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Roman Shield Symbol
#1
Greetings,

I saw this shield in the biblical film, "King of Kings". The design on the shield looks more like something that someone in the prop department saw in a history book rather than something completely made up. Does anyone have any idea what this design might be?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the picture quality- took it from the TV screen.

(edit: here's a link to the picture. Having trouble embedding it.)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd143...1388885248
Real name: Stephen Renico
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#2
The design is like a loose hollywood interpretation of the sort of standard "Principate Legionnaire Shield Pattern" of the Lightning bolts and wings with the conch shells (or whatever the spiral things are).
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#3
Shield shape would be totaly wrong for ANY Roman era, by the way .... Just saying :whistle: Thing makes me cringe, it is so bad. The props designer should be fed to the lions pronto ....
Salvete et Valete



Nil volentibus arduum





Robert P. Wimmers
www.erfgoedenzo.nl/Diensten/Creatie Big Grin
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#4
Looks more like one of those Greek style peltast shields. Not Roman by any standard methinks!
Adrian Coombs-Hoar
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#5
Quote:The props designer should be fed to the lions pronto ....

Robert for President(Emperor) :grin: !
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#6
Some more screenshots from the same movie, pretty bad Roman costuming overall. Movie was produced by Samuel Bronston same bloke who did Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid & 55 Days in Peking.


[attachment=8642]Screenshot1.jpg[/attachment]


[attachment=8643]Screenshot2.jpg[/attachment]


[attachment=8644]Screenshot3.jpg[/attachment]

Regards
MIchael Kerr


Attached Files Thumbnail(s)
           
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#7
Whahahahaha! Well, it was shot in 1961, so most people involved in making it are either dead or pensioned .....
Salvete et Valete



Nil volentibus arduum





Robert P. Wimmers
www.erfgoedenzo.nl/Diensten/Creatie Big Grin
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#8
True, the shape is nothing I've seen before in books on the Roman Army. I was curious about the symbols, however.

I'm a bit new to the study of the Roman army. I know, for example, that jagged lines are Jupiter's thunderbolts, and that wings are eagles' wings. This shield:
http://www.imperiumancientarmory.com/customscutum.jpg
has something cylindrical on the left and right side, projecting out horizontally from the center. I'm not sure what it is.

I believe these items in the center are conch shells, although I'm not sure what their purpose is (homage to Neptune?).
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/roman-scu...776567.jpg

So, the symbols from the one in the film aren't anything at all, it looks like. :unsure:
Real name: Stephen Renico
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#9
It's not a conch shell, it's a winged thunderbolt the symbol of Jupiter.

Here you can see a winged thunderbolt over an alter.
[attachment=8646]591721.jpg[/attachment]

and here you can see how Jupiter holds it:


[attachment=8647]682094.jpg[/attachment]


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"The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones"

Antony
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#10
Quote:Whahahahaha! Well, it was shot in 1961, so most people involved in making it are either dead or pensioned .....
well even in '61 there was the Trajan Column still in Rome, they just simply don#t care
I must admit the shields are pretty nice Wink
-----------------
Gelu I.
www.terradacica.ro
www.porolissumsalaj.ro
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#11
Quote:Some more screenshots from the same movie, pretty bad Roman costuming overall. Movie was produced by Samuel Bronston same bloke who did Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid & 55 Days in Peking.


[attachment=8642]Screenshot1.jpg[/attachment]

Apparently, the Romans valued their guts more than their hearts. Where did they get the template for that "armor"?
There are some who call me ......... Tim?
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#12
IT'S A GIRDLE :woot: ! Ideal for any overweight re-enactor. Why didn't we think of this Sick ...
Salvete et Valete



Nil volentibus arduum





Robert P. Wimmers
www.erfgoedenzo.nl/Diensten/Creatie Big Grin
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#13
Many pre-modern people considered that lightning marked the path of a physical object, the "thunderbolt." This is why both the bolt and the zig-zag arrow of lightning were shown on Roman shield motifs. In England folk tradition regarded polished stone axe heads from the Neolithic as being thunderbolts; when they were dug up from the ground they thought that it was where lightning had struck.
Martin

Fac me cocleario vomere!
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#14
Quote:Many pre-modern people considered that lightning marked the path of a physical object, the "thunderbolt." This is why both the bolt and the zig-zag arrow of lightning were shown on Roman shield motifs. In England folk tradition regarded polished stone axe heads from the Neolithic as being thunderbolts; when they were dug up from the ground they thought that it was where lightning had struck.

That's interesting, I wonder if they thought thunderbolts and meteors were the same thing? After all both make a loud boom and lead a trail of fire through the sky.
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#15
I know we are discussing shield designs from movie but I think that with this particular movie it may be a case of poor research & tight budgets as I read that they re-shot the entire crucifixion scene as target audience was horrified that Jesus had a hairy chest so Jeffrey Hunter had his chest shaved for 2nd shoot but audience saw nothing wrong with Jesus having blue eyes and fair hair. Also most of the money went into El CID with Charlton Heston who was huge at the time after the success of Ben Hur, which was being made at the same time at same Spanish studios. Bronston originally wanted Richard Burton to play Jesus but he had other commitments. While on casting Bronston wanted Kirk Douglas as the lead in Fall of the Roman Empire but he pulled out & then he wanted Charlton Heston who also knocked it back so he settled for Stephen Boyd who always played a better villain than lead. Sorry I digress. During the battle in Jerusalem you can see the bendy rubber spears of the Romans flapping in the breeze.
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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