07-14-2007, 10:30 PM
I think the issue of stress has been exaggerated. Exactly how much stress are these straps really under?
The horizontal strap is under virtually no stress since the pectorals are connected to the top girth plates which are connected together. You could quite literally un-strap the horizontal pectorals, and the armor would still be functional. So whether the line of stress is in line with the attachments is virtually irrelevant.
It appears to me that the vertical strap attachments are set further apart from the mid-line than the corresponding vertical buckles, which are set closer to the mid-line. Therefore when the plates cross the attachments and straps are fairly well aligned with the buckles anyway.
Even if you were correct about the buckles and straps being mounted off kilter by modern aesthetics AND these pieces were wearing out sooner than moderns think is appropriate... That still pales in comparison to the partial decapitation of legionaries. Armor which closes the neck space to within two inches will partially decapitate anyone, ANYONE, even small framed teenagers.
The argument really is a little silly. Given that these are the sizes and shapes found at Corbridge, we may possibly wonder why they mounted the straps in these positions, and whether the buckles wore out too quickly. But we can not conclude that the Romans hung THESE plates vertically and severed their carotid arteries. That is simply not the way THESE plates were worn.
Perhaps Sean is right and there were OTHER plates that hung vertically. Perhaps someday OTHER plates will be found. But hanging over-sized mis-shaped plates in a vertical position with no supporting evidence is speculative at best, and pure fantasy at worst.
Oh by the way - with Roman armor the girth tie loops are drawn together to the point that they are actually touching. The idea that in battlefield conditions an adversary could aim a downward stroke to precisely sever these ties is absurd, and undermines the credibility of the idea's proponent.
Someone has been watching too many Ninja movies.
The horizontal strap is under virtually no stress since the pectorals are connected to the top girth plates which are connected together. You could quite literally un-strap the horizontal pectorals, and the armor would still be functional. So whether the line of stress is in line with the attachments is virtually irrelevant.
It appears to me that the vertical strap attachments are set further apart from the mid-line than the corresponding vertical buckles, which are set closer to the mid-line. Therefore when the plates cross the attachments and straps are fairly well aligned with the buckles anyway.
Even if you were correct about the buckles and straps being mounted off kilter by modern aesthetics AND these pieces were wearing out sooner than moderns think is appropriate... That still pales in comparison to the partial decapitation of legionaries. Armor which closes the neck space to within two inches will partially decapitate anyone, ANYONE, even small framed teenagers.
The argument really is a little silly. Given that these are the sizes and shapes found at Corbridge, we may possibly wonder why they mounted the straps in these positions, and whether the buckles wore out too quickly. But we can not conclude that the Romans hung THESE plates vertically and severed their carotid arteries. That is simply not the way THESE plates were worn.
Perhaps Sean is right and there were OTHER plates that hung vertically. Perhaps someday OTHER plates will be found. But hanging over-sized mis-shaped plates in a vertical position with no supporting evidence is speculative at best, and pure fantasy at worst.
Oh by the way - with Roman armor the girth tie loops are drawn together to the point that they are actually touching. The idea that in battlefield conditions an adversary could aim a downward stroke to precisely sever these ties is absurd, and undermines the credibility of the idea's proponent.
Someone has been watching too many Ninja movies.
>|P. Dominus Antonius|<
Leg XX VV
Tony Dah m
Oderint dum metuant - Cicero
Si vis pacem, para bellum - Vegetius
Leg XX VV
Tony Dah m
Oderint dum metuant - Cicero
Si vis pacem, para bellum - Vegetius
