THE TELEGRAPHIC SYSTEM USED BY THE ROMAN LEGIONS

A Drawing of the System in Action

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Today we examine a system used by the Romans which allowed them to effectively coordinate military maneuvers. How? They telegraphed commands from one point to another.

Yes, we know that the telegraph was invented in 1844 by Samuel. B Morse who also, somewhat conveniently, developed a code of dots and dashes for the letters of the alphabet. But long before Morse send his famous “What hath God wrought?” message from Washington to Baltimore, other signaling systems let people communicate over distances. These were visual systems that relied on flags or lights. Messages were usually passed from one hilltop to the next via a system of relays. 

COMMUNICATING DURING BABYLONIAN INVASION

We have early evidence of such a system by the Jews. The Lachish Letters, also known as The Hoshaiah Letters are a group of letters written in carbon ink in Ancient Hebrew on pieces of fired clay…probably broken pots. They were written by Hoshaiah, a military officer stationed in a city close to Lachish to Joash, possibly the commanding officer at Lachish (modern Tell ed-Duweir). The letters, which are kept in a British Musuem, were written shortly before Lachish fell to the Babylonians in 588/6 BC during the reign Zedekiah (Jeremiah 34:7). Letter Three contains the following reference: “…And may my lord be apprised that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azeqah.” 

Similarly, the Book of Judith 7:5 states, “But in spite of their fear, all the Israelites took up their weapons, lighted signal fires on the towers, and remained on the guard duty all night.”

 
BREAKING THE CODE

All of these systems, both modern and ancient, relied upon a pre-arranged message that instigated a predetermined action. They communicated a single fact…”The enemy has been sighted,” etc. In other words, they lacked flexibility. The Romans used a system originally developed by the Greeks that surmounted this difficulty by creating a preset group of codes.

Museum Replica of the Telegraph System

The system relied upon the fact that water drains out of two identical containers at the same rate. The sender and receiver had identical water clocks with identical rods mounted inside them. The rods had a series of marks along them, each corresponding to a different message. Each man had the same book of codes. The message was transmitted based on the time the clock was allowed to drain. 

For instance, to send message VIII, the sender raised their flag or flaming torch if at night, and waited until the receiver acknowledged it. Then the sender lowered his flag or torch and raised it again, starting their clock as they did. When the sender’s water level reached point VIII, they lowered their flag again. The receiver should have started their clock when the flag went up for the second time, and stopped it when the flag went down. In which case, the water level on both clocks would correspond to number VIII. Message sent and received. If the command post had a central location, the message could be sent to several points simultaneously. 

Next time we will have another installment in our Metals of the Ancient World series when we look at Silver: The Queen of Metals.

Until then, we wish you Peace and Blessings. 

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A ROMAN CENTURION'S HELMET

Richard Burton and Jean Simmons from the Movie The Robe

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You just never know where material for a blog post is going to come from. The thought for today’s post started as one of the pesky emails that are forwarded to you with…you guessed it…pictures attached. But these weren’t cutesy pictures of puppies, or kittens taking a bath, or even cartoons of Maxine; these were pictures of a group of statues depicting the Stations of the Cross outside Groom, TX.

A little research told me that Groom, pop. 568, is a railroad town founded in 1902 and named after Colonel B.B. Groom who established a prosperous ranch in the area. It was a stop along the Route 66 and is home to the famous Leaning Tower of Texas. (I knew you’d ask. It’s a water tower deliberately constructed with one leg shorter than the others. Hey, since they built the Interstate you have to do something to get those travelers into town.)

But little Groom really got on the map when Steve Thomas of Pampa, Texas became disgusted with the huge billboards advertising XXX pornography along I-40 and decided to make a statement of faith by building a 190 foot tall cross. It’s the tallest cross in the Northern Hemisphere, by the way. He’s since added a memorial in memory of the victims of abortion and a life-sized Stations of the Cross…a depiction of the events leading to Christ's crucifixion.

What does any of this have to do with The Life and Times of the Early Chruch, you ask? First, I’d like you to take a second look at the picture of Richard Burton and Jean Simmons at the top of this post. It’s a clip from the 1953 20^th Century Fox movie, The Robe, based on a book of the same name by Lloyd C. Douglas. The Robe tells the story of Marcellus Gallo, a Roman soldier who, while in Judea, supervised the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and won the Lord’s robe with a throw of the dice. An epic movie and the first one ever shot in CinemaScope. It won two Oscars.

Above is a second photo from the movie. Burton and Simmons, now Christian converts, have been called before Caesar to explain their behavior. Diana (Jean Simons) carries the robe over her arm. Instead of looking at her, I’d like you to take a look at the soldiers…more particularly, the helmets they’re wearing. 

