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| weather
forecast
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Weather forecast as of early morning 9/15: {courtesy of www.wunderground.com}
Tonight: Clear, low 45 to 50, north wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Clear, sunny, high around 75, low 45 to 50, north wind 10 to 15 mph.
Bring your cloaks!
September 15-17, 2000
Hosted by the Barony of the South Downs
Camp Riverview
(previously known as Camp Saddlerock)
County Road 614
Mentone, Alabama
As all Roman citizens know, these are the last three days of the Ludi
Romani - the Roman Games.
Special notice: togas (the preferred business attire for male Roman citizens)
will be on sale at the door for $5 each.
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SPACES REMAINING AS OF 4 SEPTEMBER 2000:
Bed [ 60 ] Feast [ 12 ]
Next scheduled update: none
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NOTE: for all e-mail addresses herein, replace " ^ "
with "@"
(this alteration is done to help prevent e-mail abuse).
MAIN CONTACT PEOPLE
Autocrat
Sir Rodger fan Morvill
(mka Charles Salley)
[==data removed==]
| Head Cook
"Iron Chef Roman"
Master Orrick of Romney
(mka Lawrence Barker)
[==data removed==]
| Reservations
Lord Martin Dragonet
(mka Evan Herring)
[==data removed==]
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No reservations will be taken by phone or e-mail, however you are encouraged
to call or e-mail for confirmations. Please! no calls after 10 p.m. Eastern
time. (Note: local business meetings are on Wednesday nights.)
Below is information on: the activities, the fees,
the schedule, the feast, directions to the site,
what to wear and links to other Web sites to learn more about Roman stuff...!
FIGHTING FIGHTING and more FIGHTING
Eight qualifying rounds will be held to determine eight finalists. These eight warriors will
be the only entrants in the standard double-elimination Red Tower Tourney and they, along with
their guest (preferably the one who inspires them to victory), will be offered special seating
at the evening Feast. Sources say they will also receive a special prize for their accomplishment...!
- Some "gladiator-grade" loaner weapons and shields will be available. To ensure
having items of finer quality, bring your own! Roman-themed items and attire are encouraged.
- Daggers may be no longer than 18" (entire length).
- No "declared kills from behind" will be allowed in melees or multiple fighter
lists, standard eye contact and line engagement rules will be used and enforced.
By default, the rounds are single-elimination and a fighter who wins a round may not
enter any more rounds. (Contributors: Sir Rodger, Sir Kytte, Lord Muredach, Baron Conmaol, Lord
Yves)
- GROUP MELEES: each melee will consist of a randomly-selected group of eight (or so) fighters,
the last fighter alive wins that melee. The winners of all the melees will fight each other
in a grand melee to determine the finalist.
- TRIDENT: single combat list, spear or trident only, no polearms.
- DIOSCURI DOOM: two-person team list (teams may or may not be randomly assigned, this depends
on the whim of those running the list), no weapons restrictions. Like the twins Castor and Pollux,
the famous warriors renowned both for their skill and devotion to each other, the two fighters
on each team would do well to work together to advance in the round. But at the end... the fighters
on the winning team then must turn on each other and fight to determine the finalist!
- DAGGER AND ROPE: single combat list. Each bout will have two fighters and one short rope.
Holding onto the rope will be in the form of a simple grasp, no wrapping. In this list only,
a good shot to either arm also counts as a kill. If you drop the rope or die, you lose the bout.
- CHRISTIANS VS. LIONS: in each melee, a randomly-selected group of up to four or five (exact
limit TBD) fighters representing Christians, each fighter armed only with a dagger, will face
a knight representing a lion who is not eligible to win this round and armed as desired. If
the lion dies, then the last fighter alive wins the melee. Those who survive the melees with
the lions then fight each other in a grand melee to determine the finalist.
- GLADIUS AND ROUND SHIELD: single combat list. The entire length of the gladius (short sword)
is limited to 28", tip to pommel. The shield must be a center-grip round shield no wider than
30" in diameter.
- OUT OF THE CHUTE: in each melee, a randomly-selected group of up to three fighters (who
aren't knights) armed only with a one-handed sword (no length restriction) face a knight armed
as desired - however, the knight is eligible to win this round. The last fighter alive wins
the melee. As before, a grand melee determines the finalist.
- BEARPIT: single combat, thirty minutes, no restrictions on weapons or shields. A fighter
gets one point for a win. Forcing the opponent out of the ring does not count as a win. A double
kill means neither fighter wins and the next two fighters in line enter the pit. More than one
pit may be available, depending on the number of fighters. Ties in point totals will be resolved
with a grand melee to determine the finalist.
FENCING
A dagger-only double-elimination list will determine who gets to play Caesar and (maybe) Brutus
in the second scenario - you guessed it, the Ides of March! Caesar
and his guards will try to make it from the senate house (where the senators' daggers are checked
at the door), through the Forum, to the bath house and through the streets back to his palace.
