12-19-2010, 03:01 PM
"I thought the aquila of XVIIII was regained from the Bructeri, 16 a second one from the Marsii, and according to Cassius Dio the third one was (maybe from the Chauki) regained by Publius Gabinius in 41. Am I wrong?"
It took me awhile but I finally found all three of your references. I was thinking of Florus' claim that one the the Eagles had been saved by its bearer who ran into a bog and hid it within. It is possible that this was written before the recovery of the third eagle. I'm wondering though, wasn't there another Eagle lost somewhere along the Rhenus prior to the Varus disaster? If memory serves it was the Legio V Alaude. If that is so perhaps one of the three recovered post Varus was the Alaude's. I don't recall reading that Legio V's eagle was recovered.
As far as size of the Eagle goes, in Caesar's Gallic Wars he described an incident where an Eagle was saved by being hidden withing the girdle of a bearer's clothing. If so the Eagles of that period must have been very small. the depictions of Eagles on Trajan's column seem to be too large for that sort of thing though I realize the representations may not necessarily be to scale.
I'm also wondering how a craftsman would go about making an Eagle? Would it be gold over some other material like clay or another metal? I've no knowledge of gold craftsmanship.
It took me awhile but I finally found all three of your references. I was thinking of Florus' claim that one the the Eagles had been saved by its bearer who ran into a bog and hid it within. It is possible that this was written before the recovery of the third eagle. I'm wondering though, wasn't there another Eagle lost somewhere along the Rhenus prior to the Varus disaster? If memory serves it was the Legio V Alaude. If that is so perhaps one of the three recovered post Varus was the Alaude's. I don't recall reading that Legio V's eagle was recovered.
As far as size of the Eagle goes, in Caesar's Gallic Wars he described an incident where an Eagle was saved by being hidden withing the girdle of a bearer's clothing. If so the Eagles of that period must have been very small. the depictions of Eagles on Trajan's column seem to be too large for that sort of thing though I realize the representations may not necessarily be to scale.
I'm also wondering how a craftsman would go about making an Eagle? Would it be gold over some other material like clay or another metal? I've no knowledge of gold craftsmanship.
