04-11-2011, 02:56 PM
There is a ca. 3 year old thread on RAT on this topic. I cannot link to it but you can find it by enterin "optio staff knob" into google. One particularly interesting post is by "Susanna":
"I have seen three unpublished founds of such brass-balls, one of them was definetly worn by an optio, because it was in a sarkophag together with an inscription therein which said that he was such. The other two we cannot say for sure.
It was hollow indeed and you had small openings between bands of bronze, something like a circulare cage.
I was asked to study that one because it had to do with sound and music. Inside that cage was a bronzebell, ringing whenever the staff was moved. Very loud indeed, reminded me of staffs still used in military music from the led person up today.
Must not be that all this staffs have been of this kind of course. but would make sense while marching and having a rythm and somebody in front making it clear for eyes and ears.
Susanna"
"I have seen three unpublished founds of such brass-balls, one of them was definetly worn by an optio, because it was in a sarkophag together with an inscription therein which said that he was such. The other two we cannot say for sure.
It was hollow indeed and you had small openings between bands of bronze, something like a circulare cage.
I was asked to study that one because it had to do with sound and music. Inside that cage was a bronzebell, ringing whenever the staff was moved. Very loud indeed, reminded me of staffs still used in military music from the led person up today.
Must not be that all this staffs have been of this kind of course. but would make sense while marching and having a rythm and somebody in front making it clear for eyes and ears.
Susanna"
Regards,
Jens Horstkotte
Munich, Germany
Jens Horstkotte
Munich, Germany
