Oh, that’s just the weapon we can see now. He has a spatha cleverly concealed in his boot. Irenaeus is an exceptionally good dresser exceptionally good at dressing his masters.
edited to clarify that Irenaeus is not necessarily a spiffy dresser himself and that he is not a chest of drawers
I draw pretty much on instinct rather than specifically thinking about proportion (which is why sometimes proportions need tweaking after I scan the art and get a fresh look at it), and all this talk of swords and knives and blades sizes got me thinking about the size of feet, relative to Irenaeus’s hand and arm. I try to draw Irenaeus as being lanky and long-limbed. After some studying of studies of statistics, I’m comfortable the feet fit the man in question.
So, Felix might have proportionately sized feet that correlate to his above-Roman-average-size height, but he gets around just fine.
Which makes sense given Felix’s description of it as a “long knife”. My understanding is that the pugio seems to have been a sort of close-combat weapon as opposed to, say, a modern soldier’s k-bar, leatherman, or utility knife (actual utility knives have been found in Roman military sites). It was primarily a weapon, and my guess is that it might have been used in a similar fashion to the left-hand dagger used in rapier dueling, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure.
Extant pugios certainly even look more like close-combat/off-hand weapons than utility knives. And like they could do some decisive damage to internal organs.
I have a lovely little Roman knife in my collection of tidbits. It’s more likely a dinner/food knife than a utility/general-tasks knife, but I’m sure it could take down a tyrant if necessary. Maybe cut open a tyrant’s figs to stick some poison in. Whatever.
Funny (in the sense of “aren’t people funny”) thing; modern troops quickly discover what the Roman miles gregarius found out 2,000-odd years ago; double-edged blades are really crappy for anything other than stabbing people. You can’t really cut food (or anything else) with them the way a single-bladed knife is useful for. So every GI goes out right after initial entry training and buys a high-speed Fairbairn or Gerber dagger and then finds out that it’s only good for looking cool and buys himself a Leatherman or a USAF survival knife or a similar single-bladed tool.
Mind you, in the “there are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous people” one of those little utility blades will, as you note, do perfectly well for eviscerating someone you dislike if you use it correctly…
So, silly question. I recall that the Latin alphabet had no “J” (thanks Indy), so Justa’s name is spelt Iusta. Would it still be pronounced “Justa” though or is Felix going for a more Roman pronounciantion here?
Felix goes for the more Roman pronunciation, but with an overlay of soldier’s accent and an underlay of the Alexandrian Greek accent he grew up with. He probably also says “pop” instead of “soda.” 😉
Seriously, though… Yoosta, not Geeoosta.
In the lettering in the earlier chapters I started out using “J” since that’s usually used for the name Justa in modern texts (or for Julius, etc.), then shifted to a fancy “I,” and now am using just the ordinary “I” with the digital lettering until I make a new font from my own handwriting 🙂
Following up on Felix’s dialectic preferences: Does he say ‘Redd-up’ for clean-up? How about Chimley for Chimney? Does he say Youse Guys or Y’all?? Interested readers Must know these things.
I think Alexandria was more hipster, like today’s San Francisco. After all it was one of the most important helenistic city in the empire and had the Great Library.
Alexandrians were proud of their library, not that many of them ever read any of the documents. Like New Yorkers, who’ve never been to the MOMA or Parisians the Louvre. 😉
So the tenant’s name is Timo and his slave/asistant/wife’s name is Tertia. Are you going for a T&T logo?
You know I would have loved to see a close up of poor Damon’s face when he notice that his lady love is indeed married and to Felix!
He doesn’t know yet, so you might still get that reaction shot.
Looks like I forgot the painter’s woman already had a name. Maybe she has two whole names. Or maybe I’ll just correct the mistake.
That is a puglio not a sword. Still I think Felix is happy of getting out of that toga.
A pugio would have been the perfect self-defense accessory.
Hidden, of course, as discussed yesterday. Safer, to the bearer, in a sheath.