Brutus and the rebellious senators will try to make sure he doesn't - and they'll outnumber
the guards. Caesar starts unarmed, but he can pick up a dropped dagger. Caesar and his guards
are unaware of the danger, so they shall walk at a regal pace until it obvious that they're
under attack. Contact: Tangwen [==data removed==].
TARGET ARCHERY
Test your skill in the archery tournament by firing at wooden silhouettes of wild beasts.
Contact: Rhydderch [==data removed==].
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Games on Friday night, including a chess tournament. After the feast on Saturday, a revel Bacchus
himself would be proud of.
Revel location depends on the weather and will include familiar dancing. Just before the
revel: another performance of the "Medieval Knightly News"! Possible activities
for the revel:
- "Chariot Races" - using blankets instead of chariots
- "Game show" - spelling and trivia contest
- "Lord and Lady Colossus of Rhodes" - beauty/bodybuilding contest; then
again it may more resemble 'tawdry togas and tunicas' contest...
- "Roman Hairstyle competition" - judged on the body, specifically the scalp...
- "Short Attention Span Colosseum" - how much of an old epic known in Roman
times can you enjoyably relate in three minutes?
- dancing, mingling, partying... and at a given time to be determined, the children will
have their very OWN revel!
Nota bene (note well): due to the theme of the event, neither latter-Period European court
dancing nor Middle-Eastern hafla will be on the schedule.
FEES
CABIN TENTING
Until 7/25 $30 $25
After 7/25 $32 $27
After 8/25 $34 $29
Daytrip: $15.
Proof of current SCA membership provided: deduct $3.
Off board (no feast): deduct $5.
Children age 12 and under: half price. Babes in arms: free.
Please make checks payable to: SCA, Inc. / Barony of the South Downs
The site opens at 4 PM on Friday and closes at 11 AM on Sunday.
The site is discretely wet, take away ALL original containers and dispose of them off site
(preferably by recycling!).
SCHEDULE
More information will be posted as it's made available.
Friday, Sept. 15
4:00 pm Site opens
7:30 pm Travelers' fare, games
Chess tournament
Saturday, Sept. 16
8:00 am Wake-up call
8:30-until Morning meal
9:00-10:00 am Armor inspection
Red Tower qualifier rounds
Target archery
Dagger tournament (fencers)
Ides of March (fencers)
Red Tower tourney
Court
Feast
Revel and contests
Children's revel
Sunday, Sept. 17
Wake-up call
Morning meal
11:00 am Site closes
Thank you for attending. Please travel carefully.
FEAST
(Limit: 175)
From Master Orrick:
The Barony of the South Downs welcomes you to Roma, the First City of the World.
A repast fit for the Emperor himself - nay, the Gods of Olympus - shall be sat before you.
But why this vain prattling? Let us, with the determination of the Fourth Legion, move on
to the menu:
Remove the first:
Cato's cheese bread (feta cheese, flour, egg, bay leaves, honey)
Flavored olives (olives, lavender, parsley, pepper)
Pepper sausage (ground meat, bread, wine, pepper, garum, grape juice)
Carrots with cumin sauce (carrots, cumin, bay, mint, honey vinegar, garum)
Chick peas (chick peas, turmeric)
Salad (lettuce, celery, raisin, mint, honey, pepper, vinegar)
Remove the second:
Roast ham (ham, wine, grape juice, dill, thyme, coriander, honey, fennel)
Flavored cucumber (cucumber, garum)
Sweet and sour turnips (turnips, cumin, rue, garlic, honey, vinegar, garum, olive oil)
Seasoned melon (melon, pepper, mint, honey, garum, vinegar)
Dessert:
Stuffed dates (dates, almond, honey)
Pliny's pears (pears, wine, honey)
Nota bene: Garum is a sauce made of fermented fish. If it sounds too unfamiliar, remember
that Worcestershire sauce is (guess what) a sauce made of fermented fish...
If you would like me to make arrangements for your special dietary needs (allergies, etc.),
please contact me BEFORE August 25.
DIRECTIONS
Note: these were valid as of September 2000.
FROM POINTS NORTH AND WEST:
Take your best route to I-59 between Chattanooga and Birmingham.
Take exit 231 (Valley Head / Hammondville) going east.
Go half a mile to a dead end with a caution light. Turn right.
At Highway 117, turn left (another caution light). Follow Hwy 117 into Mentone.
At the blinking traffic light, turn right, passing by St. Joseph's.
[*] Go two miles to a stop sign. Go straight, then go another half a mile to the sign for
Camp Riverview. Turn left, the camp is a mile ahead on the left.
FROM ATLANTA:
Take your best route to I-75, exit 306 (GA route 140).
Go west until the dead end at US Highway 27 (Summerville Hwy), turn right to go north.
In Summerville, turn left onto Highway 48 West (South Commerce Street).
Follow Hwy 48 into Alabama - the road becomes Highway 117.
At the blinking traffic light, turn left and follow the directions above starting at [*].
