The Mainz "Cenurion"

[Gregg]

I've always found the Mainz figures to be fascinating, though somewhat problematic (I believe the "fish" helmets were a recent topic of discussion). For the most part I've only seen poor quality photos of the monument, or very simple drawings, but I've always wondered about the figure holding the rope (sometimes referred to as a centurion because his sword is hanging from a baldric on the left side). However, a the photo in Robinson seems to show that the soldier is in fact standing with his back to the viewer. The backs of his knees seem to be pretty clearly carved, and the particular grip he has on the rope is inexplicable otherwise. In other words, the carving seems to show a legionary (or auxiliary) standing with his back to the viewer, holding a rope in his left hand and his shield in his right. His sword is slung behind his back, perhaps just to keep it out of the way. His head is turned at a rather extreme angle, reminiscent of the kid in The Exorcist, but it could be the sculptor just didn't want to show the back of his head.<br>
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As I see it, there are only two other ways to interpret this sculpture. First, that the artist changed his mind about what he was portraying half way through the job, or second, that the soldier depicted in the sculpture suffered from the type of extreme physical defects one would normally only expect to see floating in a jar on the shelf of a medical museum.<br>
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Gregg<br>
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