MGM David Weisz Auction movie prop stunning 1959 Ben Hur Aquila Roman Eagle

Description

New 15% discount from 89 to 40.65  You are buying the gold Roman eagle only and by itself.  All other items seen in these pictures are for historical and size reference's only and are not included.  No flags or poles are included but one can be produced at an extra cost.  This is one of two in my antique movie prop collection.
From the famous 1970 MGM Auction sale, held by David Weisz Auctions of all of MGM's antique movie props comes this magnificent and stunning large Ben Hur Gold metal finish Roman Eagle.  This is the most beautiful Roman standard eagle (aquila) ever produced for any Roman movie in history in my expert opinion.  It is even more majestic to behold in person.  A true center piece of any collection of any type of Roman Historian.
Besides being a symbol of Rome, this golden eagle was also the sacred bird of Jupiter.  When Jupiter threw his mighty thunderbolt (fulmen) to earth, it was his eagle that carried it there from his hands.  Thus, the reason why so many Roman legionary shield designs show eagle wings going around a thunderbolt on them.   A legionary known as an aquilifer, or eagle-bearer, carried this type of standard.
The eagle was extremely important to the Roman military, beyond merely being a symbol of a legion. A lost standard was considered an extremely grave occurrence, and the Roman military often went to great lengths to both protect a standard and to recover it if lost; for example, see the aftermath of the " Battle of the Teutoburg Forest " where the Romans spent decades attempting to recover the lost standards of three legions.