Historic Replicas

When people think of the ancient western world, the two societies that come to mind most often are Greece and Rome. This association makes sense, as much of the culture and traditions between the two civilizations were quite similar. While the Greeks are often considered the founders of modern thought thanks to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the Romans also contributed greatly to the world that we live in today.

From our art and literature to our vary language, much of what we take for granted today was made possible via these cultures. These societies also made significant advances in math, science and various other technologies and areas of study. Most of the original artifacts from these cultures have been destroyed, but there are still accurate Greek and Roman replicas to be found.

By now I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be a famous thespian. The fact that I earn a generous living at a day job I happen to love does something to soften the blow. Still, I get a genuine thrill from performing in theatrical productions with a local acting troupe. In our most recent play, I was cast in the titular role of Julius Caesar. When offered the part, I said I would take a stab at it.

Our community theater budget is especially low this year, so I had to turn to a third party for a suitable costume. Luckily it took practically no time at all to find replica Roman costumes online. I placed an order and donned my costume in a matter of days. From there, I went on to ham it up in a play that I’ve always admired. It looks like I’ll be shopping for something a bit more Scottish because we’re getting ready to tackle Macbeth.

The Greeks were one of the most fascinating and most successful cultures in the ancient world, with a rich history that spans several centuries.  The Greeks were also one of the most advanced cultures in the world, and from this cultural advancement, the Greeks were pioneers of literature, art, science, language, and philosophy.  The most common Greek costumes associated include the toga, which is a simple drape of cloth worn around the shoulder to cover much of the chest and the lower extremities.  When people think of Greek warfare, for which the civilization was also famous, often the image of the Spartan hoplite comes to mind.  Wielding a huge shield and long spear with a sword strapped at the waist, the Spartan hoplite was one of the most feared warriors in all the world.  The Spartans mastered combat and built their society around warfare, making them one of the most fascinating cultures to study.

Much of the Greek culture has translated into cultures around the world, and so much of the Greek is rooted in European culture that it’s almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.

It’s somewhat unclear whether dueling existed in Ancient Greece and Rome.  The Roman costumes / uniforms definitely weren’t made for it.  Both were military societies whose men were trained for war, and they took their honor and reputations as warriors very seriously.  They probably didn’t hesitate to defend their honor with a sword when they felt they’d been wronged.  Dueling was a more sophisticated concept, though, involving combat between equals armed with the same weapons, and restricted to noblemen, since only they had honor to satisfy.  Dueling as we know it today wouldn’t take shape for several more centuries.  The Greeks and Romans had an equally exciting tradition though, and one with much higher stakes.  It was the practice of single combat, in which a lone warrior could decide the outcome of an entire war.  There have been accounts of single combat since biblical times (David and Goliath, for example), but the Greeks and Roman appear to have been particularly fond of it.  If a warring king or general wished to spare the lives of his men (or just conserve his resources), he could select a champion to fight on his army’s behalf.  The opposing leader was compelled to choose his own fighter, and this one battle would decide the victor. Both armies were honor-bound to respect the outcome of the battle, and be prepared to surrender if their champion lost.  The two men donned their Roman armor and met in the no-man’s-land in the middle of the battlefield while their comrades cheered them on from afar.  Can you imagine the terrible excitement these warriors must have experienced, knowing the fate of their homelands rested on their shoulders? 

It’s somewhat unclear whether dueling existed in Ancient Greece and Rome.  Both were military societies whose men were trained for war, and they took their honor and reputations as warriors very seriously.  They probably didn’t hesitate to defend their honor with a sword when they felt they’d been wronged.  Dueling was a more sophisticated concept, though, involving combat between equals armed with the same weapons, and restricted to noblemen, since only they had honor to satisfy.  Dueling as we know it today wouldn’t take shape for several more centuries. 

The Greeks and Romans had an equally exciting tradition though, and one with much higher stakes.  It was the practice of single combat, in which a lone warrior could decide the outcome of an entire war with his Greek sword.  There have been accounts of single combat since biblical times (David and Goliath, for example), but the Greeks and Romans appear to have been particularly fond of it.  If a warring king or general wished to spare the lives of his men (or just conserve his resources), he could select a champion to fight on his army’s behalf.  The opposing leader was compelled to choose his own fighter, and this one battle would decide the victor. Both armies were honor-bound to respect the outcome of the battle, and be prepared to surrender if their champion lost.  The two men donned their Roman armor and met in the no-man’s-land in the middle of the battlefield while their comrades cheered them on from afar.  Can you imagine the terrible excitement these warriors must have experienced, knowing the fate of their homelands rested on their shoulders?  

