This is CBS, Iron the World.

I'm John Batchel.

Thaddy's McCutter, American greatness, my colleague and friend,

and we welcome the return of the dusty one, Indiana Honeline,

coming into the studio, dust everywhere, of course.

He's been on the road, the chapeau, the bullwhip,

the bag of tricks, and out of the bag

of tricks, he pulls a reference to a gladiator helmet found in the ruins of Pompeii,

destroyed by in 79 BCE by the volcano of Vesuvius. However, that is? Indiana, apparently there

was a palm tree on the helmet. What can you tell us about

its significance? Very significant in identifying that this, there were probably a Jewish gladiator.

When gladiators came in, they were not known. They got regular uniforms. Those that performed well,

eventually got personalized helmets. The symbol of Judea was the palm tree. It was

so on coins that were brought back to Rome. It was later changed to a blind symbol, but continuing

in the Roman coins to use the palm. So in October of 79 BCE, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius engulfed the vibrant city of Pompeii,

which I have visited, and forever sealing its fate. Many gladiators lived and trained in the barracks.

I think 18 bodies were found there. It was very impressive, 74 Dora columns in the heart of the city.

And amongst the helmets that was found was one, which had this palm tree.

The gladiator was probably taken as a slave when the Romans captured Judea years earlier,

the time of destruction of the temple and the siege of Jerusalem,

and got the personalized helmet as he became more famous and recognized. And again, the symbol was not unique to him,

but it was a symbol recognized by others, not exclusively in Israel, but for Jews when the emperors

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