Mainz Column Base questions

[Peroni]

Salvete Omnes,

There is a depiction of a legionary soldier http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/ ... _-4974.jpg
on one of the Mainz column bases wearing his sword on the left hand side. There doesn't appear to be any crista transversa showing that he holds this rank. Any theories?

My other question is this, He holds an object in his right hand. What is it?
http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/index.php? ... ail&id=122

Regards,

[Praefectusclassis]

It's a rope or handcuffs of some kind. That soldier is leading a captive. I'm pretty sure he has been discussed before. Have you tried a search?

[Peroni]

Many thanks Jasper.

At first glance it looked rather like a trophy head!

Any theories on the wearing of the sword on the left? There are many reliefs on the Adamklissi metopes depicting soldiers (infantry and cavalry) wearing theirs on the left. There is also one scene on Trajan's column of a group of auxiliary soldiers defending their fort from Dacian attack also wearing theirs on the left.


Regards,

[Tasciavanous]

I would have thought the obvious answer is that he may have been left handed.
I have read that Left handed Gladiators where much prized. It seems a reasonable assumption that the military might have been equally open minded about the handed-ness of their soldiery?

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Avete, I'm new to the forum and wanted to say hi as well as comment on this discussion about left-handed soldiers. Were they allowed to fight left-handed possibly or trained to fight right-handed.Seems I read somewhere in Latin drill commands that left face was executed as "scutum" side and right-face as "gladius" side much as hay-foot,straw-foot commands given to soldiers in early American militias. Andy(gaivs antonivs scaeva)

[mcbishop]

There are many reliefs on the Adamklissi metopes depicting soldiers (infantry and cavalry) wearing theirs on the left. There is also one scene on Trajan's column of a group of auxiliary soldiers defending their fort from Dacian attack also wearing theirs on the left.

Trajan's Column is notoriously difficult to use in this way. The Adamclisi metopes have to be taken much more seriously, not least because of the hints of military involvement with the monument(s) there and the presence of elements of the frontier army in the vicinity. There are four metopes I am aware of that may show the scabbard worn on the left hip, two individual cavalrymen (metopes I and II), a group of three mail-clad infantrymen (metope XIV), and two unarmoured legionaries (they have curved rectangular shields but no hints that they are Praetorians, like the odd scorpion on their shield blazons) on metope XXVIII.Everybody else has their scabbards on the right hip.

It seems a reasonable assumption that the military might have been equally open minded about the handed-ness of their soldiery?

No, the Roman style of fighting (as in most other ages - think of a pike phalanx with one southpaw in it!) required all to fight the same way and lefhandedness would have to be trained out of them (or, more properly, they would have had to have learned to be ambidextrous) otherwise the rhythm of sword/shield/sword/shield would have been broken. What would have worked well as a gimmick in one-to-one combat in the arena would have been disastrous in a shield wall. More importantly, there is no evidence that left-handedness was allowed in the battle line and it would be so disruptive that one might expect it to have been commented upon.

Mike Bishop

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Ave, This was my thought on this exactly. I couldn't think of any way a "lefty" could be useful to this style of fighting. He could only be on the end of the rank to swing a sword without causing possibly more damage to his comrades than the enemy. With that, the overlapping shield effect would also be a problem. Vale,Andy(gaius antonius scaeva ).

[Peroni]

Tasciavanous said

I would have thought the obvious answer is that he may have been left handed.

The soldier has his scutum in his left hand. I would discount his left-handedness on the strength of this.

Regards,

[Praefectusclassis]

Ah. here is the old discussion. Not very extensive though...