The sword is a practical, intuitive weapon, and many Bronze Age cultures developed them independently.  Bronze wasn’t ideal for making swords, though, and it wasn’t until the dawn of the Iron Age (with invention of new smelting techniques around 1300 BC) that swordmaking became truly refined.  Iron is actually weaker than bronze, but was more plentiful, so people used it anyway.  For the first time, a king could equip his entire army with swords, and in time, it became the weapon of choice throughout Eurasia. 
Eventually, smiths learned to convert iron to steel, an immensely strong and lightweight metal.  The Ancient Romans took full advantage of this technique, and produced the gladius, the roman sword that built the empire.  The gladius might not have looked very scary; it was about two feet long, with a narrow blade and little ornamentation.  But in the hands of a Roman legionnaire, it was a truly fearsome weapon.  Bronze swords could hold a sharp point, but the edge dulled quickly; they were mostly used for stabbing. Iron could hold a sharp edge, but broke easily.  The steel gladius was sturdy and sharp all the way around, good for both stabbing and chopping.  It was a versatile weapon, and all legionnaires were trained in its use.  In fact, the Romans were among the first to develop really advanced swordsmanship.  Like an archer or karate master, skilled swordsmen in Rome the many cultures that followed would gain renown as artists.  

There are a certain number of people who love collecting ancient and antique Roman weaponry.  One of the things that they always look forward to having is Roman armour.  The craftsmanship that was worked on these pieces makes you think that you are seeing the real thing.
 
It is almost impossible to find the original pieces of Roman armor so replicas are the next best things these collectors will get.  But with a lot of research done in making the replicas, they really look like the real ones.  A lot of people use them for recreation battles because of their authenticity.  And they get matching swords, daggers and helmets as well.  You can also find authentic Roman apparel too.

…Many scholars believe that the birthday cake took shape in Germany in the heart of Renaissance Europe.  The Germans baked sweet round cakes in the shape of baby Jesus to celebrate his birthday, and eventually the birthdays of their young children dressed in what we would consider Renaissance costumes.  The Germans were also the first people to consistently light birthday candles, which probably grew out of candles placed on Christmas trees (another German first!).  Candles, of course, have a VERY long history in celebrations, back to the Ancient Greek costumes and beyond.  So when your birthday comes around, have a happy one, and remember that yours is a party thousands of years in the making.  

Today’s my birthday, and it occurred to me that I’d hardly ever thought about birthdays and the origin of cakes, candles, and singing off-key;)  Birthdays are a special time for practically every culture, a time to honor a person’s life and remind them how special they are to us.  Like many modern holidays, people were celebrating birthdays a long time before any of us ever had one.  Once again, the mighty Roman Empire is largely responsible for spreading the idea in Western Europe, and the nations that came after them spread it to the New World.  In fact, the Roman naming day, or dies lustricus, was originally a lot more important.  Birthdays were first celebrated in Rome by the cult of Mithraism, a mystical religion that worshipped the Persian Sun God Mithra. It was popular among Roman soldiers, who traveled far and wide and spread their beliefs.  When Christianity became popular, the custom remained, and the Romans adapted customs from and other holidays, wearing Roman costumes, feasting, and giving gifts. 

While I was researching Latin and the Roman contributions to Romance languages, I turned up a huge amount of information about Roman technology and inventions.  As it turns out, the Romans were responsible for an incredible number of scientific discoveries and techniques.  Some are very well known; the Romans are famous for their Roman costumes, the Coliseum (the ancient stadium of the gladiators that still stands in present-day Rome), their aqueducts, and architecture in general.  The segmented Roman armor of the centurions has been made famous in movies like I am Spartacus and Julius Caesar.  Other Roman technology may surprise you, though.  They used lighthouses to guide their ships, one of which stands to this day, the Tower of Hercules in Spain.  They mastered glassblowing and produced windows, lamps, even mirrors. Roman doctors used a wide variety of surgical tools, and some citizens wore false teeth made of iron.  Businessmen and mathematicians carried a portable abacus, in effect the world’s first pocket calculator, and many people had portable sundials, the world’s first pocket watches.  They even had indoor plumbing!  During a chapter of human history that’s often associated with disease and unsanitary living conditions, the Romans were using public baths and flush toilets.  How’s that for being ahead of your time?  Of course, the fall of the Roman Empire hit the reset button on human understanding; many of the secrets of Roman technology were lost and had to be rediscovered by later civilizations.  But when you consider how organized and sophisticated Rome was, it’s mind-boggling to think what they would have achieved if the empire had survived into modern times.