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+--- Thread: Roman standards and Spartacus\' army? (/showthread.php?tid=22586)
Roman standards and Spartacus\' army? - Marja - 04-25-2013
According to Frontinus, book 2, 'on ambushes,' paragraph 34, during Spartacus' revolt, when Crassus' army defeated Castus' and Gannicus' group at Cantenna, after Camalatrum, Crassus' army (re)captured 5 Roman eagles, as well as 26 signa and 5 fasces.
Now the rebels had defeated two consular armies and a proconsular army earlier in the revolt, and looted one consular camp, so it's possible they captured 5 or even 6 eagles earlier in the revolt. But not necessarily likely, and anyway, why would most or all of them be with Castus' and Gannicus' group, and few or none with Spartacus' larger group. So it's most likely that most of these 'Roman' eagles were rebel eagles.
Outside of social wars, civil wars, etc. how common was it for rebels against the Roman Republic to copy Roman symbols, particularly political-military symbols like the eagle and the fasces?
Roman standards and Spartacus\' army? - john m roberts - 04-25-2013
I don't know of any sources that address this, but it is recorded that once the rebels had captured some Roman military equipment, they abandoned their gladiatorial armament as "dishonorable" and equipped them selves as soldiers. It would make sense to adopt standards if they were using a manipular/legionary organization, but whether these would copy the Roman eagles and other unit insignia, I confess ignorance.