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Roman Standard
Purpose of the Roman Standard
Each Roman
centurion led 100 Roman Soldiers.
Junior officers reporting directly
to the centurion included the
standard bearer and signifier for
each century. The Roman ensigns and
standards standards helped to keep
the units together, since the
soldiers could see them above the
action.
There were a large number of standards and ensigns
in the Roman Army making them readily visible to the
soldiers. The purpose of the Roman standards were to act as follows:
Recognition
signals for the various units in battle *** Rallying points *** Used in combination
with the horn blowers and trumpeters to signal the troops *** Symbols of Roman power
and honor *** Key symbols of the
Roman army and soldiers in religious ceremonies *** The various standards
were considered as sacred objects representing the spirit and soul
of the various military units
Different Types of Roman
Standard
The different types of
standard, or signa militaria, were:
The Standards (signa or signum) *** The Banners, rectangular flags
of different sizes used for a variety of purposes. A large red
banner was the special ensign of the general *** The Manus was the open hand at the top of the
maniple standard
The Vexillum (vexilla)
was a small rectangular flag attached vertically to a cross-bar
carried on a pole
The Aquila was the eagle standard which was the
supreme symbol because of its association with the god Jupiter
The Draco was the cavalry standard of each cohort
flown like a modern wind sock
The Imago which represented a likeness of the
Emperor and sometimes depicted astrological signs
History of the Roman Standard
The signa militaria were
the Roman military ensigns or standards (flags) the origins
of which dated back to the very beginning of Rome. The most
ancient standard used by the Romans was a handful (maniple)
of straw of fern fixed to the top of a spear. Therefore the
company of soldiers belonging to it was called a
Maniple (Manipulus). This
primitive standard was replaced by the figures of real and
mythical animals which according to Pliny the Elder were the
eagle, the wolf, the minotaur, the horse and the boar.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Meaning of SPQR
The letters SPQR were often
seen on the Roman standard. The standard displaying SPQR
stood for the Latin words 'Senatus populusque romanus'
meaning the 'Senate and people of Rome'.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Aquila
During the reorganisation
of the Roman army by the general and consul Gaius Marius
(157 BC–January 13, 86 BC) only the eagle (Aquila) was
retained. The eagle standard (Aquila) was made of silver,
bronze or even gold displaying with outstretched wings. It
was considered the greatest disgrace and a portent of bad
luck to allow the eagle standard to fall into the hands of
the enemy. The Aquila was therefore designed small enough to
be concealed on the person of the standard bearer.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Vexillum
Each cohort had for its own
vertical standard or flag (Vexillum or vexilla) which was
woven on a flag - a square piece of cloth (textilis anguis)
with tassels and elevated on a gilt staff. The vexillum
banner generally designated the Unit Type of "LEG" (Legion)
or "COH" (Cohort) and the Unit Number in Roman Numerals.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Manus
The Manus was the open hand
at the top of the maniple standard signifying the oath of
loyalty taken by the soldiers. The manus would sometimes
have a laurel wreath added if the maniple troop had been
recognised for this honor.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Imago
The Imago which represented
a three-dimensional gilt likeness of the Emperor as a
constant reminder of the troop's loyalty to him. An imago
standard might also depict astrological signs representing
the period of the Zodiac under which the legion or unit had
been formed.
History of the Roman Standard
- The Draco
The Draco was the cavalry
standard of each cohort flown like a modern wind sock. This
standard consisted of the bronze head of an open-mouthed
dragon with a long fabric body attached which resembled the
long body or tail of a snake or a serpent. The standard was
elevated on a gilt staff and carried by a cavalry signifer
called a draconarius. As the draconarius galloped along the
ranks wind flowed through the open-mouthed dragon and
billowed out the cloth tail much like a modern wind-sock.
There is some speculation that a loud whistle was added to
the Draco to unnerve the enemy.
Roman Standard Bearers
Signifer was the general
name given to all standard bearers. The names of specific Roman
Standard bearers were as follows: Aquilifer: The Aquilifer
was a Senior Officer who carried the
eagle standard (Aquila) of the
Legion. This prestigious role was
extremely important and prestigious
position
Signifer: The Signifier was
a Senior Officer who carried the Century's standard (signum) into
battle and was also the treasurer
for the Century
Draconarius was a
Roman cavalry standard bearer
Imaginifer: Carried the
three-dimensional gilt Imago Standard bearing the image of the
Emperor
The
Roman Trumpeters and Horn Blowers
The Roman trumpeters and
horn blowers worked closely with the standard bearers,
and were used
in combination to signal the troops.
Orders to retreat, advance could be heard above the battle
noise. At the soldiers camp orders such as 'assemble' or
'leave camp' or 'change watch' were conveyed by the
shell horn instruments. The musical instruments used by the
Roman Army and the names of the musicians were as follows:
The trumpet (tuba) - the Trumpet
players were called the tubicines
The lituus - a variant of the tuba with a curve at the
end played by liticines
The horn (cornu) - he horn-blowers
were called the cornicines
The shell-horn (bucina) - the
horn-blowers were called the bucinatores
The
Roman Trumpet
The Roman trumpet called
the tuba, played by the tubicines, was about 3 feet long
with a funnel-shaped opening. The lituus was a variant of
the tuba with a curve at the end played by liticines
The
Roman Horn
The Roman horn, called the cornu
and the shell horn the bucina, were played by the cornicines.
The cornu was a large curved instrument and the bucina
resembled large shells.
Roman Standard
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