02-19-2015, 02:54 PM
Quote:Would there have been soldiers stationed in Nazareth rather than in Sepphoris as such in 5-4 BCE?
Probably not. As far as I'm aware, Nazareth was a pretty small and insignificant place. Nobody even mentions it (outside of the bible, obviously) for centuries after your date.
Quote:a 14/15/16 year old could have served as an actual soldier
Quite possibly. As you'll have seen, there are inscriptions giving ages at enlistment in that range. A youth would not be enlisted if he was incapable of serving, so presumably these individuals were rather mature for thier age!
Nathan Ross