WHAT TO WEAR
Toga! Toga! To... ah, but hold on. A toga wasn't what the guys just wore to revels. A
toga was more like a suit and tie - it was the clothing for business. Like the suit and
tie, it wasn't particularly practical either. Wearing a toga properly, the left arm is a bit
encumbered. A male citizen wore a toga over a simple short-sleeved tunic
(long sleeves were considered effeminate) in "natural wool" colors such as off-white,
tan or light brown. The toga is typically an off-white rectangular length of cloth, with straight
or rounded ends, about five or six yards long.
Men wore short hair with no facial hair; a signet ring and no other jewelry, however a soldier
rewarded for good conduct might wear a manly silver bracelet. Men wore leather sandals or boots.
The boots were somewhat like ankle boots with ties going around the calf, tying in front. Senators
and high magistrates were allowed to wear these boots in red.
A woman married to a citizen wore a stola over a peplos or a chiton.
In cooler weather, she added a palla. For jewelry she might wear earrings - and rings
on every finger joint she could cover. On her neck: a cameo pendant, a gold necklace, or a glass-bead
necklace. Gemstones used: amber, pearl, and the usual precious stones. She also had her hair
done elaborately. An unmarried woman wore a long-sleeved overtunic that reached the ground instead
of a stola. Like men, women also leather sandals or boots. In the same style as the men's, the
leather boots were often dyed white, however other colors were used.
For those who could afford it: men AND women wore make-up, their clothing was made
from silk, cotton, or linen - the least expensive fabric was wool; their clothing would be colored
with vegetable dyes (muted tones are appropriate, bold colors not so much).
The lower classes wore what they could afford: simple wool tunics. Foreigners wore a version
of what they wore back home. For example, "Germans" (i.e., any unwashed barbarians
from the north) wore simple drawstring pants.
Research assistance provided by THLady Æthelthryth of Acleah at [==data removed==]
and Katherine Harcourt.
Some useful sites for reference
Dead links removed October 2002.
- Roman Clothing
- goes into detail on the information above and has many good pictures too. Æthelthryth says
this is the best one she found.
- Roman
Life - some good stuff in the Clothing section.
- Also see the links farther down on the page...
Bibliography
Norris, Herbert. Ancient European Costume and Fashion. Dover, 1999 (reprint of a 1924
source).
Symons, David J. Costume of Ancient Rome. Chelsea House, 1987.
PROBLEMS WITH THIS PAGE?
Contact the author: (rwalla/AT/comcast/DOT/net).
LINKS TO MORE SITES ON ROMAN STUFF
I have no plans to add new sites or update descriptions. Dead links (marked through): Oct 2002, Feb 2003, Jul 2003, May 2004, Jan 2005,
Mar 2007, Sep 2007.
- Kingdom of Meridies - the Web site
for this kingdom
- Barony of the South Downs
- the Web site for the hosting group
-
Roman History, Coins and Technology Back Pages - the title is outdated. There are
a LOT of diverse articles and pictures on all things Roman on this site!
Pompeii Yellow Pages - A guide to everyday life in the Roman city (up to 79 AD,
of course). Dozens of little-mini articles, good pictures. Topics alphabetically sorted for
easy reference.
-
LacusCurtius:
into the Roman World - Many pictures of Roman towns and monuments, two classical texts in
English, secondary public domain sources, links to related sites.
Legio XX - the site for the Imperial Roman Twentieth Legion, a reenactment group
based in Washington, DC. Many good pictures, articles on clothing, a handbook for the reenactor
with patterns and other detailed information on armor, weapons, and equipment; a directory of
recommended suppliers and links to other reenactor group Web sites.
-
Roman Board Games - Romans played a wide variety of board games, including Knucklebones (Tali
and Tropa), Dice (Tesserae), Roman Chess (Latrunculi), Roman Checkers (Calculi), The Game of
Twelve Lines (Duodecim Scripta), The Game of Lucky Sixes (Felix Sex), Tic-Tac-Toe (Terni Lapilli),
Roman Backgammon (Tabula), Egyptian Backgammon (Senet), and others.
- Publius Terentius
Afer - A short biography of the Roman author, also known as Terence.
- Forum Romanum
- TONS of information on Rome: virtual tour, history, daily life, Latin
language and literature, picture gallery and more...
-
Gladiators:
Bloody Battles - a little history, some neat pictures, feel free to ignore the gaming content
- Antiqua
Medicina - articles on medical practice and related subjects from ancient times
-
Roman Culture and Superstition - brief articles on divination, the combination of Church
and State; the Forum, Vestal Virgins, Julius Caesar, and birthing customs
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Roman Art and Architecture -
pictures on the site for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Shameless self-promotion for the author's Web site
SCA
pages by Yves: news and info on the Barony of the South Downs - including a
list of winners from previous Red Tower tourneys, heraldry articles, hand drumming guide,
award recommendation letter writing, fencing/rapier, site reviews, links, pictures and more.
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