1st C apron attachment peculiarity?

[Tarbicus]

Mike Bishop posted a link to his article on belt aprons here:
[url:58ipntvg]http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?p=119721#119721[/url]

In that PDF the very first illustration (Fig. 1, Relief 1, page 82) of an apron belonging to C. Largennius is very curious. Given that both buckles close above the apron, and the apron has a solid piece at the top below both belts, is the apron attached to the clearly visible waistband, and not the belt?

Here's a link to a photo of the item:
[url:58ipntvg]http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/archive/arma/contents/iconog/tombston/cent1/rhinelan.ca/torso.htm[/url]
[url:58ipntvg]http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/archive/arma/contents/iconog/tombston/cent1/rhinelan.ca/largmap.htm[/url]

[Peroni]

There's a few other soldiers depicted with aprons shown 'vertical' to the slant of the actual belt. Most of Tiberio/Claudian date and show the terminals all matching horizontally, but where the apron attaches to the belt, it's actually at an angle.

Here's some examples from Mike's article that can be seen in the imagebase

Firmus (cohors Raetorum)
Unknown miles from Bonn
Hyperanor (Coh I Sagittariorum)

[Tarbicus]

There's a few other soldiers depicted with aprons shown 'vertical' to the slant of the actual belt. Most of Tiberio/Claudian date and show the terminals all matching horizontally, but where the apron attaches to the belt, it's actually at an angle.

I'm not talking about the angle. Where does the apron attach? Both buckles are in the way, and the only means of attachment to either of the belts would be if the apron was split into two. Hence I'm asking if the apron is attached to the waistband.

[mcbishop]

Where does the apron attach? Both buckles are in the way, and the only means of attachment to either of the belts would be if the apron was split into two. Hence I'm asking if the apron is attached to the waistband.

This has always puzzled me a little too, but I must admit I had never thought about the implications of both buckles being over the top of the apron. These rectangular plates, like the cummerbund and the unusual tunics, are features of the Tiberio-Claudian reliefs. A closer look at the point where the top of the belt covers the apron (see below) isn't of much use.

Mike Bishop

[Tarbicus]

Thanks Mike. What's obvious is that there is a solid top portion to the apron, with the diamond pattern (leather stitching or metal embossing? - another thread's worth). The only way for that to attach to one of those belts would be for it to be riveted (or sewn) to one end of the belt, and then somehow be tied or hooked, or some such, to the opposite end of the belt so it spans the gap once the belt is buckled up. Leaving it unsecured would be a nightmare to keep adjusting when it slid down.

Makes no sense at all :? Unless, it had a loop that the opposite belt end threaded through before the belt was fastened.

However, if it were part of the cummerbund/waistband/girdle it would just be be more logical in that configuration as seen in that relief. There's been discussion on whether the cummerbund may have been worn between hamata and belt before, I'm fairly certain.

[Crispvs]

I sometimes wonder whether the apron might have been a removable item. Although numerous soldiers are shown with them on stelae and certain public sculptures, other sculptures showing soldiers in action, such as the Mainz column bases and the Adamklissi metopes do not feature them.

Mike's article mentions three types of apron: those somehow attached to the back of the belt ad passed over to the front, those attached somehow to the belt and passed under the belt and those made from the excess material of the belt end.
Now, obviously the type consisting of the spare material of the belt end would be difficult to create in a form which could be easily removed and re-attached, but the 'passing over' type could be achieved with a tube of leather with the belt passing through it. This tube could be achieved by having a roughly square pice of leather at the top of the apron which was folded over and sewn into a tube. The 'passed under' type could be hooked or laced into position somehow. Not good for the rigeurs of battle but certainly good for swaggering about town. If this last suggestion is a possibility then might this be what we are seeing on Largennius' stele?

Crispvs

[Tarbicus]

What's obvious is that there is a solid top portion to the apron, with the diamond pattern (leather stitching or metal embossing? - another thread's worth)..

POCKETS!!!?? At the top of the apron, secured by the belt's tightness. A very clever way to stash your purse, money or wax tablet, which would explain the alignment of the rectangular objects, whether the same size or smaller.

I'm making one.