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The Application of some of our Artifacts
This document will give you some information about the artefacts we sell; interesting ancient Roman Empire facts are also disclosed for your information.
We have used Ancient Roman, Byzantine and Medieval artefacts dating from 100 AD to 1600 AD and made some very interesting pendants or medallions as well as picture frame displays. The ancient artefacts include belt buckles, Roman military belt ends, belt stiffeners, chariot cart mounts, belt mounts, strap studs, ornaments, brooches, arrowheads, fire starters, terret rings (horse), keys, lock bits, etc.
Many ancient belt buckles or strap ends etc make handsome pendants. With the addition of a leather cord, they can be worn and enjoyed as an authentic “souvenirs” of the Roman Empire. We are sure that the original owners would have not disapproved, as the Romans were quite fond of wearing ornamental pendants, brooches and pins.
The Romans decorated their horses with bronze items. Medallions and strap decorative items were used extensively.
Roman bronze Chest and Urn handles 300 AD
Roman bronze ring key, lock pin and iron door key
Toga Stola and Palla Priest’s Toga
The standard dress worn by
Roman citizens was the toga for men and the stola for women.
Basically it was a large blanket, draped over the body, leaving one arm free. A
fibula or brooch was usually attached to hold it together.
Through experiments historians have concluded that the blanket took the
form of a semi circle. It was up to 5 1/2 metres long and at its widest point
would have been up to 2 metres wide.
The stola was as much the national costume for women as the toga
was for men.
In early Rome, women at first wore the toga, dressing in the same fashion
as men. A few decades later female clothing began to differ.
Rings
Rings were also increasingly popular forms of Roman jewellery and in the first and second centuries were often worn on all ten fingers, predominantly above the knuckle, not below as in modern times.
Rings were made from gold, bronze, silver, copper, lead and even iron.
Many Byzantine finger rings came to bear Christian symbols, more often of gilded bronze than of Gold.
The Christian cross pendant from the Roman and Byzantine era was very common in its time. Byzantine Christian soldiers would wear an emblem of their faith as they entered battle. A thick green and brown patina covers the surface of these items.
The belt was mainly used as a suspension method to support the sword and dagger. Sometimes two belts were worn, one for the sword and one for the dagger. Infantry belts were decorated with attached narrow and wide bronze plates. The narrow plates were called belt stiffeners.
Bronze Belt Stiffener
This type was used by the Roman legionnaires to decorate their belts. Belt stiffeners were used to support the weight of the sword and stop the belt from curling.
The legionnaire’s apron was decorated with bronze studs and medallions such as this one displayed.
Roman helmets were made of iron or copper alloy (bronze, brass). The main features are the bowl, a neck guard (to protect from blows to the neck), cheek pieces (to protect the sides of the face), and a brow guard (defending against downward blows to the face). Also attached was a handle for easy carrying when not in use.
Many helmets had fittings to allow for the attachment of crests.
Soldiers often punched or scratched their names and the name of their centurion officer onto their helmets as a mark of ownership.
The Romans used three types of body armor. Two are illustrated here
Segmental A
Segmental armor consisted of overlapping curved bands or iron fastened to internal leather straps, which were used from the 1st to 3rd centuries A.D.
Scale B
Scale armor was made of small plates of iron or copper alloy wired together horizontally and sewn to a fabric or leather backing. In the 2nd century A.D., a new form of semi-rigid cuirass was introduced where each scale was wired vertical, as well as horizontal.
A
B
Circa 1st-3rd century A.D. Roman bronze junction used to tighten the belts of the legionnaire cuirass . The chest armor of the Roman soldiers was called cuirass.
A range of spear types seem to have been used, from light javelins for skirmishers, to thrusting spears for infantry, right up to two-handed lances used by armored cavalry.
Iron Spearhead 100-1200AD
Most arrowheads are
very hard to categorize. Roman battlefields would have been littered with
weapons from the Roman armies, their allies and their enemies. Certainly most of
what is found today is a mixture of Roman era, Dark Ages & Middle Ages. This
period of time ranges from BC to about 1600 AD.
The English long bow made
the English archer almost invincible, as they could send arrows to their enemies
from a distance that opposing archers could not match. 10-12 arrows per minute
were sent hurling down on the English enemy.
