Romans would have done then it would get more expensive. Nevertheless I have seen two green coloured saddle covers and the famous picture showing some of Justinian's guards in Green.
I do not know why they would choose blue for first century legionaries either, certainly not a dark blue as again that also means the textiles were dyed for longer. I did mention jokingly to Len Morgan once that if ever I got the chance to illustrate a soldier from the Fourteenth I would put him in red. Last year I had to do something for Coventry museums so I did! :wink:
A tombstone of Draccus from Vienna a cavalryman from a British raised unit ALA I FLAVIA DOMITIANA BRITANNICA MILLIARIA had traces of blue paint around his neck. Unfortunately only his head and shoulders are shown so what the blue is, either scarf, tunic or cloak is not clear. I wonder now if the blue is associated with the British as you also get the famous Vegetius quote to do with the Venetian blue clothing for sailors from the British fleet. Of course not all sailors or marines wore blue as there is another tombstone of Sabinianus a marine from Crete which had traces of red paint on both tunic and cloak.
For the bulk of clothing I would tend to agree but a document from Egypt ordering clothing for the military did specify good quality white wool tunics.
Graham.
Quote:Why the RMRS chose green I don't know. (Before my time with them!)
I do not know why they would choose blue for first century legionaries either, certainly not a dark blue as again that also means the textiles were dyed for longer. I did mention jokingly to Len Morgan once that if ever I got the chance to illustrate a soldier from the Fourteenth I would put him in red. Last year I had to do something for Coventry museums so I did! :wink:
A tombstone of Draccus from Vienna a cavalryman from a British raised unit ALA I FLAVIA DOMITIANA BRITANNICA MILLIARIA had traces of blue paint around his neck. Unfortunately only his head and shoulders are shown so what the blue is, either scarf, tunic or cloak is not clear. I wonder now if the blue is associated with the British as you also get the famous Vegetius quote to do with the Venetian blue clothing for sailors from the British fleet. Of course not all sailors or marines wore blue as there is another tombstone of Sabinianus a marine from Crete which had traces of red paint on both tunic and cloak.
Quote:Personally I prefer more natural undyed wools like browns/beiges.
For the bulk of clothing I would tend to agree but a document from Egypt ordering clothing for the military did specify good quality white wool tunics.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
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