11-23-2009, 08:17 AM
My opinion is slighlty different from traditional view of this ritual.
First: why soldiers would wear an armour and also an helm? They are going to crucifix some people not to ingage enemy in a battle.
Second: why all this aggressivity against crowd? It is supposed that very few parents and friends were following the condemned. Yes Jerusalemt had crowded small streets, but all these people were involved in their daily duties and business than take care about "another" crucifixion.
Third: so crowd was a little normal problem, so an escort of 6-7 men was needed only to "open" a path between the people as lictors did for senators or other authorities in Rome.
Fourth: why auxiliaries? The John Gospel speaks about an italic cohort at least for the Jesus famous execution. So it can be acceptable to display a Tesserarius or a Centurion as "responsible" for the execution and just a dozen of men for all the duties.
Fifth: overall impression. Just a tunica, caligae, balteus (very important) with a pugio, a pera (bag) for the needed tools, some of the men equipped with a pilum or much better with a short hasta/lancea, one men with the necessary tools to record the execution (ink and papirus or a simple wax table). Avoid armour, gladius, helmet, shield, insignas, etc.
But this is just "my" vision.
First: why soldiers would wear an armour and also an helm? They are going to crucifix some people not to ingage enemy in a battle.
Second: why all this aggressivity against crowd? It is supposed that very few parents and friends were following the condemned. Yes Jerusalemt had crowded small streets, but all these people were involved in their daily duties and business than take care about "another" crucifixion.
Third: so crowd was a little normal problem, so an escort of 6-7 men was needed only to "open" a path between the people as lictors did for senators or other authorities in Rome.
Fourth: why auxiliaries? The John Gospel speaks about an italic cohort at least for the Jesus famous execution. So it can be acceptable to display a Tesserarius or a Centurion as "responsible" for the execution and just a dozen of men for all the duties.
Fifth: overall impression. Just a tunica, caligae, balteus (very important) with a pugio, a pera (bag) for the needed tools, some of the men equipped with a pilum or much better with a short hasta/lancea, one men with the necessary tools to record the execution (ink and papirus or a simple wax table). Avoid armour, gladius, helmet, shield, insignas, etc.
But this is just "my" vision.
