As far as inaccuracy-related artistic choices go, “I put the people close together so you could see a bunch of them” is pretty low on the list of offenses.
I considered that but even then. How is that Armour not like wearing a hot tin roof when working in the sun?
I figure it’d make more sense to just have it a few feet away while the work. It’d suck to get ambushed still but it’s better to scramble for a minute then to be too exhausted to fight. Though maybe that Armour is just much lighter then it looks.
How is that Armour not like wearing a hot tin roof when working in the sun?
Well, it is. Roman legionaries stationed in the modern Middle East had a reputation for going without their armor due to the heat, but the Romans took the issue seriously enough that men could, theoretically, be executed for not being fully equipped while on duty. In addition, there are accounts of Roman commanders in hostile territory giving general orders to stay in armor essentially at all times - though none to my knowledge explicitly address labor details in armor. There are depictions (though such stylized propaganda must be taken as not necessarily literal) on the Column of Trajan of armored soldiers in extremely hostile Dacia doing labor details in full kit. (see here, about the middle of the photo)
No fucking way am I going to be digging that close to another grunt with sandals on. Lost toes must’ve been common.
Welcome to the delightful days before steeltoes!
Ancient Roman OSHA is gonna have a field day with this!
I agree:
there is NO way it could possibly have been that crowded in that trench-digging.
I’ve worked construction: you need space to swing a pick, or shovel.
That is fundamental-misrepresentation, not “artistic license”.
As far as inaccuracy-related artistic choices go, “I put the people close together so you could see a bunch of them” is pretty low on the list of offenses.
It’s there, but it’s pretty low on the list.
I also don’t imagine they’d be armored up like that.
If this wasn’t somewhere safe, they very well might have had their armor on during a labor detail.
I considered that but even then. How is that Armour not like wearing a hot tin roof when working in the sun?
I figure it’d make more sense to just have it a few feet away while the work. It’d suck to get ambushed still but it’s better to scramble for a minute then to be too exhausted to fight. Though maybe that Armour is just much lighter then it looks.
Well, it is. Roman legionaries stationed in the modern Middle East had a reputation for going without their armor due to the heat, but the Romans took the issue seriously enough that men could, theoretically, be executed for not being fully equipped while on duty. In addition, there are accounts of Roman commanders in hostile territory giving general orders to stay in armor essentially at all times - though none to my knowledge explicitly address labor details in armor. There are depictions (though such stylized propaganda must be taken as not necessarily literal) on the Column of Trajan of armored soldiers in extremely hostile Dacia doing labor details in full kit. (see here, about the middle of the photo)
That is very neat. Thank you for sharing.