[Avodah] national flag???

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 10:51:32AM -0400, Joel C. Salomon wrote:
: A flag is a sheet of fabric; a standard is a more general word.  The
: nechash nechoshes was probably something like the later Roman Aquila
: standard; see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_(Roman)>

Wow, this was still sitting in my outbox. Well, now that the discussion
is over and we aren't using these terms anymore, I am still going to
send out this backgrounder on the English terms related neis and degel.

I gave a more full answer to enough people off list, as I think it's
off topic, so finally realize an explanation is necessary before any
on-topic discussion will go anywhere.

A "device" is the 3D thing that would decorate the top of a pole.

A "standard" is a pole with a device atop it. I agree with RJVS that
the nechash nechoshes is described in the chumash as a standard.

If you take a standard and add a cross-bar holding up a cloth so that the
cloth hangs on either of the original upright pole, you have a vexillum.

A flag is a rectangle that hangs on one side of the pole, and doesn't
necessarily have a device atop the flagpole. A pannon or pannant, is
like a flag, but triangular. They actually gained popularity during the
Middle Ages before the flag.

The general term for cloth on a pole is a vexilloid (meaning: vexillum-ish).

Last, all of these are instances of social technology, even if they
aren't high tech.

Now the question more appropiate for this forum is how to divide this
same space in Tanakhi Hebrew.

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             You will never "find" time for anything.
micha at aishdas.org        If you want time, you must make it.
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