How many Herculanium soldiers found?

[richsc]

I was reading a short article on gladiators at the Osprey book site,<br>
<br>
www.ospreypublishing.com/...php/cid=69<br>
<br>
and found the following statement about the Pompeii gladiator barracks punishment room:<br>
<br>
"The ceiling was too low for a grown man to stand up, even taking into account the average 1.7-metre height of the Roman military skeletons found at the waterside excavations in nearby Herculaneum."<br>
<br>
Now, I know of the famous Herculaneum soldier who was illustrated by National Geographic, but were there more? Must have been if there were enough for an 'average height'. Anyone know where these guys are written up? <p>Legio XX<br>
Caput dolet, pedes fetent, Iesum non amo<br>
<br>
</p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

The waterside skeletons you are refering to are likely to have been civilians rather than military. <p></p><i></i>

[richsc]

Perhaps that is just Osprey's mistake, but they did say 'military'. Not sure how many were found at the dockside; and in relation to them, where was the one soldier's skeleton found? <p>Legio XX<br>
Caput dolet, pedes fetent, Iesum non amo<br>
<br>
</p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

If I recall the Herculaneum soldier was found in a street, lying face down with the arms in a "hands up" position. According to the researchers he was probably knocked to the ground by the pyroclastic flow while trying to run away and died instantly.<br>
The soldier had a couple of missing front teeth (a popina brawl maybe?) and had been wounded in the thigh. The weapon had penetrated to the bone. A typical wound. The thigh bone presented a lump indicating a good healing process and thus a healthy, vigorous man in his thirties. Some skeletal characteristics could indicate that he was riding horses often. What is known today as "barrel legs".<br>
He was also carrying some carpenter's tools with him. He may have been a marine from the nearby naval base at Misenium.<br>
As for the seaside skeletons, I think there were several women and children among them. Not likely to be military..<br>
I've got that National Geographic issue somewhere. I'll try dig it up. Promise.<br>
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=antoninuslucretius@romanarmytalk>Antoninus Lucretius</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://lucretius.homestead.com/files/Cesar_triste.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 5/31/04 11:50 am<br></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Good review, Antoninus!<br>
I'd just like to add that the soldier was on the beach, outside the vaulted boat-shelters, not on a street, if I recall well...<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>

[mcbishop]

Of course, just to add to the confusion, there was supposedly a Pompeii soldier, found in the Herculaneum Gate in armour:<br>
<br>
www.spurgeon.org/s_and_t/voicesfp.htm *<br>
<br>
and inspiration for an incident in Bulwer-Lytton's <em>The Last days of Pompeii</em> and the painting <em>Faithful unto Death</em> by Edward Poynter:<br>
<br>
www.liverpoolmuseums.org....oynter.asp<br>
<br>
I did try looking into the veracity of this story (partly to overcome frustration at the lack of progress with the Herculaneum 'soldier') but did not get very far. The stuff may still be lying around unloved somewhere (if it still exists, in a Schrödinger's cat sort of way... or indeed <em>ever</em> existed) and it may re-emerge; assuming it hasn't been nicked!<br>
<br>
Mike Bishop<br>
<br>
* I must come clean and admit I can't decide whether this is one of those clever spoof sites the web does so well or whether C.H. Spurgeon is (or rather was) real. The balance of evidence seems to point to the latter. <p></p><i></i>