Egypt Vexillum

[jvrjenivs]

Question: Why the bar over the the 4 "ones". On the actual tombstone for LEG XIIII, I do not recall any such detail.

I'm not totally sure, but if I'm right it's the difference between 14 and 14th. So LEG XIIII without the bar would read Legion 14 and with the bar the 14th legion.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Thats interesting Jurjen.
I always assumed it was so you cold tell which way up the inscription was to stand lol:

[jvrjenivs]

Thats interesting Jurjen.
I always assumed it was so you cold tell which way up the inscription was to stand lol:

No, that's the reason why painters tent to sign their work in the right bottom corner...

I'm just thinking that I got this knowledge from my centurio, when I had to paint the Parma of the 2nd cohort of Batavians, and he was referring to a ~ sign, not a straight line. But anyway, I think a straight line would probably do the same as it is a longer number, where a ~ wouldn't do a nice result.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

The line can be seen on a few incriptions, but the first time I paid any attention to it was seeing it on our scuta.
The line is always at the top, which is against the grain of modern thinking, where your line is below the text....I assume it is to differentiate between the numerals and any text. XIIIIGMV could cause confusion I would imagine, or XIVGMV

[Peroni]

I like your capricorn. However, I seem to remember, at least from 1st C AD coins that the tail was not curled that way. It was like a normal fish tail. (I am assuming this is for 1st C of course)

With coinage, yes. However, the small signum from Wiesbaden dated to 1st/2nd C has a tail which is curled.

[Doc]

Peroni,

Do you have a picture of this signum that you can post?


Are you therefore suggesting that copying the straight tail from a coin on a Vex would be incorrect rather a curled tail is more accurate because it was found on a signum that could have belonged in the 2nd C AD where artistic rendering of certain creatures may have changed?

Coins would seem to reflect the artistic interpretation or trend of a period, no? i.e. a capricorn from the time of Augustus may be differently drawn than one from the time of Hadrian.


Thanks

[Peroni]

I don't have a photo to hand, but Erik Konig makes a copy of it you can see on his website. http://www.replik-online.de under Roman Empire/military/phalerae

It's also published in Michael Fugere's 'Weapons of the Romans' IIRC

Are you therefore suggesting that copying the straight tail from a coin on a Vex would be incorrect rather a curled tail is more accurate because it was found on a signum that could have belonged in the 2nd C AD where artistic rendering of certain creatures may have changed?

No. Either is acceptable as we have evidence for both. The earlier renderings do have straight bodies.

[Doc]

Peroni,

Thanks for the response and link. I appreciate it.

[caiusbeerquitius]

Hi folks!
Just to make clear: The objects from Wiesbaden belong to a cart´s decoration, not to a signum. They were originally wrongly classified.