absinthia

December 10, 2014

i think wooden tiles could be used for any early "monumental" or civic building.

wooden tructures would most likely be sealed with tar, hence the often dark tone.

December 5, 2014

due to the multitude of gods in the pantheon and the decentralized nature of Norse settlements, pagan religion was a personal matter.

for everyday worship a Horg, a simple stone altar, could be used for offerings of butter, ale and such.

at solstices communal offerings and ritualistic feasting could be performed at Hov`s, most likely maintained by local chieftains. at such events a wagon or sledge, symbolically carrying the sun, might be central.

the supposed great temple at Uppsala might be a (late) exception in this matter. stave churches might give an impression of the style in which temples were constructed. the earliest ones could verry well be refurbished hov`s.

as for funerals an oblong stonesetting, symbolising a boat, could be erected. possibly even with a boat burried inside. though i believe this custom were mainly practised in the late bronze/early iron age.

later great burial mounds (tumulus) would be erected by prominent families in areas of the landscape where it would be easily noticeable.

December 3, 2014

re-posting here what i once did at TWCenter for an Anglo-Saxon (England) M2TW faction.

i realize it is not directly transferable to 0AD. but hopefully it contain some interesting pieces that can be utilized.

the information contained within relate mainly to the late Anglo-Saxon period in England, ca. 8th-11th centuries.

firstly some info on anglo-saxons, cut from Regia Anglorum`s resource for re-enactors.

ANGLO-SAXON SOCIAL ORGANISATION

The Anglo-Saxon community in England was basically a rural one, where primarily all classes of society lived on the land. At the top of the social system was the royal house of the king and princes (ATHELINGS) who claimed a common ancestry with the king; they had special privileges and responsibilities which included military service and command in the field.
Succession to the throne was not guaranteed as the WITAN, or council of leaders, had the right to choose the best successor from the members of the royal house.

Below the king were the EOLDERMEN, the ruling nobility. The Eolderman was the king's 'viceroy' in a shire, responsible for administration and justice, for calling out the Fyrd and leading its forces in the field. By the early 11th century the term eolderman began to be replaced with EORL, possibly influenced by the Danish ‘Jarl’.

The next class down the social ladder was the THEGN. Good service by a thegn could result not only in rich gifts but sometimes in the granting of lands and, on rare occasions, elevation to eorl or eolderman. The eoldermen were all high ranking thegns.
Most thegns were the 'king's thegns'. These were the thegns whose lord was the king himself, as opposed to one of the richer thegns or eoldermen. Their service to the king was performed on a rota and they would accompany him everywhere, both as bodyguards and lesser officials. A thegn's status as a warrior is confirmed by the interchangeable use of the word 'thegn' and 'milites' in contemporary manuscripts. The cynges thegn is usually referred to as a 'milites regis' in the Latin texts.
The thegns were a numerous class; there were approximately two thousand landowners of the thegnly class in Wessex and Mercia.
By the beginning of the 11th century all the thegns usually held estates of five hides or more, and so by this date they probably constituted the bulk of the fyrd.
At the beginning of the century there is the first mention of the elite body of warriors known as HUSCARLS. It is thought that these were introduced after Svein Forkbeard's conquest of England in 1014, and probably raised by Cnut in 1033. Professional soldiers, they had their own rules of conduct, lived at the king's court and received his pay, as opposed to gifts or kind. They formed a small but efficient and highly organised standing army, both well disciplined and heavily armed. Cnut, we are told, required his Huscarls to possess "splendid armour" and a double-edged sword with a gold-inlaid hilt, as a condition of acceptance into his military entourage.
Although a foot soldier, a huscarl would also have owned a horse to carry him to battle and in pursuit of the defeated enemy, and a variety of weapons, including a mail-shirt, helmet, shield, javelin, and, of course, the "massive and bloodthirsty twohanded axe" that characterised him. Eventually the word may have become a general term describing all landless soldiers as opposed to thegns who were warriors and land owners under the king.

