06-01-2004, 01:46 PM
Saluete omnes,<br>
Uwe, the figurine from Strasbourg looks very nice, but I'm afraid it's a poor proof to demonstrate it was a formal military salute: his pose doesn't look much martial, as requested for a salute, indeed...<br>
The four examples showed are unfortunately all different:<br>
- In the Domitius Ahenobarbus relief the soldier seems clearly to lift the (heavy and hot) helmet;<br>
- In the Flavius Mikkalus relief the left cavalryman maybe simply remarks the "new" crest, different from that of a centurion; his hand is almost over the crest;<br>
- The image depicting Armenian infantry is very interesting, but refers to 1000 years later!<br>
Well, sorry, i'm not convinced, but thanks however for your precious contributions!<br>
<br>
So, i'm more and more persuaded that didn't exist one official military salute, but <span style="text-decoration:underline">many</span> salutes, not necessarily formalized.<br>
We know for example (from Livius, if I recall) that in front of a consul a cavalryman had to respectfully dismount from the horse;<br>
Flavius Josephus unclearly refers about "hands stretched" when saluting the general or when leaving the camp, but maybe the military salute in the ancient times was more spontaneous and informal than in the modern armies, and so not interesting for the writer or the artist.<br>
The open hand salute (not necessarily the nazi one) could be an excellent choice, it's spontaneous, easy to do and healthy, and no, it wasn't a Mussolini's invention, it already existed at least in the previous century, and is depicted in a lot of ancient representations, included...Flavius Mikkalus's one!<br>
Nevertheless I'm always open for a definitive and convincing proof!<br>
Valete omnes.<br>
Flavius <p>---------<br>
Fecisti patriam diversis gentibus unam;<br>
profuit iniustis te dominante capi;<br>
dumque offers victis proprii consortia iuris,<br>
Urbem fecisti, quod prius orbis erat.<br>
(Rutilius Namatianus - De Reditu Suo, I, 63-66) </p><i></i>
Uwe, the figurine from Strasbourg looks very nice, but I'm afraid it's a poor proof to demonstrate it was a formal military salute: his pose doesn't look much martial, as requested for a salute, indeed...<br>
The four examples showed are unfortunately all different:<br>
- In the Domitius Ahenobarbus relief the soldier seems clearly to lift the (heavy and hot) helmet;<br>
- In the Flavius Mikkalus relief the left cavalryman maybe simply remarks the "new" crest, different from that of a centurion; his hand is almost over the crest;<br>
- The image depicting Armenian infantry is very interesting, but refers to 1000 years later!<br>
Well, sorry, i'm not convinced, but thanks however for your precious contributions!<br>
<br>
So, i'm more and more persuaded that didn't exist one official military salute, but <span style="text-decoration:underline">many</span> salutes, not necessarily formalized.<br>
We know for example (from Livius, if I recall) that in front of a consul a cavalryman had to respectfully dismount from the horse;<br>
Flavius Josephus unclearly refers about "hands stretched" when saluting the general or when leaving the camp, but maybe the military salute in the ancient times was more spontaneous and informal than in the modern armies, and so not interesting for the writer or the artist.<br>
The open hand salute (not necessarily the nazi one) could be an excellent choice, it's spontaneous, easy to do and healthy, and no, it wasn't a Mussolini's invention, it already existed at least in the previous century, and is depicted in a lot of ancient representations, included...Flavius Mikkalus's one!<br>
Nevertheless I'm always open for a definitive and convincing proof!<br>
Valete omnes.<br>
Flavius <p>---------<br>
Fecisti patriam diversis gentibus unam;<br>
profuit iniustis te dominante capi;<br>
dumque offers victis proprii consortia iuris,<br>
Urbem fecisti, quod prius orbis erat.<br>
(Rutilius Namatianus - De Reditu Suo, I, 63-66) </p><i></i>
Flavius
aka Giuseppe Cascarino
Decima Legio
Roma, Italy
aka Giuseppe Cascarino
Decima Legio
Roma, Italy
