Reference:
Sumner, G. (2009) Roman Military Dress, Stroud: The History Press

After having been lucky enough to see some of the material for the book when Graham came to York recently, it was great to be able to walk away from Vindolanda with a copy in my hands. Graham was kind enough to trek up to our camp and sign one for me, having rescued his personal copies from the museum bookshop, who had assumed they were for general sale and sent several over to Corbridge!

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We couldn't go to Bamburgh this weekend, so I got my fix by working on the web site & adapted a Legio Praesidiensis shield design graphic sent to me for use by Comitatus.

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We have a new tent!

Now we too can experience the streamlined convenience of Living History in the double stitched comfort of a side opening display tent.

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Back under canvas and around a fire after almost a year :-)

Yesterday, we watched the sunrise dim the starfield until only the Morning Star remained.

Beautiful :-)

Sledmere is a wonderful site, we were surrounded by trees and peacocks. The horses were great fun to have in the camp with us, snorting and snoring and looking quite interested.

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Other standouts:
Everyone's faces around the fire, feeling at home as the infantry commentary kicked in, drifting off in the listening to the kids playing down the street.
'vulneratus non victus sum'

The world below lies desolate
The spirits of evil are fallen
The angels of God are rejoicing
The tombs of the dead are empty
For Christ is risen indeed from the dead,
the first of the sleepers

Hippolytus of Rome, reputedly a C2nd-3rd Roman soldier converted by St. Lawrence.

This season's exploration of the pilgrimage site on Looe Island was fascinating, Cornwall being key in unravelling Sub-Roman (or Brythonic) Christianity.

The Roman finds particularly provoke thoughts of continuity, though presumably there wasn't clear dating evidence for the early Saxon half of that equation beyond 'pre-1100'.

What bugged my was the director's decision to keep repeating Professor Nicholas Orme's description of Glastonbury Abbey as 'the first English theme park' and applying it to the pilgrim chapels they refurbished on the site. I'm happy to accept that Glastonbury monks fabricated the 'Arthur's grave' found on the site and I'm sure the prof has a lot of further evidence of the deliberate manufacture of artificial atmosphere, so to speak, in order to justify such a description, but it seems rather an odd term for two chapels and a little monk's house with a small room to crash in.

I can't help contrasting this dismissive phrase with the reverent tones heard in the series regarding prehistoric religious sites: Francis Pryor describing a couple of imposing hilltops with connecting trackways as a 'highly sophisticated ritual landscape'.

Am I paranoid or would they speak of any other religion but Christianity in these terms?

I enjoyed myself at Snowball, which was quite different this year with loosely timetabled talks and a big focus on welcoming new members and helping them get a good start on kit.

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The York Viking Festival has feasted :-)

( Clicky for Yakkity )

The best of it was showing my old mate Simon and family a time. We did Dig (me in kit) recovering our lost booking thanks to the extremely helpful peeps there after the worst food delays in Christendom in the Slug & Lettuce (lovely staff, just not enough kitchen) and ran into Mick Aston (whose talk that evening was entertaining, despite his bronchitis - though he was brusque with questioners who dared to mention the old criticisms of the quality of Time Team's archaeology).

We rested up and staggered along to hear Hugh Lupton's modern English telling of Beowulf at the Early Music Centre. This was interesting: he treated it as a fluid story in the oral tradition rather than as a text, skipping some of my favourite phrases, substituting his own key repeated phrases and alliteration, changing some of the plot and much of the pace and balance of the piece for a modern (or, shall I say a wider) audience in the same vein as a better screenplay adaptation (I can't liken it to a novelisation as I've yet to read a tolerable one). The addition of percussion was, again, interesting - probably more accessible than the lyre and certainly well performed.

It made me want to perform my own material, preferably by torchlight in a long hall and that can't be bad :-)

festum Nativitatis Christi laetum et annum novum faustum felicemque omnibus exopto
I wish a joyful feast of Christ's Nativity and an auspicious and happy new year to all.



It's been a rough year for us and a there's a stretch of hard road to go, but there is always light on the horizon.

Audivit summo reverens
silentio terra.

Adhuc nunc alis devolant
per caelum expansis;
adhuc et cantus dispergunt
mortalibus fessis,
et tristes atque desertos
campos pervolitant,
semperque mundi strepitum
canentes superant.

The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
(Translated by Robert J.M. Lindsay)

Wake not for the world-heard thunder
Not the chime that earthquakes toll.
Star may plot in heaven with planet,
Lightning rive the rock of granite,
Tempest tread the oakwood under:
Fear you not for flesh nor soul.
Marching, fighting, victory past,
Stretch your limbs in peace at last.

Stir not for the soldiers drilling
Nor the fever nothing cures:
Throb of drum and timbal's rattle
Call but man alive to battle,
And the fife with death-notes filling
Screams for blood but not for yours.
Times enough you bled your best;
Sleep on now, and take your rest.

