Josephus - hand signals

[john m roberts]

When I was in the airborne we had an elaborate system of hand signals so the jumpmaster and the jumpers could understand each other. That's because in an airplane with the doors open you can't hear a damn thing except the engines and the wind. I thought Stone did a good job in "Alexander" having Darius use hand signals to direct his army at Gaugamela. Maybe not historical, who knows? But it got his meaning across well.

[Marcus Julius]

Even in modern "complex" hand signals, I haven't ever seen one specific for quenching a fire. Maybe firefighters have that one, but neither my military nor police experience has taught me one. Then again, razing and pillaging aren't as common these days, either.

Still, other than a "halt" or maybe a "Rally" signal, I would have to lean towards simply trying to get someone's attention.

[Uwe Bahr]

Avete omnes,

at least in late Roman times there were some hand signals that were generally known and one is described by Ammianus Marcelinus recording its meaning. Some years ago I read Ammianus' description of the events around the siege of Amida. There he was a young officer and made some reconnaissance job watching the marching Persian army.

Then he describes a Roman cavalryman approaching in full gallopp and from great distance holding his coat in a special way and waving it. This special signal - Ammianus says - was immediately recognized as the army's warning signal for 'enemies are in the near'.

Greets - Uwe

[A_Volpe]

"gesticulations"

Tarbicus, you make it sound so naughty!

When you're yelling at someone and they don't respond, one's 'natural' inclination is to make some sort of visual cue - flailing arms, waving, thwacking the guy upside the head - it could be that commander was desperately trying to just get the attention of his men, while still trying to holler out to put out the fire.

[Tarbicus]

Then he describes a Roman cavalryman approaching in full gallopp and from great distance holding his coat in a special way and waving it. This special signal - Ammianus says - was immediately recognized as the army's warning signal for 'enemies are in the near'.

Now, this sounds a little bit more than simple communication, and is using a simple visual signal to tell those at a distance a more complex piece of information. Not just "I've seen something!", or even "I need to tell you something!", but "I've seen something, the enemy, they are nearby!"

Really interesting, because it's not a panic gesture as Titus *seems* to have been doing at Jerusalem, but a pre-prepared, and trained, visual communication for a specific message. It does lead me to think about the possibility for Titus to have been also using a similar signal, as fire must have been a definite emergency that would need immediate attention in those times just as much as now, if not more urgently.