Below the thegns were the CEORLS. freemen, farmers and independent landed householders who formed the mainstay of the Saxon kingdom. The term free in an Anglo-Saxon context can be misleading, since there were many degrees of freedom. Ceorls were folcfry (folk-free), free in the eyes of the community.
They were allowed to bear arms and be considered 'fyrd worthy' and 'moot worthy'. This meant they were considered worthy to serve in the fyrd and take part in folk meetings.
There were three main classes of ceorl. the GENEATAS, the peasant aristocracy who paid rent to their overlord. GENEAT originally meant companion, implying that the class originated from the lord's household, often receiving land as a gift.
Second were the KOTSETLA, who paid no rent but had to perform numerous duties for their overlords.
Third were the GEBUR, who were totally dependant on their lord. The gebur's life was dominated by the labour services owed to his lord. It is probable that the gebur class started out by giving their land to a thegn in return for protection from raiding parties. The economy depended on slave labour and although the gebur was a lowly peasant, he was privileged compared to the theow, and had the right and duty to serve in the Fyrd.
Below the gebur were the THEOW - slaves or bondsmen. Although theow were slaves they did have many rights and there were rules set down for what they should be provided with. Theow were allowed to own property and could earn money in their spare time. If they earned enough they could even buy their freedom, although slaves were sometimes freed by their owners "for the good of their souls." Sometimes, when times were particularly hard, people sold themselves into slavery to ensure they were provisioned, and thus survived.

The basic unit of land was the HIDE. For the purpose of assessment of tax and military service, hides
were grouped together in units called HUNDREDS comprised of approximately 100 hides. In charge of the hundred was the hundred eolder. Each shire contained many hundreds.
The towns were also assessed in hides, and the inhabitants were required to send representatives. In some instances the towns could commute their service by paying the crown a sum necessary to hire a replacement.

MILITARY ORGANISATION

In the beginning there were simply war bands, small bodies of professional warriors led by their chosen chiefs. Loyalty to a chief was the greatest virtue, and warriors sought out a leader who would further their military career.
We know from accounts of battles before Alfred's reign (879 - 899) that some form of levy existed to deal with raids, but we have no details of the organisation. We do know that the king had an 'elite' corps of thegns who made up the king's personal 'Hearth Troop' or hird.
The fyrd was raised by selective recruitment, rather than a general levy, usually drawing one man for every five hides of land. Most of the fyrd would therefore have been thegns, although there
are records of 'free men' serving in the fyrd at Hastings. A fyrdsman served because his land grant said he had to, and failure to serve led to a fine.
However, the actual obligation was upon each thegn to provide a man, usually himself, for fyrd service.
The usual armament for a fyrdsman was a spear, shield, helm, byrnie and a palfrey (riding horse). Often a sword was included in the list. Although a horse is mentioned it was only to allow the fyrd to be mobile. In battle the warriors would dismount and fight on foot.
In peace time the thegns (possibly the entire fyrd) had to serve one month in three in rotation so there was always a sizeable force on call.
In the Welsh and Scottish Marches(border areas) special conditions existed and the levies might have to serve for fifteen days and accompany expeditions beyond their shire boundaries into Wales and Scotland In the Welsh march the recruitment rate often exceeded the one man from five hides ratio and in some cases "they do not pay tax nor other customary dues, except that they march in the king's army if they have been ordered."

The old idea of the general levy or "nation in arms" is now considered to be wrong.
Although many of the fyrd owned land, they were primarily warriors who farmed when not serving, rather than farmers who fought. This would mean that whilst the 'labourers' would take up weapons such as hunting spears, bows, wood-axes and knives if their own area were threatened, they were certainly not a 'general levy of all able bodied men' and would have provided guards for the fyrd's provisions and logistical support for the fyrd proper.
Often the Bayeux Tapestry is quoted as a source for 'peasant levies' using the group of unarmoured men on the hill, or the fleeing Saxons at the end of the battle to support the theory. If studied closely these men on the hill are equipped with sword, broadaxe and kite shield, hardly the weapons of a peasant levy!
Certainly there are records of towns defending themselves successfully from attack by the whole population manning the walls with more men than they owed for fyrd service. It would of course, be more surprising in these cases if they did not take up arms.

