Roman Braccae, while a staple in Roman Legionary reenactment and living history, have been a highly speculative item for some time. This is mostly due to the fact that they are usually only seen in contemporary artwork, and from the thigh down, which leaves a lot to the imagination. Their construction has been shrouded in mystery for as long as we have known of their existence, with many theories and iterations on how they were made and worn being put forth. The most common version of the trousers seen at the current time is a simple style with two legs and a single seam running up the center of the crotch and back and a drawstring waist, however, we have little archaeological evidence to support this style. Without any trouser examples readily identifiable as Roman, it is my theory that we should look to their Northern neighbors, such as the Germans, Celts, and Gauls. We know all of the latter three groups wore trousers regularly, as is noted not only in contemporary Roman literature, but in various works of art, depicting men wearing trousers which varied in length from above the knee to full ankle-length, and in a stunning variety of fashions. These trousers usually appear to also vary in cut, from very slim and tight-fitting, to slightly relaxed. They almost always appear to have large, sweeping seams running in a trapezoidal fashion from the crotch to the waist and bear rolled-down waistlines. Such latter fashion falls in line nearly directly with extant Germanic finds such as the Marx-Etzel breeches and Daetgen trousers, both of which feature trapezoidal gores in the crotch and simple waistlines meant to be rolled down. This style gives the male wearer a great deal of comfort and support in certain regions, and was a fashion which appears to have stayed in use in some form or another well until the Early Medieval Period, as is evidenced of trouser finds dated to the 10th Century from the Danish (now German) settlement of Haithabu which emulate the much earlier Thorsberg trousers. With this information in mind, it is very likely that the Romans adopted this style from their Germanic and Celtic neighbors, rather than developed their own style of trousers, with the examples showing Roman Braccae were calf-length (just like Germanic depictions on the Gundestrup Cauldron and the extant Daetgen trousers) further adding to this theory. It is likely the Romans saw the comfort and utility in this fashion and rapidly adapted it to their own use. This means the Braccae as used by Romans would have been calf-length, somewhat fitted through the thighs and knees, feature a trapezoidal gore in the front, and simple hemmed waistline which was worn rolled down. Now, this style, in keeping in line with the Marx-Etzel finds, means that to be made, the trousers are made from a single piece of fabric, and their width is determined by the wearer's widest thigh measurements with several inches (or centimeters) added for the bottom of the crotch gore. This means the waist is often unnatural massive, however, don't fret, there is a very useful technique and method to wearing these that even the smallest of us can do! The latter is the initial intent of this article - to lay out the how-to's of wearing this style of Roman Braccae (and in essence, Germanic and Celtic trousers, as well). As more reenactors and living historians begin to shift away from the drawstring model of trousers, and toward something based more in historical evidence, these instructions will prove invaluable to their efforts and to the community! Step 1: Pull the trousers up. To start, pull your trousers up and pull the waist out to the sides until it's flat against your body and tight. For this how-to, I'm using a simple linen belt, mostly for visibility, however, and soft leather or textile belt will work for these trousers - anything that will allow the waistband to roll! Step 2: Tie the belt to the front. After the trousers are up and pulled tight, tie your belt around your true waist. When you do this, make sure you have the front of the trousers underneath this so it will hold them in place while you do the rest. Make sure to tie the belt tight enough to hold the trousers in place, but not so tight that it doesn't allow you to tuck, fold, or roll any of the fabric. You will get better at gauging this with time! Step 3: Pull everything up through the belt. Now that your belt is on, pull all of the excess waist fabric up through the belt in the front and back. Do this until the crotch and back are fitted (but not too tight) to your liking. There should be a good deal of fabric hanging over the belt at this point. Step 4: Fold in excess waist. Now, you at this point you will notice a lot of excess fabric around your waist. Pull it back up straight, and then fold and smooth it on either side, front to back, keeping it underneath the belt. Be sure to do it evenly on both sides or this will result in these not being very comfortable! Make a nice, neat fold under the belt and just start smoothing it toward your back until the waist is now snug against your body. Step 5: Roll the waist. Now that all that's done, all there is left to do now is roll the waist! Start at the top, and just roll the waist down into itself until it won't roll any further. I usually smooth it out, as well, during this process to it doesn't create a hard "bum roll" which is visible through to the outside of your clothing, and it also won't dig into your hips as badly with a leather belt and weapon on your side. And like that, you're done! Five easy steps to more authentic Roman Braccae! Braccae such as these are not only more comfortable due to seam placement, but they are more cost-effective to make in their overall construction design, which is a likely indicator to their widespread use throughout the Empire by its peak. Hopefully this will shed better light on a hotly-debated topic and drive folks toward a more authentic Roman interpretation!
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With the smoke of war hanging in the distance, the Landsknecht are never far away...
Germany ; First half of the 16th Century. "One chronicler remarked that the devil refused to let Landsknechte into Hell because he was so afraid of them." - Unknown
Germany ; First half of the 16th Century. "Accustomed to degrees to be overmatched and worsted in many engagements, they [The Gauls] do not even compare to the Germans in prowess." - "The Gallic Wars", Book 6, Julius Caesar.
