What is that device called? It is a figurehead-like device in front of a Greek warship with a live Roman soldier attached to it. The Greek ship later crushed into Ben-Hur's Roman ship.
(Optional) Also, Rome conquered Greece a long time before the times of Ben-Hur which is also the times of Jesus and Pontius Pilate. Greeks were also Romans by then. Why were they still at war?
The device in front of the ship is called a naval ram, the Latin name for it was "rostrum". The soldier was not meant as a human shield but as a way to terrify their enemy. Greeks never felt Roman nor did the Macedonian, and many other of the occupied territories. Piracy was a great issue in the 1st century BC and although Pompey the Great may have put an end to it in the mid century, it is probable that the problem continued to a minor scale onto the 1st century AD. It is recorded that the Roman navy patrolled the Mediterranean to secure the commercial routes.
It's a figurehead. Well, it's really just a universal sign of disrespect. They are taunting the enemy, and daring them to attack. They are using him as a human shield. If the Romans attack, they would kill their fellow roman. They are using him as a trophy. Witness us, we will capture and humiliate you.
There is no specific word for it.