In later years there was also an alternative obligation to supply a warrior seaman for the fleet.
For this reason the five hide units were combined in some regions into districts of 300 (or 310) hides, which were called ‘SHIP SOKES’. These were required to produce sixty SOKESMEN (warrior seamen), and also pay for the construction and maintenance of a warship which the men manned.

There are other references to mercenaries in the pay of the king or eorls who were clearly not huscarls. The LITHSMEN and BUTSECARLS were skilled seamen who also fought on land, and often seem to have sided with the highest bidder. These and other paid warriors provided the late Saxon kings with a highly trained nucleus supported by the eorls and their war bands, and the thegns of the fyrd.

anglo-saxon male clothing:

MALE DRESS

The basic form of male dress consisted of a woolen tunic reaching the knees or mid
thigh when belted, a pair of woollen hose or trousers, a pair of leather turnshoes, a
leather waist belt, a small drawstring pouch and a knife. Presumably some form of
undergarment or loin cloth would have been worn but no evidence of this has
survived.
Tunics could have gussets at the armpits to ease the movement of the arm and
reduce tension on the seams. The sleeves were tight fitting on the fore-arm but were
usually looser on the upper arm. Triangular gussets added to the lower part of the
tunic made a flared 'skirt' to reduce any restriction when working or fighting. In
summer work could be done wearing leg bindings but no trousers or hose, so as not to
hamper the movement of the legs. Working tunics were often undecorated and those
of the poorer gebur and theow were undyed. For the richer kotsetla, geneat etc. linen
tunics for lighter wear in summer, or to give an added layer of warmth as an
undertunic in winter. The very wealthy would have been able to buy imported silk for
decoration, or afford gold-embroidered tunics,
Trousers were straight legged down to the ankle and puttee type bindings were
usually used. A gusset was frequently used below the crotch to ease movement and
prevent splitting at a point where four seams would otherwise meet.
Saxons are usually depicted wearing very tight legwear. These are often described
as being akin to ski-pants, and may be trousers or hose. Either way the fabric might be
cut on the bias. This is the technique of cutting the fabric diagonally - following
neither the warp nor weft - which allows the fabric a degree of stretch and reduces the
tension on the weave. If the legwear was hose and not trousers they would have been
worn over a pair of knee breeches (braies), which are sometimes depicted on carvings
being worn on their own (although we must remember that much of the depicted
detail on sculpture was painted on and is now lost). Burial evidence indicates that
whilst the hose may well have been tied to a waistband, they were also pinned at the
thighs with small pins or penannular brooches. This pinning may have been to a pair
of breeches, or to connect the hose to a waistband in a similar fashion to modern
suspenders.
Turnshoes followed the patterns common to northern Europe from the fourth
century to the thirteenth century - with either a central upper seam or a flap and
toggle. Rich decoration involved tooling and dyed leather. Standard waterproofing
measures included either a 50/50 mix of beeswax and mutton fat, or liberal doses of
fish oil.
Knives were like small pocket knives generally with blades around 3 - 4 inches
long. Handles were mainly wooden, although some antler examples have been found.
A few had blades which were hinged to fold back into the handle like a pen-knife.
Hoods may have been worn. They were probably separate items though may have been attached to cloaks. Cloaks were usually rectangular and pinned at the shoulder
(over the weapon arm). Richer folk sometimes had semi-circular full length cloaks
and would line them with a contrasting colour and/or add fur trims. Cloaks would be
fastened by a cloak pin of wood, bone, bronze, silver or gold according to wealth or
status. Circular brooches were the commonest type, although very rarely the Viking
style penannular brooch may have been worn. Again, the materials and decoration
reflected the wealth of the wearer, ranging from plain bronze items of 2" diameter to
silver discs of 6" with gold foil and filigree, garnets and enameling.
The only other common forms of male jewellery were rings, either of twisted wire
or cast design, although sometimes the wealthier men may have worn wrist torcs of
bronze, silver or gold. Sometimes highly ornate with varying twisted wires and cast
terminals, plainer bands could easily be ornamented by stamping designs onto them
with an iron die.

an Anglo-Saxon roster i proposed for a defunct M2TW mod:
the fyrd has been split into the 3 peasant classes, mainly intended for a defensive garrison script.

also, i noticed that the M2TW roster linked here in #14 is based on my own textures, at least they were not totally wasted.