Current-Day Germany ; First half of the 1st Century AD. Location: Germany Date: Approx. 1st Century AD Culture: Roman-Period Germanic Estimated Social Class: Possibly Middle Class Garment Type: Tunic While later finds such as the Thorsberg clothing seem to give us a generally decent understanding of how later Roman-Period Germanic men may have dressed, we have a staggering lack of earlier finds to go off of. As a result of this, there are many, often inaccurate, representations of the men from this period. With this in mind, we are going to look at one of the existing tunic finds from the period and detail how it was made, worn, and possible origins. Finding concrete primary information on the tunic has proven to be a daunting task, as many of the books and observations of the tunic that were written at the time of its discovery in the early 20th Century have been lost to decades of war and struggle, and general mismanagement. As a matter of fact, the tunic itself seems to have disappeared altogether, so observing it in the flesh is likely an impossible endeavor. As a result of this, we are having to go off of the very basic information we have, and hope that it is still accurate. Luckily for us, the tunic itself was quite basic, so not a whole lot of observation was/is needed, aside from general shape and dimensions, seam treatments, and how the textile itself was woven. Most other cultural theories can be undergone by us in the modern period. Interestingly enough, our best information on the tunic and its design comes to us from the "Jahrbuch des Provinzial-Museums zu Hannover", from April of 1909 through March of 1910, as well as an artist's rendition of the tunic and observations on seam treatments and fabric weave, of whom we are unsure this work belongs to at this point. The Original Tunic According to the "Jahrbuch", the tunic is large and rectangular, with a slit-like neckline and armholes, as well as slits at the bottom, and consists of a front and back piece, which are sewn at the sides and shoulders. The tunic measures approximately 109cm wide and 96cm long, with the top being almost divided equally into three sections; the head hole and two shoulder seams. According to other observations, the arm holes and lower slits are both are approximately 25cm in length, with the remainder of the sides being sewn up. It appears all of the seams on the tunic are of the same design; being sewn together, likely with a running stitch variant, and then treated by being roll-hemmed and then overcast-stitched down. This is a very common technique on many Northern European and Germanic finds, and is a trend that continued to be used well into the Medieval Period, and is extremely durable, especially when compared to the Roman method of single-row stitching and flat-felling seams during the same period. The textile the tunic is made from was noted as having a dark warp and a lighter weft, and is woven as a 2/2 twill. Sources indicate that it was likely dyed, however, studies at the time also seem to have yielded the dye was very basic, and still retained a brownish hue, meaning the two varying shades of thread were probably dyed using different mixtures of walnut dye to achieve this effect in a manner that makes economic sense. The Reconstruction In staying with the aforementioned information, recreating the Marx-Etzel tunic was a rather easy, if not time consuming, task. The reconstruction was easy because of the simplicity of the cutting pattern and measuring of the garment, however, roll-hemming and overcast-stitching every hem and seam does add up the hours. To begin, as noted above, the tunic is rectangular in shape, being slightly wider than it is long. We stuck with all of the original measurements for this recreation to see how these dimensions may stand up to being worn by a modern individual, which appear that the original owner was not much shorter or wider than a 150lb. 6-foot tall modern male. Once the overall shape and size has been determined, so then should the head hole, arm holes, and side slits, all of which also remained the same as the original measurements determined. The head hole is approximately 35cm wide, with the remaining shoulder seams being 37cm a piece. As mentioned above, both the arm holes and the lower slits are about 25cm in length, with the remainder of the side sewn up. Once all of this has been assembled, the seams are then treated in a manner consistent with the majority of Iron Age Germanic (as well as later Northern European) clothing finds; the hems and seam allowances are roll-hemmed, meaning they are rolled under themselves twice so that the raw edge is encased inside itself, which is all then overcast (or sometimes referred to as whip) stitched down. While many sources do not note this particular aspect, I personally try and only put the binding thread or yarn through a couple of the outer threads (akin to a prick-stitch) so these stitches are not often visible on the outside of the garment. Again, this is rarely mentioned in notes on garments of this type, but it is a personal preference which does make the overall look of the garment more professional and clean. And lastly, the textile itself. As noted before, the weave of the textile is a 2/2 wool twill, with a dark warp and light weft, likely dyed using walnuts of differing consistencies. Our reconstruction is also built using this information from handwoven and hand-dyed wool from Mikhail Starikov in Russia. The wool yarn used to sew the tunic matches that of the light weft threads. In Conclusion In conclusion, a clear and evident Roman influence can be seen on this tunic, as its overall cut and shape mimics that of Roman Tunicae in an almost identical manner. From the baggy, oversized cut to the slits for the arms and head. Whether the tunic was simply a civilian adoption of Roman fashion, or is part of a larger Germanic-Roman Auxiliary Panoply yet to be discovered in the area will likely be unknown to us. What will also be unknown to us is the manner in which the tunic was worn. Could it have been worn in the Roman fashion of one arm put through the head hole for working purposes? Was it only worn for special occasions to show a German-Roman relation in good standing? Was it actually belted up over the waist like a Roman Legionary? Or left to hang loose in an altogether different fashion? These are all questions that will need to be explored at a later date. Despite all these questions, one thing is clear about this piece; which is the very interesting combination of Roman and German techniques and influences. While the piece's cut is unarguably Roman, the seam treatments, fabric weave, and even presence of slits at the sides are very characteristic of Germanic fashion, all coming together to create a wholly unique article of clothing. Photo & Information Sources
"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience." - Julius Caesar
Rhaetia, Roman Province ; 1st Century AD. "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius
Rhaetia, Roman Province ; 1st Century AD. |
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