Obama's "Red Line:" Did The Phrase Originate In Ancient Rome?

With all the talk about "red lines" -- and who created them, who crossed them, what penalties should attach for violating them, etc., etc. -- it's only natural that discussion would turn to the origins of the phrase.  Turns out that at least one academic traces the origins of the phrase to ancient Roman military history:

"The phrase 'red line' appears to be an adaptation of a much older metaphor—a 'line drawn in the sand,' according to Ben Yagoda, a professor of English and journalism at the University of Delaware. One of the earliest recorded instances of anyone drawing a line in the sand took place in ancient Rome around 168 B.C., during a conflict that, curiously enough, involved Syria. A Roman envoy named Popillius was sent to tell King Antiochus IV to abort his attack on Alexandria. When Antiochus tried to play for time, Popillius drew a line in the sand around him and told him he had to decide what he was going to do before he crossed it. He acceded to the Roman demands."

The short little article from National Geographic is here: news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130904-red-line-syria-obama-chemical-weapons-sarin-gas/