Putting back together 100 fragments of a Roman armor from the 2nd century was not an easy feat for conservators at the National Museums Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh. Yet this historical jigsaw puzzle is finally finished and the piece can go on permanent display in Edinburgh after it returns from the British Museum in London where it will be the star of the exhibition "Legion: Life in the Roman Army" (1st February - 24th June 2024).
The armor was discovered by James Curle, at the Trimontium fort site near Melrose, Scottish Borders, in 1906. It was identified as an arm-guard in the 1990s, but it was put back together only recently. The fragments have been in National Museums Scotland’s collection for more than a century, with the upper section previously on display for 25 years, while another section was on loan to the Trimontium Museum.
What is so precious about the arm guard? Definitely its armadillo-like segmental and flexible construction, with the brass strips overlapping one another. Iron was more functional, but brass was a sort of "couture" material as it would have looked more striking, marking out a soldier's rank on the battlefield (in this case it probably indicated a high-ranking centurion).
The scaled design offered protection, deflecting blows, with underlying padding absorbing much of the impact. Despite the metal's well-preserved state, corrosion patterns provide insights into the attachment points for the leather and padding. Fragments of the original leather have also endured.
The flexible arm guard is usually conceived as a piece donned by Roman gladiators, so it is unusual to see it as a sword arm protection for Roman soldiers too (the design probably derived from a gladiator's kit).
The arm-guard was probably left behind when the Romans abandoned Trimontium: around 2,000 people would have lived there and in the settlement around it. The piece was kept in the headquarters of the site's latest fort where repairs were usually carried out. The arm guard is one of only three known from the whole Roman Empire, and it is also the most intact.
In the past we have looked at fashion construction moving from a Roman lorica segmentata and at inspirations behind Roman antiquities. This is just an arm guard, so not an entire cuirass or body piece, but (like all antiquity pieces…) it can be equally inspiring for fashion designers who may try and experiment creating knitted armadillo-like scales or multi-layered and flexible designs in unusual materials.
An example, not directly derived from the brass armor, but moving from the Middle Ages and combining fantasy and fetish while retaining the armadillo structure, is the flexible armor by Matisse Di Maggio included in the designer's graduation collection.
Combining theatre, costumes, and the performing arts and dubbed "Le Chevalier", the design consists in an ensemble constructed like a Medieval armor, but integrating also a dress. Some sections of the ensemble are characterized by a multi-layered armadillo-like construction.
Di Maggio mainly works with latex and in this case the armor from Medieval times is transformed into a kind of fetish piece, a wearable object that, combining menswear and womenswear, neutralizes both genders hiding and protecting the wearer.
Di Maggio, who studied Fashion Design at the École Duperré Paris, showcased some of her latex pieces on Rick Owens' menswear runway last week in Paris, yet, rather than working in the fashion industry, the designer is more interested in a multidisciplinary exploration of the body and in tackling its social and political meanings through latex and inflatable latex pieces, designs that deform the conventional silhouette of the human body and defy gender, sexuality and power norms.
Fraser Hunter, principal curator of prehistoric and Roman archaeology at the National Museums Scotland, stated in a press release that the Roman guard was "both protection and status symbol" as brass was expensive and would have gleamed like gold on the soldier's sword arm. This concept is particularly inspiring for fashion designers as the purpose and aim of the Roman arm guard seem to be the same of fashion - we mainly wear clothes with a function in mind, protecting our bodies; yet for those ones among us who are obsessed with fashion, it is the brand that makes the difference, and that gives the wearer a sense of power and status. So, for today, ponder about this connection (protection/status symbol) and about armadillo-like constructions in Roman armors and in modern times.
A last note for those of you heading to London to see "Legion: Life in the Roman Army": check out also the well-preserved children's leather shoes (AD 43-410) included in the exhibition. They are similar to ballerinas and they perfectly fit in with the current return of ballerina shoes for men as well, as exemplified by Dior Homme's A/W 24 collection.
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