Putting together a new kit: 14th cent BC, or 15th cent AD?

[Sin Fergus]

Long-time lurker on AA, very infrequent poster. I’m getting back in SCA fighting after well over a year of work-and-family imposed exile, and am looking to re-do my kit.

The period I was portraying before was roughly SCA 2009-ish , and, while I’m not as historically-accurately inclined as many here, in putting together something new, I want to make a bit more of a reasonable effort at portraying at least the general idea of a particular period than I have in the past.

I have a Clang Corinthian barbute that I want to base my kit around, and was looking for some advice as what to do with it – It’s a beautiful kick-ass helm that I love to death, and I’m well aware that Mark takes perhaps a little bit of artistic license in some of his helms, and as such it has 15th cent elements without being 100% accurate.

I had two ideas and wanted to see if either of them are too far-fetched (also on a limited student budget which places some constraints on what I can do, so no plate armour for the moment…).

The first strikes me as the pretty obvious one: Italian militia circa 15th cent, padded jack hiding the required protection, mail standard/bishops collar hiding the gorget, hidden legs. The jack would hide the arms and elbow cop, and maybe later on down the road I could add (decorative) jack-chains.

The second one allows me to be a bit more creative in putting together the new kit, and have a bit more fun in putting this together, but I don’t know if I can get away with it with this helm: Scythian, circa 1400 BC. Body armour would be mostly leather scale or lamellar, with the back plate on the helm hidden with a leather or leather-scale drape (to mimic the Scythian practice of modifying Greek helms by cutting off the back section).

I’m not sure if this helm with the right kit could pass as an approximation of a greek Corinthian or if it is unquestionably 15th century. I found a couple of museum pieces of greek Corinthians that do have something of a fore-to-aft crest rather than the more common rounded “phallus-top” (I attached a pic below), so I don’t think it’s a completely ridiculous idea, but wanted to get other opinions beforehand.

Once again, not looking for a completely historically accurate kit for the time being (otherwise I would be saving my spare change for either an actual Corinthian or Barbute), but would like to look as though I’m making an effort by being inspired by a particular period in my creative anachronisms.

Thoughts?

[Vladimir]

That helmet does not make me think "Ancient Greece".

Despite its modern sportiness (reminds me of a sports car actually) I would say you are much better off going for 15th century Italy.

[InsaneIrish]

That helmet does not make me think "Ancient Greece".

Despite its modern sportiness (reminds me of a sports car actually) I would say you are much better off going for 15th century Italy.

what Vlad said. Although in all honesty, "barbute" is used in the loosest form when talking about that helm.

[Glaukos the Athenian]

14th century BC?

That would be the time of Tutankhamon

your "kit" would be a loincloth, a reverse heater shield and a spear... with luck you get a bronze Kopesh...


http://www.templeresearch.eclipse.co.uk ... hopesh.jpg

Perhaps you meant to say 4th century BC?



The best Corinthians out there are currently either from Icefalcon (when he has them in stock) or Gunther or Orkney, if you are nice and convince him to make you one.

[Sin Fergus]

Yeah, 4th, not 14th cent- late night typo on my part. A loin cloth is what I wear around the house most days anyway, so no fun in doing that as sca kit ... Thanks for the replies - even though the helm is a "loose" barbute interpretation, I'm still a big fan of it, and it looks like I'll take it in the 15th century direction. It'll give me a chance to play with some maille in getting a standard together