Sleep, my lad; the French are landed,
London's burning, Windsor's down;
Clasp your cloak of earth about you,
We must man the ditch without you,
March unled and fight short-handed,
Charge to fall and swim to drown.
Duty, friendship, bravery o'er,
Sleep away, lad; wake no more.

A. E. Housman, Last Poems, XXIX

Here in Guy Fawkes' home town, it's might be forgiveable that the City Council no longer organises a November 5th bonfire and firework display, local boy & all that. Or it would be if they hadn't given up merely because they couldn't organise one big event to their own public liability insurance standards (mostly traffic, would you believe), just as they banned the Viking boat burnings at the Jorvik festival on safety grounds, rather than making the events safe.

I'm pretty sure they couldn't organise a booze up in a brewery because people might get drunk.

I don't suppose it's occured to them to eliminate the problems associated with the big crowds drawn to a city-wide event by having several local events? The thinking just isn't top-down enough.

And what is it all about? Fires were lit in the streets of London to warm the street parties celebrating James I deliverance from assassination (& to a lesser extent his heir and the members of the Royal family saved with him and not so much the hundreds of Members of Parliament & seat of democracy itself). That the would-be assassins were Roman Catholics trying to eliminate a Protestant King was a factor in the handling of the subsequent pursuit, arrests, executions and backlash, but the bells rang out on the 5th for the safety of the monarch and hence the realm, untainted by denominational venom. Amazing that so many have forgotten, not least that Guido was just the trigger man, rather than the ringleader of the plot, Catesby.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Comitatus event, 400A.D.

A much awaited event, two years since my first Roman show on the site.

An incredible place to have the run of and a nice crowd. Unfortunately,

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Prompted by an interesting point by my friend Restitvtvs on Roman Army Talk about Christians and Martial Arts training, I looked out my copy of 'Prepare to Defend Yourself', Colin Opie 1987 and thought it might be useful to very briefly summarise the main points for anyone interested. If I have oversimplified or misunderstood, I can only apologise.

He wrote as a Christian who got into Aikido and who went on to promote and teach self defence amongst the Christian community and that is the audience of the book.

( Click for the details )

Thus I believe, as a Christian, we should avoid militaristic or obsessive preparation but should be sensible about taking crime prevention precautions and would be justified in using non aggressive self defence to protect ourselves or others from material harm, remembering that ultimately our physical safety is not in our own hands.

"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men" (Psalm 59:1)

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12: 17-18)

Comitatus, 400A.D. 'Call to Arms' History Fair

Second year of the multi-period event, another good opportunity to see other groups, particularly the American Civil War chaps.

( Click for natter )

Standout: The group lying out in the sun together on the last day.

I have my sword!

Not sealed in stone and not re-forged from pieces, but certainly re-made. I was able to give the blade John found for me to Stephen, who re-profiled the point and made a great Type I style wooden handle and scabbard, making it into a superb sword.

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I've been out in the garden again this week, frightening the neighbours with various training weapons: I picked up a bo to add to my boken and jo - a lot heavier and harder to spin like a baton!

( Kit bit )

Great finish to a great week:

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Had a great day with Victor working with the Jorvik Vikingr. We did the opening ceremony with Dan Snow, worked the crowd, saw some friends and fought a few duels :-) Legs are feeling the weight of the mail now!

( Kit Bit )
Least favourite moments: the Jorvik centre also engaged some comedy vikings for the kids which was a laugh, but we had to accompany them on the procession. I've not had to compete with Abba music on a march before!

( Most Embarrasing Moment )

Best bits: making up some bit about omens re the spear and charging off to Valhalla shouting defiance, quoting appropriate poetry to visitors from Bergen and quoting from the Havamal under pressure for the news camera.

Looking forward to tomorrows quiet standing around!

There's a project on in York to build another replica longship.

I believe the group has permission to display one of the old Regia fibreglass boats from Naburn Marina at the Jorvik Festival this year to aid the fundraising etc. and should be at Kings Staith on Saturday. I'm hoping to meet up with them, as several members of my Roman group Comitatus are willing to get involved, probably largely as crew in Viking kit, as I understand the group are from the civic side rather than re-enactors / archaeological, but their aim is to make the replica authentic to the best standard.

Their web site is Jorvik Afloat

I'll post more details as I get them. I'll pass on any advice/experience anyone has.

Crossposted to viking_research uk_reenactors regia

Comitatus

Wonderful weekend with some Springlike weather and a great deal achieved. H couldn't make it, but there were some very pleasant new recruits to meet, and several of our Germanic specialists to skirmish with.

( Happy musings )

Very relaxed, with a great collective Sunday brunch instigated by Miccalus.

Highlights: inspiring talk late into the night with people I don't see enough of, a couple of nifty kills thanks to outflanking around the undergrowth.