Sticks or short axe(pri)
Theow - Coarse undyed tunic, waist tie. OPTIONAL: Trousers, hose, leg wrappings, shoes, hood, cloak.

militia/fyrd:
Gebur:
tier 1
javelin(pri) - spear(sec)
Gebur - Wool or linen tunic, hose, belt. OPTIONAL: Shoes, cloak, undertunic, hood, leg bindings, trousers, braies, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, Pewter cloak pins, pouch.
tier 2
javelin(pri) - spear(sec)
Kotsetla - Wool or linen tunic, hose and braies, shoes, cloak, belt. OPTIONAL: Undertunic, hood, leg
bindings, trousers, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, Pewter or bronze cloak pins or brooches, pouch.

Kotsetla:
tier 1
short axe(pri) - seax(sec)
Gebur - Wool or linen tunic, hose, belt. OPTIONAL: Shoes, cloak, undertunic, hood, leg bindings, trousers, braies, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, Pewter cloak pins, pouch.
tier 2
short axe(pri) - seax(sec)
Kotsetla - Wool or linen tunic, hose and braies, shoes, cloak, belt. OPTIONAL: Undertunic, hood, leg
bindings, trousers, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, Pewter or bronze cloak pins or brooches, pouch.

Geneat:
tier 1
spear(pri) - seax(sec)
Kotsetla - Wool or linen tunic, hose and braies, shoes, cloak, belt. OPTIONAL: Undertunic, hood, leg
bindings, trousers, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, Pewter or bronze cloak pins or brooches, pouch.
tier 2
spear(pri) - sword(sec)
Geneat - Simply decorated wool or linen tunic, undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, belt, shoes, cloak, leg bindings. OPTIONAL: Hood, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, cloak pins or brooches as above, pouch, etc.

wealthy peasants/lower nobles:
Ceorl:
tier 1
sword(pri) - large round shield - helmet
Geneat - Simply decorated wool or linen tunic, undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, belt, shoes, cloak, leg bindings. OPTIONAL: Hood, comb, strike-a-light, games or dice, cloak pins or brooches as above, pouch, etc.
tier 2
sword(pri) - large round shield - helmet - maile hauberk
Ceorl - Richly decorated wool or linen tunic, undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, cloak, leg bindings, some silver jewellery as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, pouch, etc.

nobles/thegns:
Thegn/Geoguþ (youth):
spear(pri) - sword(sec) - large round shield - helmet - maile hauberk
Thegn - Richly decorated wool or linen tunic, undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, cloak, leg bindings, some silver jewellery as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, pouch, etc.

Eorls Thegn/Duguþ (proven warrior):
long axe(pri) - sword(sec) - large round shield - helmet/w noseguard - maile aventail - padded gambeson - maile hauberk
Eorls Thegn - Good, richly decorated wool or linen tunic, fine linen undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, belt, cloak, leg bindings, gold or silver jewellery, as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, coins, games, reliquary, pouch, etc.

cavalry:
Kings Thegns:
spear(pri) - sword(sec) - large round shield - helmet/w noseguard/cheek guard - maile aventail - padded gambeson - maile hauberk
Kings Thegns - Good, richly decorated wool or linen tunic, fine linen undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, belt, cloak, leg bindings, gold or silver jewellery, as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, coins, games, reliquary, pouch, etc.

Hearþweru or Hirþ(body guard):
sword(pri) - large round shield - helmet/w noseguard/cheek guard - maile aventail - padded gambeson - maile hauberk
Kings Thegns - Good, richly decorated wool or linen tunic, fine linen undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, belt, cloak, leg bindings, gold or silver jewellery, as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, coins, games, reliquary, pouch, etc.

captain:
Eolderman/Gesiþ:
sword(pri) - large round shield - helmet/w spectacles/cheek guard - maile aventail - padded gambeson - maile hauberk
Eorl/Eolderman - Good, richly decorated wool or linen robe, fine linen undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, belt, cloak, leg bindings, gold or silver jewellery, as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, coins, games, reliquary, pouch, etc.

generals:
Atheling/Æþeling:
sword(pri) - large round shield - helmet/w spectacles/cheek guard - maile aventail - padded gambeson - maile hauberk
Athelings - Good, richly decorated wool or linen robe, fine linen undertunic, hose and braies or trousers, shoes, belt, cloak, leg bindings, gold or silver jewellery, as above. OPTIONAL: comb, strike-a-light, coins, games, reliquary, pouch, etc.

