'The Roman Army in Britain' or
'The Formation of the Roman Army'
They are possibly by an author called Anthony Bevan or Bevin
I assume they date sometime before 1962
I have not been able to find any information about either and do not know if they are books or articles. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
'The Roman Army in Britain' or
'The Formation of the Roman Army'
They are possibly by an author called Anthony Bevan or Bevin
I assume they date sometime before 1962
I have not been able to find any information about either and do not know if they are books or articles. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
They aren't in the British Library catalogue and I suspect they are a conflation of Eric Birley's Roman Britain and the Roman Army, Anthony Birley's name, and Paul Holder's Roman Army in Britain. Eric Birley was of course well known (and awarded the Legion of Merit) in the USA for his work on the Wehrmacht order of battle. It might be worth asking Tony Birley if he has any info on whether it was indeed his father; I have his email address if you need it.
I take it this has something to do with King of Kings? ;-)
Mike Bishop
You know my method. It is founded upon the observance of trifles
Quote:I take it this has something to do with King of Kings? ;-)
This presumably is the relevant part of that website:
Battle for Antonia Fortress sequence
As consultant on Roman military history Director Ray had the technical advice of British authority Anthony Bevan, author of "The Roman Army in Britain" and "The Formation of the Roman Army." More than 2,500 extras were used to portray Roman soldiers and rebel Judeans in the Antonia Fortress battle sequences of King of Kings, which Bevan assisted in planning. In these scenes, Judeans, brandishing an assortment of knives, stones and makeshift shields, stage a futile assault on the Fortress in an attempt to overthrow their oppressive Roman rulers. For the first time on the screen the actual battle forificition of Roman foot soldiers is shown, with the Romans advancing in tight formation and ultimately encircling and crushing the invading rebels. During six days of interior shooting, three camera units simultaneously recorded the violent Judean uprising. For the battle, British stunt directors Terry York and Frank Howard worked with the largest stunt crew ever assembled for a motion picture in Spain. One of the highlights of the sequence is the use of two giant crossbows shot into the mass of charging rebels, impaling as many as 20 men with each large shaft. High falls from the fortress walls and many other dangerous stunts were staged as part of the Judeans' hopeless attempt to free themselves from the yoke of Roman tyranny.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Indeed it does relate to 'King of Kings' and that was as far as my internet search got too.
However I am not sure if they are just repeating what is in a book I have 'The Stories behind the Scenes of the Great Film Epics', by Michael Munn. 1982. This say's Anthony Bevan, an authority on Roman military and author of "The Roman Army in Britain" and "The Formation of the Roman Army", supervised the Roman manoeuvres which culminates in the Phalanx a wall of Roman soldiers that mercilessly mows down almost the entire Zealot army.
So is Hollywood inventing a fictitious author and publications here, or is it as Mike suggests a mistaken mixture of authors and publications?
I always thought the catapulta in this film looked pretty good except for the fact that they are shooting massive harpoons rather than bolts!
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
I remember, at about the time the film came out, hearing on television or radio (I can't remember which) an interview with someone connected with the production in which he said that they had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that the military formations were correct. This struck me as strange in a film about Jesus!
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
I have a few screengrabs from the 1961 version of King of Kings and the last grab although poorer quality and from a distance is a shot from part of the battle for the Antonia Fortress and you can see the Romans just starting to form up. If the attention to detail in the Roman costuming and armour is any indication then I am not confident that the battle formations are very accurate at all. I think Samuel Bronston's later movie Fall of the Roman Empire was a better effort at displaying military Romans but not King of Kings I am afraid. As to the possibly fictitious author it should be noted that Hollywood is the land of make-believe.
I have a copy of the Birley book if you still want it.
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
The first link is blank but the second is certainly of interest.
Graham.
Blank? Oh, for me it brings up the relevant article from the Chicago Tribune June 15th 1961.
Google "hunter bevan chicago tribune Lookin at Hollywood" and it should be the first item to pop up in the search.
Quote:"Antelope and Enterprise" seems to be unique in being the only novel I've ever tried to find of which there is absolutely no trace.
Perhaps it was planned or even written but never published. An Anthony J. Bevan is credited with two novels, Trooper Long and The Story of Zarak Khan, both apparently about British India, but nothing about Romans that I can find. Antelope and Enterprise are two cities in Oregon, if that is of any significance.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
I found the article on Google too. However I just get the same, a blank page but with 'loading' in small letters at the top left but then nothing happens. Perhaps it is something to do with my security features.
Nevertheless it is just adding to the mystery!
Thanks anyway.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
