IWA

[Crispvs]

The pugio sheath still looks very good. Don't let them be tempted to use gold - there is no evidence for it, although I am sure that those in highly paid positions (if they used pugiones, which I am sceptical about) might have chosen to have gold decorated equipment. I do not believe that the rank and file would have had gold though. The silver for a pugio sheath would be fairly cheap (three or four denarii worth) whereas gold would be a different story altogether. This assumes of course that soldiers chose the decoration, rather than the craftsment executing the work choosing a style of decoration they prefered and were used to, which I think is more likely, before supplying them to the army. Copper alloy was relatively cheap, as was silver, but (based on coinage values), gold was around a hundred times more expensive. Thus it does not appear on the equipment which we find. What there was (if there was any at all) was too valuable to throw away, and thus we do not know how it would have been used.
The original Melun sheath may have featured both copper-alloy and silver but under the circumstances I would be absolutely satisfied with silver.

Crispvs

[caiusbeerquitius]

I designed and built the prototype, of which this is a copy, and I put leather on the face of it. Why not?

I don´t know an original that was covered with leather. However I read on several occasions of "ox-hide" covered shields. Apart from that leather facings are so extremely easily damaged and quickly get a somewhat "shabby" look, at least in my experience.

That's Ashok's version of a shield I sent him; was it not described as a "Paul Allen" shield?

No. There was no name tag on it at all.
The shield was not very heavy, though.

[caiusbeerquitius]

gold was around a hundred times more expensive. Thus it does not appear on the equipment which we find. What there was (if there was any at all) was too valuable to throw away, and thus we do not know how it would have been used.

I agree with the state, but not with the argument. Soldiers were simply not allowed to display gold until Caracalla, I think. This refers to rings, but thinking of Trimalchio´s wive´s earrings in a box, it seems to have been unthinkable for someone not at least an equestrian order member to publicly wear gold. There are in fact enough gold findings in/of not-so-military context / objects.

[Martin Moser]

The original Melun sheath may have featured both copper-alloy and silver

According to the find report it did. The rivets also are a bit different with the original. Very nice work nevertheless!

[caiusbeerquitius]

Yes, yes. But Gagan said his craftsmen won´t touch brass. Seems to be an honour-thing or so. :?

[Tarbicus]

Why has the eagle on the Italic D suddenly acquired a cog wheel to hold in its beak and not a smooth circle?!!!

Deepeeka, you're getting creative!

[Cornelius Quintus]

Ave Jim,

my sample from last year's RAT discout already had this feature, too. It's no new trade-show design.

On your old marked pic (Italic D thread, May 2006), 'teeth' at the circle are also visible.

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Tarbicus/ital ... ewdpka.jpg

[Tarbicus]

Flippin' 'eck, you're right hock:

Not enough sleep this week.

[Cornelius Quintus]

Ave Jim,

I immediately order the next available cornicen in Britannia to play a lullaby :wink:

[Celer]

Cornelius,

I immediately order the next available cornicen in Britannia to play a lullaby

Better make sure it isn't our cornicern. It would probably give Tarbicus a sudden bowel movement. :lol:

Vale,

Celer.[/quote]

[Anonymous]

[quote][I don´t know an original that was covered with leather. However I read on several occasions of "ox-hide" covered shields. Apart from that leather facings are so extremely easily damaged and quickly get a somewhat "shabby" look, at least in my experience. [/quote]

Ah. I had been led to believe that shields were covered in leather and sometimes bronze on top. What's the difference between cowhide and ox-hide? I have a well-used viking shield, which is faced in leather and, despite the sort of damage you might expect, still looks very good.

[quote="caiustarquitius"The shield was not very heavy, though. :) [/quote]

Well, that's good news, sounds like they implemented some of my advice.
I used mass-produced fittings for holding the carrying rope, but mine were different from what Ashok sent back to me, and were judged authentic-looking by Theo Antikkas, when shown to him by a friend of mine, who had used them on his own kit. It will be good if Ashok can come up with an improved version.

As to the width of the rim, I measured it as nearly as I could on Connolly's scale drawing of the Vatican shield. In fact, all the proportions were taken from this. However, I didn't allow for the addition of the leather covering, passing over the rim-edge. Again, the rims on Ashok's copies may be larger than on my original, although I have to confess to disliking very narrow ones. That on my own shield is 6cm, (on an 89cm shield) based on the Connolly drawing and my own feeling for aesthetically-pleasing proportion. I've looked at relevant friezes and statuary in the BM and Cambridge Museum of Classical Archaeology and it seems to me that rim-width varied, not very surprisingly. I also noticed some extremely flat-faced shields, on a statue of Athena, for example.

[caiusbeerquitius]

What's the difference between cowhide and ox-hide?

Well basically nothing. Just that "hide" is not tanned, leather is. Hide is much harder.

[Anonymous]

I've just received two shields from Ashok and the rims are two cms wider than on my original design. There are other things which you have mentioned that are different from my original, but I'll discuss all this directly with Ashok. Hopefully, we'll get a top-class shield from him, in the end.