Oh, that’s just the weapon we can see now. He has a spatha cleverly concealed in his boot. Irenaeus is
an exceptionally good dresserexceptionally good at dressing his masters.edited to clarify that Irenaeus is not necessarily a spiffy dresser himself and that he is not a chest of drawers
Pugio In Averso Belli?
He’s a strong believer in that!
A blade is a blade. It’s not about the size…it’s about the user. (X-rated version DEFINITELY implied!)
I draw pretty much on instinct rather than specifically thinking about proportion (which is why sometimes proportions need tweaking after I scan the art and get a fresh look at it), and all this talk of swords and knives and blades sizes got me thinking about the size of feet, relative to Irenaeus’s hand and arm. I try to draw Irenaeus as being lanky and long-limbed. After some studying of studies of statistics, I’m comfortable the feet fit the man in question.
So, Felix might have proportionately sized feet that correlate to his above-Roman-average-size height, but he gets around just fine.
No other correlations implied.
Nope.
‘Course not! 😉
Which makes sense given Felix’s description of it as a “long knife”. My understanding is that the pugio seems to have been a sort of close-combat weapon as opposed to, say, a modern soldier’s k-bar, leatherman, or utility knife (actual utility knives have been found in Roman military sites). It was primarily a weapon, and my guess is that it might have been used in a similar fashion to the left-hand dagger used in rapier dueling, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure.
Extant pugios certainly even look more like close-combat/off-hand weapons than utility knives. And like they could do some decisive damage to internal organs.
I have a lovely little Roman knife in my collection of tidbits. It’s more likely a dinner/food knife than a utility/general-tasks knife, but I’m sure it could take down a tyrant if necessary. Maybe cut open a tyrant’s figs to stick some poison in. Whatever.
Funny (in the sense of “aren’t people funny”) thing; modern troops quickly discover what the Roman miles gregarius found out 2,000-odd years ago; double-edged blades are really crappy for anything other than stabbing people. You can’t really cut food (or anything else) with them the way a single-bladed knife is useful for. So every GI goes out right after initial entry training and buys a high-speed Fairbairn or Gerber dagger and then finds out that it’s only good for looking cool and buys himself a Leatherman or a USAF survival knife or a similar single-bladed tool.
Mind you, in the “there are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous people” one of those little utility blades will, as you note, do perfectly well for eviscerating someone you dislike if you use it correctly…
Sword blades can break during combat so it made sense to have a strong dagger as a fall back weapon if such thing happened.
Huh: I thought Puglio was a particularly dowdy French car.
Is it dowdy but will save you during an apocalypse, like a Volvo?
So, silly question. I recall that the Latin alphabet had no “J” (thanks Indy), so Justa’s name is spelt Iusta. Would it still be pronounced “Justa” though or is Felix going for a more Roman pronounciantion here?
Felix goes for the more Roman pronunciation, but with an overlay of soldier’s accent and an underlay of the Alexandrian Greek accent he grew up with. He probably also says “pop” instead of “soda.” 😉
Seriously, though… Yoosta, not Geeoosta.
In the lettering in the earlier chapters I started out using “J” since that’s usually used for the name Justa in modern texts (or for Julius, etc.), then shifted to a fancy “I,” and now am using just the ordinary “I” with the digital lettering until I make a new font from my own handwriting 🙂
Following up on Felix’s dialectic preferences: Does he say ‘Redd-up’ for clean-up? How about Chimley for Chimney? Does he say Youse Guys or Y’all?? Interested readers Must know these things.
I imagine he’s a Youse kinda guy.
I also imagine downtown ancient Alexandria as a hipstery Brooklyn sort of place with a lot of trendy artisanal-pancake shops.
I think Alexandria was more hipster, like today’s San Francisco. After all it was one of the most important helenistic city in the empire and had the Great Library.
Alexandrians were proud of their library, not that many of them ever read any of the documents. Like New Yorkers, who’ve never been to the MOMA or Parisians the Louvre. 😉