Battle Preliminary

[Gaius Octavius]

Whilst cruising the internet, I came across a site that claimed that a girl, naked from the waist up, would ride back and forth, on horse back, before the front lines prior to the commencement of a battle. I would guess that this was supposed to have occured in early Republican times. This, supposedly, also was the norm for other ancient armies. Am I decieved?

[Furius Venator]

I've certainly never heard of such a thing. At least I don't recall reading it in any ancient source or modern text. Sounds rather unlikely to me...

[Primus Pilus]

Whilst cruising the internet, I came across a site that claimed that a girl, naked from the waist up, would ride back and forth, on horse back, before the front lines prior to the commencement of a battle. I would guess that this was supposed to have occured in early Republican times. This, supposedly, also was the norm for other ancient armies. Am I decieved?

 

What did they claim as the source or was it just an arbitrary statement? At any rate it sounds like an Aphrodite/Venus inference, but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with any details. I sure can't recall any of the typical Roman sources having mentioned this.

 

[edit] It's possible somebody embellished a single mythological story?

[Virgil61]

Whilst cruising the internet, I came across a site that claimed that a girl, naked from the waist up, would ride back and forth, on horse back, before the front lines prior to the commencement of a battle. I would guess that this was supposed to have occured in early Republican times. This, supposedly, also was the norm for other ancient armies. Am I decieved?

 

So a topless young woman exposing herself before battle to the Roman soldiers? [note to self: don't you dare type what you're thinking.]

 

Do you have a link to this claim?

[Rameses the Great]

When it came to battle the Romans were driven by one thing, and one thing only, that is to win. I also doubt it something does not seem right. Before a battle you do not want anything messing with your pschy which I'm sure that would do more than just that. Also women were never allowed to take part in any battles, what if she had been shot by an arrow? There was one her involved in battle and that was Rome.

Edited June 3, 2006 by Rameses the Great

[Lost_Warrior]

This sounds pretty made up to me. If it happened it likely only happened *once* and I can't even pretend to be able to guess the circumstances behind it.

[caldrail]

By the gods! Another barbarian trick! Have that woman arrested and brought to my tent for questioning - And have our men reminded they're fighting a battle in ten minutes...

 

It would have been quite a sight had it really happened. I've never seen any report this myself.

 

Or... was it high spirits from a camp follower? Thats one way to drum up trade.

Edited June 3, 2006 by caldrail

[PARTHICOS]

i think that is a barbarian battle preliminary to remind them to fight and protect their ladys, because if they don't win this battle the romans will have fun with their women and especially the one riding on the pony as for the romans battle preliminary maybe a sacrifice to jupiter and other gods and a speech from the general and off we go to conquer some barbarian.

[Neos Dionysos]

...a girl, naked from the waist up, would ride back and forth, on horse back, before the front lines prior to the commencement of a battle.

 

...and thus the Roman General went on to inform his men that those showed exemplary courage and bravery in the face of the enemy would have that girl one of her many sister's awaiting them back at camp.

 

 

 

Seriously though... I think it's pure fantasy or someone's wild imagination of what they wished happened before battle.

[Lacertus]

I remember only one case when a naked roman woman was depicted on a horse, it was an engraving of an unknown painter from one of Italy museums (16-17 AD). It was Tarpeia on the picture and I guess the painter was a person with powerful imagination and he decided that she must look so.

 

Tarpeia - a woman from Roman legend who betrayed the Roman army; when the early Romans stole the Sabine women, the daughter of the Roman commander fell in love with the king of the Sabine people; Tarpeia arranged that the Sabine king would marry her if she allowed them into the Roman fortress; the Sabines killed her once inside; a cliff was named after her on the Capitoline Hill; this

[Gaius Octavius]

I can't find the site where I saw this - yet. I THINK that it was on wikipedia, but am not sure.

[Lost_Warrior]

Wikipedia is generally a decent resource, HOWEVER anyone can really post anything they want on there. There are editors, however things get past them.

[Eunapius Titus]

I have definitely never heard of this sort of ritual in a Roman legion. I could imagine maybe Germanic tribes having a similiar sort of idea, but this very idea seems so un-Roman in the historical sense.

[stafford1069]

I have definitely never heard of this sort of ritual in a Roman legion. I could imagine maybe Germanic tribes having a similiar sort of idea, but this very idea seems so un-Roman in the historical sense.

If memory serves me right, its was done by the Muslim (Sujugator) army in its breakout of the Arabian Peninsula (Arabia Felix). It happened in one or two battles, when they were opposing Roman forces. This was done by the Subjugators to stimulate their men.

 

Stafford 1069

[Ingsoc]

I have definitely never heard of this sort of ritual in a Roman legion. I could imagine maybe Germanic tribes having a similiar sort of idea, but this very idea seems so un-Roman in the historical sense.

If memory serves me right, its was done by the Muslim (Sujugator) army in its breakout of the Arabian Peninsula (Arabia Felix). It happened in one or two battles, when they were opposing Roman forces. This was done by the Subjugators to stimulate their men.

 

Stafford 1069

 

Islam was founded a long time after the fall of the Roman Empire, perhaps you thinking about the Byzantine army.