It is pointed out in the film that the Jews have taken down what is called the "eagle of Rome." The eagle looks just like the one the Nazis used in a symbol, with the eagle over a swastika. To my knowledge, the Romans never used such a symbol. Does anyone have any ideas what it was?
sharetimlong87,
Forgive me if I seem condescending or patronizing, but I thought that it was a well-known fact that the eagle was the symbol of Rome.
Fascism borrowed heavily from the Roman Empire, including the eagle in question, as well as the Roman military salute, and just Roman aesthetic sensibilities in general.
I know the aquila was used when an entire legion would set out, but that was a 3 dimensional eagle and looked nothing like the Nazi eagle that appeared in this film.
shareThe way I understand history, the Holy Roman Empire was referred to as the First Reich, as it covered most of Europe (including Germany - Reich means German State). The Second Reich, also known as The German Empire, ruled by the Hohenzollern dinasty, in the areas known as Prussia and Brandenburg, from 1871 to 1919, they fell with the ending of World War I. During this Reich the "Iron Chancellor" Otto Von Bismark united Germany, and set the roots for World War I. Then, of course, the Third Reich, was Hitler controlled Nazi Germany/Europe. Hitler used this name in order to suggest a return to alleged former German glory after the perceived failure of the 1919 Weimar Republic.
I am not sure if the Eagle was a symbol for all three, or if so, how much it changed designs over the centuries.
Yes...man that eagle keeps rearing its head in powerful empires. Thought for food...
share[deleted]
Rome Nazi Germany America all have the eagle.. makes you think spec with the new world order conspiracy theories.
shareHitler borrowed much of the imagery for Nazi Germany from Fascist Italy, and Fascist Italy, naturally enough, borrowed much of ITS imagery from Imperial Rome. I cannot watch a movie set in the Roman Empire without Nazi Germany being called to mind--the helmets, the standards, the eagles, the salutes (which were actually invented for Italian silent movies and then adopted by Fascism)--in movies like Ben Hur and Gladiator the parallels are unmistakable.
shareDon't forget Russia, Poland, Albania, and the Hapsburg Empire.
share