Thinking Like the Ancients whilst Dressing and Reading like the Ancients

A while back I was asked to post some pictures of some of the gear I have. Well, Tina, here we go. Ignore the time frame, some of these are from a while ago. Others, are of a couple of years ago.

This is my first Corinthian helmet. I bought it from an online store operating out of Athens about eight years ago. The nose section is flat, something I have seen in 5th century Corinthian helms but that seems apocryphal. I rather like it. This wearable piece of armor cost me less than $100.

Now, this is my first real piece of armor. Made in the US using traditional methods, the crest is made of donkey hair and its was made of a single piece of bronze. This is my favorite armor. It is fully wearable (evidence forthcoming) and it is no more than three to four pounds in weight. This baby needs to be worn in the traditional manner, with lots of curly hair or a headband to cushion against the metal.

Pay close attention to how the hair is arranged by these dressing hoplites. So in the end, here is where we end up.

Notice the wool hat under the helmet here. I was quite comfortable in it, even when I was being hit with the some of the swords I have laying around. It is quite fun, actually, having wearable ancient Greek armor laying around, especially when a couple of Roman busts set the mood as well.

This is a view of my office from the outside. It is in the basement of our house, of course, so I can also keep an eye on our children.

Here is the inside. My library is (conveniently) divided into a Roman section, on the right, and a Greek section, on the left, as any Ancient Roman would divide things. Not visible are my General section, on the left, and my Castilian Spanish section on the far right. All in all, I have some 500 books, most in their original language – actually, I have the least amount of books in English. Quite the modest library by anyone’s standards, at any rate, but it does the job for me. Right under the bust and the helms is the Magazine section. Mostly National Geographic, Archeology, and some Spanish publications. My copy of Twilight is laying around in there… not sure why.

Here is another selfie, for your viewing delight.

You can’t tell I am Mediterranean at all, right?