Here’s another picture. This one is from the 1959 Warner Bros. epic, Ben Hur, which was also based on a book of the same name by Lew Wallace. Ben Hur tells the story of a Jewish Prince, Judah ben Hur (Charlton Heston) who was falsely sent into slavery. The movie, and its unforgettable chariot race, won 11 Oscars. Look at the helmet Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) is wearing. Just like those worn in The Robe and every other Roman Empire flick you’ve ever seen, right?

So what is it about these Centurion’s helmets that makes them so interesting? Very few people know it, but they are all wrong, wrong, wrong. In each case Hollywood has the crest of the helmet running from front to back. The distinctive helmets worn by a Roman Centurion had a crest alright, but it ran from side to side. Yeah, I know it sounds a little weird, especially after watching all those Hollywood actors running around with front to back crests.

Now take a look at the picture of the statue above. It's from Groom, TX, and, lo and behold, they got it right! This is first time I have ever seen a painting, photograph, or movie still that correctly portrays the Centurion’s helmet. And, by golly, I thought it was worth sharing…even if it does make him look kinda like an Indian chief.

For those not familiar, the Stations of the Cross originated as early as the 5^th Century. Trips to Jerusalem were popular pilgrimages and the Stations were an attempt to reproduce the important shrines that one might visit while in the Holy Land for those who couldn’t make the trip. The earliest use of the word stations, as applied to the accustomed halting-places along the Via Sacra (the sacred road) in Jerusalem, occurs in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the mid-1400s, and described pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ to the place of crucifixion.

The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief events of Christ's sufferings and death. It has become one of the most popular devotions for Roman Catholics, as well as other Christian denominations, especially on Good Friday. The number of stations has been set at 14 since the early 1700’s. You can get more information about the Stations of the Cross by clicking her to see our earlier post on the subject. And if you would like more information about the cross and statues in Groom, TX, here’s a link.

Until next time, we wish you Peace and Blessings.

BOADICEA — WARRIOR QUEEN OF BRITANNIA

Thomas Thornycroft Statue of Queen Boadicea in Westminster, London

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NOT A MONOLITHIC POWER

Movies often portray the Romans as an invincible power with absolute control that subjected the peoples of their empire with an iron hand. This, of course, is far from the truth. Revolts and uprisings where constantly breaking out from East to West. One of the greatest, and most successful, was lead by a woman named Boadicea.

BOADICEA IN HISTORY

That was the name given to her by the Roman historian Tacitus, although to Dio Cassius she was Buduica. Whether Boudicca, Boadicea, or Buduica; it would have been the Latinized version of her Brythonic Celtic name, and would probably have been something similar to the name under which she is known in present day Welsh Byddyg, Victory, or a variant of Boudigga, the Celtic Goddess of Victory.

Written histories of Boadicea, and of early Britain in general, are found in two classical manuscripts, which were most likely derived from the same original source. The historian Tacitus wrote his history only fifty years after the events of A.D. 60, and it was said that his father-in-law Agricola was able to give an eyewitness account of the rebellion. Dio Cassius also gave his account of the events. Although both are biased accounts, they provide the basic chronological framework of early Roman Britain. Attempts to turn to archaeological discoveries to help pinpoint the exact events has been unsuccessful, since much of the data was destroyed during pillaging and a significant amount of the land has never been excavated.

THE CELTIC TRIBE KNOWN AS THE ICENI

The Iceni were a Celtic tribe located in an area of southern Britain known as East Anglia. Geographically they were isolated; to the north and east the boundary was the sea and the remainder was covered in dense forest, making invasion from foreigners nearly impossible. The people were of mixed origins. There had been an influx of people from the Hallstat culture, bringing with them a knowledge of iron and pottery, which merged with the skills of those already present from the late Bronze Age.

Sometime between A.D. 43 and A.D. 45, Boadicea was married to Prasutagus, King of the Iceni. It has been said that Boadicea was not of Iceni origin since outside marriages were quite common among the ruling class. It was not unusual for women held positions of prestige and power, in the upper levels of Celtic society. Many took prominent roles in political, religious, and artistic life. Women also owned land, could choose their spouses and initiate divorce.

PRASUTAGUS, THE CLIENT KING

The Iceni had remained passive and watched while the Roman Emperor Claudius and his army conquered large parts of Britain in A.D. 43. Since Claudius was founding strong military colonies all over the island, the Iceni must have realized that they couldn't remain independent of Roman domination forever. In an attempt to avoid conflict, King Prasutagus went to the city of Camulodunum and agreed to become a client-king of Rome. This required him to submit to the Roman ruling class, but it also enabled his tribe and their culture to remain relatively unfettered.