Notice the lack of archer units, as far as i understand the Anglo-Saxons did not use archers much. it would also seem that the Anglo-Saxons relied on infantry rather than cavalry, even as late as Hastings the Huscarls rode to the battle and dismounted to fight. my impression is, simply put, that England got archery through the welsh and cavalry through the Normans. this because the warriors were mainly farmers and landowners, not hunters skilled with bow or nobles who could afford a horse.

December 3, 2014

About the roofs: we're about to replace them with hay roofs. No chimneys at all? How did the fire smoke move to the outside? Just with a hole?

yes, simply a (covered) hole in the roof to let the smoke out. the fireplace it self just a pit in the centre of the longhouse.

here from the reconstructed longhouse in Lofoten:

longhouse interior

i suppose chimneys and masonry in general did not appear until medieval times, and then mainly in larger urban centers.

the earliest town-like center in Norway were Landa.

the Stavanger Cathedral is one of oldest stone building in Norway, supposedly erected sometime between 1100-1150.

the entrance used to be a square tower, of which only the base remains, torn down after a fire in 1272. some historians suggest that it was originally a fortified tower, though this is somewhat speculative. if so it would be a truly unique feature.

charred remains dated to 800`s and 1000`s, as well as skeletal remains from 1000`s, suggest the tower belonged to an earlier church possibly built of wood.

yet, the sagas tell of Einar Kongsmåg, a taxcollector, seeking refuge in the tower 1205 and four of his men being killed there. the assailants threatened to set fire to the tower suggesting the tower was not considered a sacral part of the church...

December 2, 2014

i am using IBM Thinkpad X31 from 2003 and the hardware does not propperly suport shaders and such. so when i launched 0AD it was mostly black, i removed it as it used up to much HDD-space.

i plan to buy a used gaming PC sometime on the new-year, but being out of work it is not top priority.

i have both SATA and IDE drives with my moding files on them, buying adapters would likely cost me as much as a used PC.

as for skills i am quite adept with Photoshop. i have made skins for several Medieval II TW rosters.

3D modeling i only ventured into to be able to map and properly fit textures on models. though i have made a range of helmets, weapons and other simple 3D stuff.

i only learned to use Milkshape, which is super simple. when i tried with G-Max (free 3D-Max clone) i realized that i learned nothing.

as i understand advanced 3D software let you put shadows, tints and such effects. i never did, i allways made textures fully in Photoshop.

i would find it easier to teach creating textures if i made one and then explained what i did, how and why. but i suppose i could try to answer questions or comment on ones being made.

also i made some PSD templates for TW moddingteams, maile and different styles of scale armour etc. they are also locked away on external HDD, but i might possibly find someone to upload them somewhere.

lastly, one comment on Norse buildings.

houses with tiled roofs use wooden tiles and they did not use chimneys.

December 1, 2014

i was thinking perhaps the unit models/skins could be re-cycled. or at least parts of it like helms, weapons and parts of texture.

but converting them from M2TW .mesh and rigging them to use in 0AD might be as tedious as making new ones.

normaly i could offer to help, but at this point i am have a crappy laptop that is not even able to run 0AD propperly. and my original 3ds models and psd textures are trapped on a HD in a dead computer.

if i can afford to replace it within the next few months i can get back to that if still needed.

now, i am a history buff and a norseman, so i thought i just offer some information on norse military and concepts. the following might be a bit simplified and generalized, but should do for a computer game.

Leidang/Ledung(leiðangr):

the north germanic society were generally militarized, every free men were expected to carry arms. each year the men met at the musterfield and formed the Leidang.

the Leidang were compulsively mustered and the king/jarl/chief/assembly decided wether to disband or campaign.

this practice were traditional among most germanic people and even Charlemange`s armies were mustered in more or less this way.

among the anglo-saxons of England this was called a Fyrd.

the Norse Leidang were based on ship crews.

