Signa Militaria- Military ensigns or standards
-Most standards used in the Roman army consisted of symbols related to animals, religion, the zodiac, or a specific group in the army, mounted on a spear or staff. Sometimes they were on a spear, which was detachable, and could be used as a last defense if necessary.
-The most ancient standards in Republican Rome were bunches of straw mounted on a spear or pole (called a manipulus- the company belonging to it was a maniple), and Pliny the Elder wrote of five types of animal standards in use after that- the eagle, the wolf, the minotaur, the horse, and the boar. -In the second consulship of Gaius Marius, in 104 BC the standards were "standardized" (so to speak) and the Aquila, or eagle, became the official standard of the legion. -The draco/dragon standard came late in the Roman army, becoming the symbol of the cohorts around 250-400 AD. -Around Constantine's time and later the flag-type standards become more popular, especially depicting the head of Christ instead of the emperor. -Other nations around ancient Rome also used military standards- though they are not as famous or "standardized." The Parthians used richly decorated standards, and the Persians used ones with the golden eagle symbol. The Egyptians had standards of their sacred animals and plants. Read on to see the different types! |