"Visigoths? in the Ashburnham Pentateuch" Topic

I noticed that Ian Heath uses the Ashburnham Pentateuch as a source for 7th Century Visigothic Infantry so I looked through to see who wore the distinctive hat.
It is only worn by overseers and the upper class starting with Folio 40r – Joseph supervising the harvest in the years of plenty, an overseer from Folio 56r – The Hebrews forced to build an Egyptian city plus overseers in others, and in 1 of the 2 images of Pharaoh in Folio 58r – The Hebrews forced to make bricks etc.

As these characters could be seen as foreign to the Hebrews and as oppressors, the Visigoths of Spain might be equated with these by the romance speaking inhabitants of Spain. That is, if the manuscript was made in Spain. If it was made in North Africa they might represent Vandals, if in Italy they may be Ostrogoths or beardless Lombards, or if in Syria perhaps Sassanids etc.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

Once again Druzhina, thank you very much for finding yet more illustrations for us.
I always thought these hats odd and I am not aware of them anywhere else. You must be right that they are worn by overlords but it seems unlikely that they would have been worn in a military context

it seems unlikely that they would have been worn in a military context

Perhaps, but Sassanids wear a high crowned felt hat.
Another feature is the cut of the tunic. The workers have the hem of their tunic tucked into their belt above each leg, but many of the others have the hem cut higher at the sides in a curve. The tails of the tunic at the back are lower than at the front – see:
the guards in f50r Pharaoh allowing Joseph to go to Canaan
Jacob's sons and grandsons in f50r Jacob blessing Joseph's sons
Pharaoh's guards in f56r – The Hebrews forced to build an Egyptian city
and f68r the drowning soldiers

Henri Seyrig traces a similar style from the Parthians to the Sasanians and into the Arab period and to the Palmyrans from the Sasanians. See The Investiture of Ardeshir II, 4th century AD – Bas relief at Taq-i-Bustan for an example.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

You are right, the hat is for top people in the AP and identifies them. The soldiers illustrated are Byzantines, mounted horse archers, and not Visigoths.
Is the tunic really longer at the back or is it just that the front is pulled a little higher through the belt? In some the tunic is pulled right up through to free the legs, but it might be normal to wear it a little pulled through.

The reason that the tail is longer at the back may be because it is pulled up more, but however it is done it is the fashion, even for some of the workers, with the hem highest at the sides.

boots or leggings
Not many figures wear boots. The overseers, guards and drowning soldiers don't wear them.

Two figures leading Joseph's Triumph, Jacob and Joseph's sons, the other hebrews and Pharaoh in panel 2 of f58r do. They have what may be a white band at the top, which could be a turn down, with a brown spot. Hwever some show this as not going around the leg but as a 'tab' at the front – for example Manasseh (in the blue tunic) and the brother on the far right. Esau seems to have a lighter brown band below this. He and others, like the right hand brother above, have a dark line a little above the boots/leggings. Any ideas?

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

Have you looked at the relevant Osprey on Roman military clothing?
I recall that there they show boots that would fit with the sort of thing being shown. Looking at some earlier illustrations suggested to me that they. were wearing leggings and shoes, but it is clear that they are the same colour and look of a piece. In the case of the earlier pics the leg and foot cover is black.
The white elements might be the tops of the boots with perhaps an inner lining turned over, but they might be part of the breeches and the tabs might 'button' to the tops of leggings holding them up, or even just connecting breeches to boots.
If they are leggings and connected to the shoes by ties or a strap under the instep then they would have a downward force upon them and so connecting upwards to clothing girded at the waist would help hold them up.

Roman Military Clothing (3): AD 400-640, edited by Raffaele D'Amato has 3 references to the Ashburnham Pentateuch.
MAA 247 Romano Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries, D.Nicolle & A.McBride uses the David Plates as its main source for the 7th century colour plate.

Where I have seen attachments to hold up soft boots or leggings it is by cords or straps to the belt as in the Bezelik frescos of Central Asia or in colour and in Varka wa Gulshah:
Varka wa Gulshah 4 Rabi's night attack
Varka wa Gulshah 9 Battle between the Banu Zabba and the Banu Shayba
Varka wa Gulshah 23 Gulshah kills Rabi ibn Adnan with her lance
Varka wa Gulshah 26 Gulshah fights, and is captured by, Rabi's other son, Qalib,
and perhaps one figure in the Dura Europos Synagogue Frescoes (from EIKON) but these may be stripes.

I haven't seen any direct attachment to breeches. Are there others?
The AP may just have left out the cords or straps.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

Its the boots that I was referring to in the Osprey. I think red leggings are referred to in Corippus.

The attachment to the leggings would be by the white tapes being sewn on to them and buttoned to the leggings or vice versa. At the scale ofvthe AB thast would not show. Such white tapes with tabs appear in later Byzantine sorces too.

Yes, an Osprey illustration shows a white strip of cloth tied at the back of the leg around the top of boots worn with bare legs, these strips are like those of Goliath on a David plate. No sign of any 'tabs' though.

Corippus mentions the emperor's purple cothurni (boots with a thick sole worn by actors in tragedies to make them taller) covering the calf, and red thongs. It is anyones guess what he is describing. ref.

J. Gutmann (p69) thinks the leggings are Jewish and compares the AP to the Dura Europus Synagogue frescoes.
There is a similar hat in Mordecai and Esther:

Source

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

I was actually thinking of Corippus Johannis 4.487-520 where Gregorius wears greaves fastened with a parthian hide 'these he had wrapped in bright purple, cleverly decorating them with gems as artist might.
That might refer to leggings over the greaves or just cloth tied around them.

Roy

link

The Barberini diptych possibly fits to your imperial boots. I think I'd see them as special dressing up boots in a classical style.
Roy

One other point of interest, the trousrs shown on the AP do look as if they are in two parts because they nip in below the knee.
Now that might just be art and showing the leg form or it might indicate a two part garment?

Thanks Roy,

One other point of interest, the trousers shown on the AP do look as if they are in two parts because they nip in below the knee.
Now that might just be art and showing the leg form or it might indicate a two part garment?

I don't think the artist is good enough that we are able to tell one way or the other. He can't draw hands for one thing.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Soldiers

An interesting point on bowler hats. Years agog n British building sites the foremen used o wear black bowler hats. I was told by an old builder at the time that this was to provide a modicum of protection (there were no helmets at the time) as a disgruntled worker ouldvremove easily drop a brick on them from a height!
Roy

MIRROR SITES
Ashburnham Pentateuch
Ashburnham Pentateuch

In the Syriac Bible of Paris the Prophets of Israel are depicted in western costume, but Daniel (in Babylon?) is very different, in eastern dress with a hat like Mordecai's at Dura Europus.

MIRROR SITE
The Syriac Bible of Paris, BnF MS. Syriaque 341, Syria or Turkey, 7th Century

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

I get the impression that the AB is now thought to be North African in context and that therefore the bowler hatted chaps are not Visigoths, but Roman Africans. Tis would certainly fit better with the pictures of Pharaoh's army that Druzhina brought us.