Female Characters

[Horatius]

mmm... so their, things, (you know what i mean ) would be pressed tight on an armor that is more hot on the inside than a desert (IMHO) and jumping around with no support, either that or women with big... were abnormal in those times, IDTS (i don't think so) i think everyone has seen the Venus from Milo, and they're not cherries (but not watermelons either... yum watermelons... )

That really depends on the armor type, and other variables.

Very true

Yes, although I did some study and a lot of these ancient societies at least granted women remarkable freedoms when compared to the world in the 18th and early 19th and in some ways even late 19th century.

Since you just did a paper on it what evidence does exist for the "Barbarians". Tacitus doesn't exactly paint a picture of female liberation in Germanic society.

[gamegeek2]

You can find my old AAR, Of Mail and Men, which focused around a female character.

Someday I will replay that AAR, but not until AtB is released.

[Brennus]

Since you just did a paper on it what evidence does exist for the "Barbarians". Tacitus doesn't exactly paint a picture of female liberation in Germanic society.

The paper was only on the status of women in the Celtic world from the Halstatt period to the Norman invasion. Thats true, but as with all written sources on "barbarian" cultures you need to offset information with archaeology to get a more complete picture. For example no classical author that I know of mentions female warriors in continental Celtic society (some describe how intimidating they are or how when the Cimbri and Teutons were retreating the women took up weapons to slay the deserters and persuing Romans, but these were not warriors as such) but the archaeological data does show some women were active in battle, but again as you point out these were in the minority.

[Horatius]

The paper was only on the status of women in the Celtic world from the Halstatt period to the Norman invasion. Thats true, but as with all written sources on "barbarian" cultures you need to offset information with archaeology to get a more complete picture. For example no classical author that I know of mentions female warriors in continental Celtic society (some describe how intimidating they are or how when the Cimbri and Teutons were retreating the women took up weapons to slay the deserters and persuing Romans, but these were not warriors as such) but the archaeological data does show some women were active in battle, but again as you point out these were in the minority.

Interesting, although unfortunately archaeological evidence is open to multiple interpretation when not backed up by literary evidence, still I do agree there were some gender bending extrodinary warrior women back in the ancient world, it is in some ways surprising the ancients went as far as they did regarding womens status, I'm just not entirely convinced that enough women would be fighting in any paritcular battle while the battles results where in some type of question to justify having them on the battlefield.

Perhaps making female family members merchant princesses could be justified though?

[bobbin]

I'm getting a bit depressed by some of the rather immature posts that are cropping up in this thread, women have breasts get over it, you sound like 12 year olds.

As for the breastplate issue, women who were warriors would not have needed any adjustments as they would be very fit and so wouldn't normally have big breasts (being mostly made of fat), if the needed to they would probably bind them to flatten them too. This is beside the point, as Ludens stated the cultures that such warriors came from weren't really big on breastplates anyway.

[Cute Wolf]

Hmm... maybe they aren't wearing bronze/steel solid breastplate, but wearing lamellar breastplates that was more flexible....

But seriously, did you know how ridiculously Sarmatian virgin cavalry in BI fall quickly to arrow fire? that's why in real life, they need some kind of breastplate for protection...

[antisocialmunky]

Scale...

Why are you not mentioning the scale?!?

[Subotan]

I'm getting a bit depressed by some of the rather immature posts that are cropping up in this thread, women have breasts get over it, you sound like 12 year olds.

I quite agree. I was only mentioning that I had seen it.

[bobbin]

But seriously, did you know how ridiculously Sarmatian virgin cavalry in BI fall quickly to arrow fire? that's why in real life, they need some kind of breastplate for protection...

As far as I recall Scale was the armour of choice for steepe warriors, so if they were wealthy enough to afford armour female Sarmatian warriors would have worn Scale. Same goes for the Celts who would have worn chainmail instead of a breastplate.

[Cute Wolf]

As far as I recall Scale was the armour of choice for steepe warriors, so if they were wealthy enough to afford armour female Sarmatian warriors would have worn Scale. Same goes for the Celts who would have worn chainmail instead of a breastplate.

Yeah, they'll use scale... but I was mentioning Vanilla BI Virgin cavalry

[antisocialmunky]

As far as I recall Scale was the armour of choice for steepe warriors, so if they were wealthy enough to afford armour female Sarmatian warriors would have worn Scale. Same goes for the Celts who would have worn chainmail instead of a breastplate.

Thank you.