This system worked well for Prasutagus and his subjects until his death. In his last testament, Prasutagus left his kingdom to be shared equally by his two daughters and the new Roman emperor, Nero. He apparently believed that this would buy off the Roman Emperor and thereby ensure tranquility for his family and kingdom. The Romans, however, did not grant right of succession to all client kings. What, if any, promises made to the leader of the Iceni are lost to history. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Roman law did not allow royal inheritance to be passed to daughters, and co-ownership of a kingdom with a woman was unacceptable according to Roman standards.

A Wintery View of the Thornycroft Statue

FORCED TO BECOME A REVOLUTIONARY
Kinsmen of the royal house were enslaved. Boadicea was whipped and forced to witness the public rape and torture of her two daughters, who were believed to have been roughly 12 years old at the time. The Romans clearly sought to break the proud Iceni spirit; however, rather than breaking their spirits, their excesses rallied the people behind their Queen.

Meanwhile, the Romans were experiencing difficulty in the northeast attempting to take the headquarters of Druidism on the Isle of Mona. They feared the Druids because they were apparently the force behind previous rebellions against Caesar. This territory had become the geographical center for anti-Roman and pro-Briton activities.

Though by Roman law Boadicea had no real claim to succession after her husband's death, her people regarded her as their natural leader, and neighboring tribes willingly supported any anti-Roman uprising. The indigenous people had suffered under Roman taxation for years and many were also driven off their own land and enslaved. Sometime before 60 AD, the Temple of Claudius was erected in Colchester to commemorate the life of the Roman emperor who had destroyed the Celtic culture. It immediately became an object of strong hatred by the British tribes and a rallying point. Neighboring tribes quickly joined Boadicea's rebellion. She's said to have gathered between 100,000 and 200,000 people against the Romans. They captured and destroyed the Roman cities of Camulodunum and Colchester then marched on the growing trade center of Londinium, which they also sacked and burned.

A Stained Glass Rendering of Boudicea at the
Colchester Town Hall

The written accounts portray Boadicea and her followers in battle in savage terms, a typical ploy of Roman military writing which portrays the enemy as uncivilized animals as opposed to Roman law, order, and civilization. Regardless, the three principle cities of the province had been captured and their inhabitants brutally massacred. However, Boadicea had an increasingly difficult time keeping order among her troops after these victories with their accompanying looting and burning.

THE REVOLUTION COMES TO AN END

No one is sure exactly when and where the final confrontation took place. This is how Tacitus describes the final battle: The Britons were used to the leadership of women, but she came  before them not as a queen of a distinguished line, but as an ordinary woman, her body cut by the lash avenging the loss of her liberty, and the outrages imposed on her daughters.

He quotes Boadicea as rallying the troops by saying, “The gods were on our side in our quest for vengeance, one legion had already perished, the others are cowering in their forts to escape. They could never face the roar of our thousands, least of all our charge and hand to hand fighting. When the Romans realize their small force and the justice of our cause, they will know it is victory or death. This is my resolve, as a woman: follow me or submit to the Roman yoke.”

The rebel army was immense, but the Romans were at an advantage for the first time with more armor and shorter swords. The Celts had longer slashing swords and little or no armor. Not intimidated by the barbaric chaos, the Roman army advanced rapidly into the Celtic mass. The Roman swords proved to be deadly at close quarters, while the Celts were crushed so close together their longer weapons were rendered useless. Under the command of Seutonius, the Romans massacred the Celts. A few months later fire and the Roman sword ravaged the previously untouched Iceni territory.

LOST TO HISTORY

It was reported that Boadicea survived the battle. Tacitus wrote that she took poison and thus died by her own hand, Cassius Dio tells us she fell sick and died. Sickness caused by poison? No matter, it stands to reason that she did not want to fall into the hands of the Romans again. Did her daughters die with her? They were never mentioned again. Their names, as well as their fate, are another one of the mysteries of history.

Boadicea's story appears to have ended with her death and burial in an unknown grave. Her name faded from memory, her heroic deeds were forgotten until the 14th Century, when Tacitus' manuscripts were discovered in a monastery library. Since then, Boadicea's rebellion has had an established and monumental place in British history. Over time she has come to be seen not so much as a queen, but a mother, wife, and warrior defending her country.

Alex Kingston as Boadicea in the movie Warrior Queen

Boadicea has been the subject of two feature films, the 1928 film Boadicea, where she was portrayed by Phyllis Neilson-Terry, and 2003's Boudica — released as Warrior Queen in the US, a UK TV film starring Alex Kingston as Boudica. She has also been the subject of a 1978 British TV series, Warrior Queen, starring Siân Phillips as Boudica.

Until next time, we wish you Peace and Blessings.