And while our men were hesitating, chiefly on account of the depth of the sea, the eagle-bearer of the tenth legion, after supplicating the gods that the matter might turn out favourably to the legion, exclaimed, “Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy. I, for my part, will perform my duty to the commonwealth and my general.” When he had said this with a loud voice, he leaped from the ship and proceeded to bear the eagle toward the enemy. Then our men, exhorting one another that so great a disgrace should not be incurred, all leaped from the ship. When those in the nearest vessels saw them, they speedily followed and approached the enemy (Gallic Wars 4, 35) It’s emotive stuff! A tale of heroism and valour; an anonymous foot soldier in the Legions of a Mediterranean superpower struggling onto the shore of an alien land beyond the northernmost limits of the known world. It is also, of course, an unpleasant piece of political spin, adding mythic gloss to an unnecessary war that ultimately cost the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children. It is propaganda; a piece of self-promotion intended to benefit the political career of a shameless, mass-murdering tyrant.
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