12-28-2006, 10:10 AM
I was looking at the Vindolanda tablet on the "Brittunculi" (tablet 164)
1 _nenu...[.]n. Brittones
2 nimium multi · equites
3 gladis · non utuntur equi-
4 tes · nec residunt
5 Brittunculi · ut · iaculos
6 mittant
"... the Britons are unprotected by armour (?). There are very many cavalry. The cavalry do not use swords nor do the wretched Britons mount in order to throw javelins."
I'm not convinced that "mount" is the right translation for residunt, nor does it make much sense to me IMHO. Especially as the translators feel that it probably refers to the British cavalry mentioned in the previous phrase.
My dictionary translates resideo as to "remain sitting , stay, rest". So maybe a better translation would be "nor do those bl@@dy Brits stay in one position in order to throw javelins" (as in "Keep still while I aim this hasta at you...")
This would contrast the more orderly Roman tactics (Hippika Gymnastica-style) with hit and run native Brit cavalry charging around and throwing javelins at will from all angles- rather like the Sioux horsemen?
But I'm no Latin scholar- what do people think?
Cheers
Caballo
1 _nenu...[.]n. Brittones
2 nimium multi · equites
3 gladis · non utuntur equi-
4 tes · nec residunt
5 Brittunculi · ut · iaculos
6 mittant
"... the Britons are unprotected by armour (?). There are very many cavalry. The cavalry do not use swords nor do the wretched Britons mount in order to throw javelins."
I'm not convinced that "mount" is the right translation for residunt, nor does it make much sense to me IMHO. Especially as the translators feel that it probably refers to the British cavalry mentioned in the previous phrase.
My dictionary translates resideo as to "remain sitting , stay, rest". So maybe a better translation would be "nor do those bl@@dy Brits stay in one position in order to throw javelins" (as in "Keep still while I aim this hasta at you...")
This would contrast the more orderly Roman tactics (Hippika Gymnastica-style) with hit and run native Brit cavalry charging around and throwing javelins at will from all angles- rather like the Sioux horsemen?
But I'm no Latin scholar- what do people think?
Cheers
Caballo