06-26-2009, 11:25 PM
Here's another idea - just speculation! :wink:
Apparently a legion was destroyed during the Bar Kokhba revolt, and in the earlier uprising in 69AD another legion (XII?) was severely mauled. Some of you have suggested that the cave might have been used as a refuge by a Jewish rebel group in one or other of these wars - might the 'legion standard' carved into the wall be a commemoration that that either this group or some other connected to them were responsible for destroying a legion and capturing its standards?
That would at least explain why the standard itself looks so odd - an actual Roman soldier would have accurate knowledge of its construction and appearance, but a Jewish rebel who might only have seen one from a distance and be relying on memory might easily come up with something like this symbol.
Apparently a legion was destroyed during the Bar Kokhba revolt, and in the earlier uprising in 69AD another legion (XII?) was severely mauled. Some of you have suggested that the cave might have been used as a refuge by a Jewish rebel group in one or other of these wars - might the 'legion standard' carved into the wall be a commemoration that that either this group or some other connected to them were responsible for destroying a legion and capturing its standards?
That would at least explain why the standard itself looks so odd - an actual Roman soldier would have accurate knowledge of its construction and appearance, but a Jewish rebel who might only have seen one from a distance and be relying on memory might easily come up with something like this symbol.
Nathan Ross
