republican legionary statuette

[Anonymous]

Have a look at this statuette,<br>
<br>
www.artemission.com/ViewI...er=13.4127<br>
<br>
Does anyone think that if real, its dated to late. Its obviously a montifortino helmet, the shield on the other hand?<br>
<br>
Jason <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

It does look like a Montefortino helmet. the strange thing being the shield that looks very much like a thracian pelta shield. <p></p><i></i>

[Flavius]

Salve,<br>
I'm not an expert, but this statuette seems to me very "modern", like the perspex stand...Just a personal impression...<br>
Valete omnes. <p>---------<br>
Fecisti patriam diversis gentibus unam;<br>
profuit iniustis te dominante capi;<br>
dumque offers victis proprii consortia iuris,<br>
Urbem fecisti, quod prius orbis erat.<br>
(Rutilius Namatianus - De Reditu Suo, I, 63-66) </p><i></i>

[Matthew Amt]

Neat! I like it, I don't think it's fake but yeah, probably dated a little late.<br>
<br>
I'm wondering if the shield was supposed to be round, and was either mis-cast or the top simply broke off at some point.<br>
<br>
Gonna buy it?<br>
<br>
Vale,<br>
<br>
Matthew/Quintus <p></p><i></i>

[FlaviusCrispus]

<br>
<br>
I agree with Matt-- looks totally authentic to me. Looks like rather typical Roman provincial work of the 1st centuries BC-AD. I like the detail on the montefortino helmet and the "slouched" posture-- realistic little touches you might not find on a metropolitan bronze. Also, it looks like the shield was indeed supposed to be round, but the top part broke off in antiquity.<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis<br>
California, USA <p></p><i></i>

[L C Cinna]

He is carrying the shield with his right. Isn't that a bit strange? <p></p><i></i>

[Goffredo]

There are many many perfectly authentic looking fakes around.<br>
<br>
Why the left-handed soldier? If it is not a fake this question begs for an answer. These statuettes were probably lucky charms. Right? Maybe left-handedness ment something special to romans/italics back then? Evil left-handedness is a christian thing isn't it? Does anyone know how other cultures (greek, our romans, jewish, islam) consider left-handedness?<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Must say I would be very cautious here. Bronze is so easy to fake, hence all the stuff pouring out of China and Eastern Europe. The only way to realy tell is either by metalurgical analysis, and/or to check the verdigris. The green patina on the surface of antique brass/bronze is brought about by corrosion, and it forms crystals. If the crystals form naturally (i.e. over a considerable length of time) they are large, but if induced (i.e. chemically etc) they are small. Unfortunately the only way to spot this is with a microscope and a special chart. Without a thorough provenance, avoid this. There are too many fakes and looted items on the market.<br>
<br>
Celer. <p></p><i></i>

[Gashford]

Hi there<br>
<br>
I have been told that the Romans considered left handies strange and certianly in gladiatorial contexts left handed gladiators where feared, for fairly obvious reasons.<br>
<br>
What I was told was they Roman word sinistram is where we developed the word sinister, however I have always wondered whether we have simply adopted this word or if the connection between sinistram and sinister was a Roman invention, not a post Roman word association?<br>
<br>
Any ideas? <p>Graham Ashford
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[Anonymous]

The Latin word for "left" is actually SINISTER, the same as ours. SINISTRAM is accusative singular, probably short for SINISTRAM MANUM, left hand; the phrase SINISTRA MANU means "on the left (hand) side".<br>
<br>
The Latin adjective SINISTER did have connotations of awkward, wrong, perverse, improper, unlucky, injurious, adverse, unfavourable, bad – and was used to mean as much in literature from certainly the age of Augustus onwards. The noun SINISTRUM, which first appears in Ovid, means "an evil thing".<br>
<br>
Oddly enough, omens on the left were usually good. This is apparently because the Romans stood facing south to take omens, and so on their left was the east (which was always considered fortunate, and still is if you look at church alignments, even though we don't worship the sun any more). To confuse matters, the Greeks stood facing north to take omens and so for them the left side was bad; and many Roman authors do call bad omens SINISTER as a result.<br>
<br>
Shaun <p></p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

OT here, but churches are aligned to the east because the practice was established in the early middle ages when Jerusalem was held to be the holiest place on Earth and was known to be in 'the East', although cartography was sufficiently undeveloped that those building churches in 'Western Christendom' did not necessarily take into account the fact that Jerusalem is to the south-east rather than due east. Accordingly, churches were aligned in the percieved direction of Jerusalem. By the time it was well known that Jerusalem was not due east of most of Western Christendom the practice was already well established and still continues today in many places which may not necessarilly be to the west of Jerusalem.<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=crispvs>Crispvs</A> at: 7/7/04 7:33 pm<br></i>