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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TIF, post: 1867742, member: 56859&quot;]I was just reading about this in Wayne Sales&#039; book on Roman Provincials.&nbsp; Like so much else, I hadn&#039;t appreciated the significance of this &quot;foundation iconography&quot;-- it was just some guy working the field.&nbsp; In case some of you are also unfamiliar or interested, here is part of that passage (which he borrowed from an article by Kevin Ferguson):</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">&quot;When it comes to the study of ancient history the Roman plough never appears to get much attention.&nbsp; It often is easier and more romantic to focus on the battles won and lost by the great general or the infamous emperor; rather than the lough and the poor fellow who walked behind it.&nbsp; There is nothing seductive about walking behind large farm animals while choking on dust, and occasionally stepping in dung; yet the Roman plough and ploughman need to be given a measure of respect for the place they hold in history.&nbsp; The Roman legion may have conquered the entire Mediterranean world, but it was the plough that helped to civilize it.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">&quot;The image of the ploughing colonist refers to the founding of a Roman colony, but perhaps even more significantly it represents Rome&#039;s ability to drive back the wilderness and domesticate the land in that particular region.&quot;</span></p><p><br /></p><p>The passage goes on to describe an additional function of ploughing.&nbsp; The ploughman was in essence a surveyor, measuring out parcels as plowing progressed.&nbsp; 120 x 120 foot sections were furrowed to create a land unit known as an actus.&nbsp; <span style="color: #0000ff">&quot;It was based on a line of 120 feet because that is how far the oxen could plough before they needed a rest&quot;</span>.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, the ploughman with ox(en) motif celebrates the establishment of a colony or province.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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