Reverse poculiform snowdrops and roman legionnaires

Jim McKenney jamesamckenney@verizon.net
Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:33:52 PST
I'm no expert on Roman military garb, so I also did some Googling to see what I could find. 


As Mark hinted by placing the word skirt in quotes, there was no skirt (in the sense used in modern women's clothing)  from what I read. What looks like a skirt in pictures is actually an array of straps which hang down from a belt at the waist. These straps were used to hang/store/display weapons, mementos et al. It sounds to me a bit like the modern carpenters' belt. The straps had a name, pteruges  , akin to the classical Greek word for wing. In other words, it was not a skirt (in the modern fashion sense)  but rather a column or screen of  of flaps hanging from a belt at the waist. Under it the soldier wore a loincloth. 


Mark also asked about the word infundibuliform: in a botanical context it usually means funnel shaped. 

Jim McKenney



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