Hundare/Hærad(hérað):

a standard sized hip were manned by 24 oarsmen and one steerman. areas expected to supply 4 ships were called a Hundred(swe) or Hæred(nor).

some regions could muster much more and so in sweden there are the example of Tiundaland and Attundaland.

Skipsreite/Roslag(skipreiða):

an area expected to build/maintain and man a ship were called a Skipsreite(nor) or Roslag(swe).

Manngard/Hæfne(manngerð):

the group that were expected to supply a man for the ship, roughly eqivalent to an anglo-saxon Hide.

Steerman(styrimaðr):

the captain of the Leidang ship were called a styrimaðr, he would likely have been a local chieftain or other notable figure of repute.

Hird(hirð):

the Hird were the sworn men of any Norse ruler.

initially a warband (see Beowulf), but by 1200s developed into a actuall royal court with functions and positions beyond that of martial retinue.

Hlid(hlið):

originally interchangeable with Hird, but later to be understood as the army or host in general.

Houscarl(húskarl):

the retinue of any lesser lord or magnate farmer. professional fighters occuping parts of his lieges land, or gaining revenue there of, in turn for martial service. most likely 2nd, 3rd etc. sons of rich landowners, not entitled to inheritance of land.

if the liege were a king the housecarl would be part of the Hird.

Skutilsveinr:

shieldman or tableman. the knight of the 13th century Hird.

as the Skutilsveins, according to the Hirdskrå, were entitled to sit at the kings table. their title has been given the meaning of Tablemen, at least according to wikipedia.

while in truth the first part of the title, skutil, derives from the latin scutum - shield. thus the literal translation is shieldmen.

Kertilsveinr:

candlemen. the squire of the 13th century Hird.

Gestir:

hired men, mercenaries or possibly spies(supposedly). auxlillaries to the 13th century Hird.

Karl:

common man.

Sveinn/Drengr:

young man, apprentice or farmhand. could possibly be understood as squire.

Bogaman(bogamaður):

archer.

as opposed to other germanic peoples, like germans, franks and anglo-saxons, the norse did not consider archery a paupers tool. mather of fact it was considered a sport worthy even for kings.

also the norse were accustomed to battles at sea, exchangeing missiles prior to boarding. a good archer could gain prominence of posterity, such as Einar Tambardskjelve.

Veideman(veiðimaður):

hunter.

while hunting could be considered a noble pastime, having to relly on it for sustenance were not. those not owning land, and thus unable to support them selves by crops and livestock, were likely considered of low social status.

Konung/Drott(drótt):

King or at least noble ruler.

kingship among the norse does not seem to be a "copyrighted" title. considering the multitude of kings that opposed Harald Fairhair`s unification of Norway, there were a self-styled king in every fjord.

the norse even maintained the notion of seakings, in reality pirate captains with no particular land except their own farmstead, such as the legendary Half.

Jarl:

Duke. supposed to muster 60 man. replaced by Hertug in 13th century Hird.

Herse(hersir):

petty chieftain/officer. supposed to muster 20 men. replaced by Lendman in 13th century Hird.

Rekkr/Rinkr:

Warrior.

Bonde(bōndi, būandi):

landowning freeman farmer, litterally dweller.

farmable land and livestock were the comon measure of wealth and social status among the norse, as well as other germanic people.

the norse generaly practised primogeniture, where the eldest son inherited everything. this and the relative shortage of useable land goes a long way to explain the viking raids as a mean to gain prominence and riches.

Viking(víkingr):

pirates. viking was not a title or a people, it was an occupation.

there are several theories on the term Viking. most notably that it derives from the area of Viken (Oslo fjord).

another is that it was originally applied to those seafarers that traded on the *vic towns of England and Frisia. certainly finds of coins not minted by the Franks, but found from England, Frisia, Denmark and Sweden, suggest a trade emporium in this northern area.

Atgeir:

polearm, like a halleberd or glaive.