Many different types and sizes of iron arrowheads were used over many centuries but to simplify matters there were only a few categories that all types would fall under.
They could not be removed easily from a horse or a man, thereby requiring the arrow to be pushed through the flesh to be removed. Some of the arrow heads for this purpose were called swallow-tailed as they resembles the wings of a bird swept back
Anti-infantry arrowheads are very broad compared to the armor piercing arrowheads, which are heavy and narrow with sharp points, totally different to the anti-cavalry types.
Crossbow bolt 1200AD
Medieval Iron Knife
Percussion fire starting is the method that seems most commonly to have been in use in the Roman and Viking Age: This method utilizes a piece of high-carbon steel (sometimes bronze) and flint (or other hard stone plus a flammable substance that will ignite with a low-temperature spark.
When fire-steel is used to create a spark, this spark has to be made to land on a substance which is readily flammable and hold the ember produced long enough for the fire-maker to start feeding tinder and build the spark into a fire.
Roman medical science was well advanced compared to most of the rest of the ancient world. Doctors' medical kits include a range of bronze and iron instruments for surgery and other practices, including scalpels, knives, hooks, probes, saws, forceps, specula and catheters.
Ancient Roman medicine was a combination of physical application and holistic practices using rituals and religious belief systems.
The Romans learnt many medical procedures from the Greeks. Greek physicians were regarded as craftsmen, enjoying some esteem among their customers, but were not accepted as part of the socio-political elite.
The Greek slave who became a Roman doctor did not have the status Roman doctors had. The social standing of doctors was quite low because human recovery rates were so low. Some doctors charged excessive prices and attempt to deal with and treat diseases they obviously did not understand.
If a doctors methods were successful, they attracted more patients. Men trained as doctors by learning from other doctors.
Romans citizens still regard illness as a punishment from the gods or the product of witchcraft and curses. Since diseases soon or later went away they believed they had managed to please the gods by performing the correct religious acts.
In many respects, the Romans laid the foundation of certain areas of modern medicine.
Hospitals were only built for the military. Some soldiers were skilled in some medical practices while still serving in the army.
With the introduction of a medical school in the 1st century AD, the health care of the ancient world become more uniform and practical. Surgeons, especially those in the legions, were highly skilled and respected in private life. Research and advances made by doctors on the battlefield became the mainstay of human medicine for nearly 2 millennium.
We take great care in ensuring that every item listed for sale is ancient and from the time and culture to which it is attributed. We use reference books and supplier details to establish the authenticity of our artifacts. However, should a customer be able to prove otherwise we will provide a full refund, upon return of the item.
Barbarian A Greek word adopted by the Romans to refer to any people who had not taken on the Roman way of life. It is said to have come originally from the sound 'bar-bar', which, according to the Greeks, was supposed to be the noise that people made when speaking in foreign languages.
Caesar Originally the family name of Julius Caesar, it is assumed by Augustus on his adoption by Caesar and then passed on, by adoption, to Tiberius and Caligula. After that, it becomes a title denoting high status, second only to that of Augustus.
Diploma After 25 years' service, soldiers in the Roman army were discharged with full citizenship and other privileges. They were given a diploma, an inscribed bronze tablet certifying their honourable discharge.
What does SPQR stand for? The abbreviation SPQR adorns many public buildings and statues of Rome and, most famously, it was engraved on the battle standards of the Roman legion. It stood for 'senatus populusque romanus' meaning “the senate and the people of Rome”.
Buttons and Fasteners 500 BC –1840 AD Gordon Bailey
Medieval Artefacts- Nigel Mills
Celtic Roman Artefacts- Nigel Mills
Gladiators & Ceasars- Ralph Jacson
Roman Imperial Coins -David Van Meter
Artefacts- Paul Murawski
Colchester Archaeological Report 5- Nina Crummy
Camerton- Ralph Jackson
Ancient Brooches- Richard Hattattes
Warfare in the Classic World -John Warry
Ancient Bronzes- 12th International Congress
www.ancientshapes.com
paul@ancientshapes.com
0423193427
Ancient Shapes
PO Box 372
Salamander Bay 2317 NSW
Australia