Signa, Vexilla and Aquila Hybrid\'s

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

Salvete Omnes,

Can anyone shed any light on the features of the standards (vexilla, signa and aquila) in particular what is the source of the depiction that we all follow. My particular point is that I am seeing more and more carved depictions of what seem to hybrid standards. I have seen several standards which appear to be signum but also have the vexillium 'flag'. Recently, at the Bardo museum I saw a depiction of a standard which seemed to be a combination of all three!

The question that first crosses my mind is, of course, is this artistic licence and should we trust evidence from tombs and friezes?

The flip side of this is, aren't the carvings the source of our current info anyway. To my knowledge we have no archeaological finds (intact) of any of the standards (with the exception of the 'Victoria' vexillum - which may not be military anyway).

Valete

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

To illustrate my point I've finally found some of the images I've been refferring to. The three images show variously the classic standards (which I think is from TC). The next shows what appears to be a signum/aquilla hybrid. The last has a couple of classic signa but the other appears to be a complete hybrid.

Is there any explanation for this? Has this been discussed before?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Is there any possibility that they were actually copying the standards that they saw with their own eyes? I know the sources are not to be trusted. :roll:

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

I agree that we can't necessarily rely on carved eveidence as it could be the artists individual and somewaht innaccurate memory of the item concerned. But to my knowledge, there are no archaeological finds of any of the standards. Therefore, it seems what we are doing, is choosing to accept one form of carved evidence (fisrt example) in preference to the others.

If I'm wrong in this assumption please correct me. :?

I have more questions than answers on this subject, I just wanted to get some definitive answers, or else get a debate going.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

:? oops: :roll: about sums up my feelings on the subject! :lol:
They look pretty definate tho', don;t they?
Perhaps the aquila of the emperors guard? City guard? The small one that is...

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

Intersting point Byron, perhaps the context of the carvings may give a pointer. I'm still intrigued about what the hybrids would be classed as (or am I being a bit 21st Century about it all).

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

The one in the middle has a ships prow on it. Perhaps it belonged to the legion formed during the year of the four emperors from the unit of marines....? Or were there other legions wit ha maritime connection. I recall one from the civil war, but not the exact legion... :?

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

Yeah, I like the prow as well. LEG II Adiutrix were a maritime legion raised in Ravena during the year of the four emperors. In the civil war your probably thinking of the LEG XII Antiqua (Marc Antony's).

[Paullus Scipio]

Like many things to do with the Roman Army, much to do with standards is guesswork........
Not to mention that things changed over time..... just to complicate matters !
However, we can make a reasonable guess for the 1st-2nd centuries A.D.

Originally, after Marius' reforms there was a single legionary 'Eagle' - consisting of a statuette of the bird on a pole, often with a thunderbolt in its talons. This might later carry a wreath around its wings as an award.

There was a cohort standard, usually spear-point tipped, this too would aquire decorations in the form of wreaths and phalerae/discs over time

There were also two manipular standards, topped by hands. These too would acquire decorations .

The cohort/manipular standards also had a 'tuft' (originally a tuft of grass ? ) low down, and handles to pull the standard out of the ground with - it was considered a very bad omen if the standards 'stuck' and were difficult to get out, leading to troops refusing to march .

From the time of Augustus there were also 'Imagines', the image/statuette/bust of the Emperor and sometimes other members of his family, especially a deified Emperor, also carried atop a pole.

Some, but not all, legions and Auxiliary units carried an animal/astrological totem associated with its birthday or the birthday of its founder e.g. a Bull, Boar or Hippocampus.

Now we come to the exception to all these 'rules' !! :?

Praetorian Standards ! These were the original cohort and manipular standards, but rapidly became covered in decorations, and became more elaborate. Not being a Legion the Praetorians had no 'Eagle', but some(?) cohorts took to displaying a 'Spread-Eagle' atop the standard.( although prior to the Imperial period, Mark Anthony's Praetorian cohorts seem to have had an 'Eagle). Other cohorts had a small shield instead of the simple spear-point.( Later still, even Auxiliary cohorts might display a spread-eagle form.)

Eventually the Praetorian standards would have characteristics of all the standard types on a single pole !! Thus, a spear-topped pole with many wreaths, a small vexilla at the top. imagines/busts of the Emperor on phalerae discs, a 'corona muralis', a 'scorpion' totem on a rectangular plate etc etc

The three sets of standards you show, the top showing the Emperor Trajan leading the Praetorian cohorts across the Danube ( from the Column ), the middle one whose details just escape me at the minute, and the bottom ones ( from a relief from San Marcello in Rome) all show Praetorian characteristics. The San Marcello relief shows the central 'cohort' standard, eagle topped, with small vexilla (which probably carried the unit's identity in script on it), the 'corona muralis' award ( for first over a wall in a siege), a laurel wreath, the 'tuft' a disc and crescent, and, most unusually, a 'rostra' ( ship's beakhead) which has led some to identify these standards with a cohort of a Legion raised from marines. However, in all other respects they show Praetorian characteristics, and come from Rome itself, so the Rostra may simply be an award for some naval incident ( e.g. Ocatavian's Praetorians for Actium ?). The flanking Manipular standards are more simply decorated with vertical wreaths, phalerae /discs and crescents, and another horizontal wreath above the 'tufts'. The lower poles have been 'telescoped' so as to display the awards bigger, but the handles are depicted.

I would be almost certain these San Marcello standards date from early to mid 1st century A.D. as , while elaborate, they are not as elaborate as the Trajanic ones from the Column.

[Marcus Caecilius Avitus]

Thanks Paul a very full and lucid answer.

The info about the aquila, the imago and the signa I can see straight away because of the dedicated ranks asoscaited with them. Just out of interest whats the source for the info on the praetorian standards. This is the thing I'm chasing really.

The San Marcello relief (thanks for identifying it); in translating the items on the standards - the paired standards have two decorations just above the handles, what do you thinkt they are? :?

I would have said that the lower was the 'tuft' but it looks almost scale like in depiction. Add to this a similar looking item on the central standard, which is at a mid point and seems an odd place to have a 'tuft'. The other decoration on the outer standards, I would have thought a laterally mounted wreath, but they all show quite clearly vertically mounted laurel wreaths which area more finely carved. So what is it? an oak wreath?

[Paullus Scipio]

...and another horizontal wreath above the 'tufts'...

That's my best guess, really. No reason why one type of wreath, say, laurel like a victor's crown with diadem shouldn't be displayed vertically, and another, say the thicker oak crown, displayed horizontally.The horizontal wreaths, and multiples of them are frequently shown, especially on Praetorian standards.
The tufts have a scale-like appearance because they may be a tuft of 'leaves', as opposed to the 'grass-like' tufts on other standards. (I'm not suggesting actual grass or leaves, although this may be how the 'tufts' originated.)

Just out of interest whats the source for the info on the praetorian standards. This is the thing I'm chasing really.

I believe the Praetorian signa can be identified for the reasons set out above i.e. they have 'special' rules, and in addition :-
*they are more elaborate then legionary ones
* they are associated with 'lion-pelt' signiferi
* their totems e.g. scorpion ( associated with,IIRC, Tiberius ) appear on them
*they are frequently shown in close attendance on Trajan ( on the column)
*they carry imagines of Imperial family members on cohort and manipular standards, where legionary standards carry these separately.
*Some depictions, sculptural and on coins actually state that these 'hybrid' standards are Praetorian !!
In addition, almost all sources I know of would agree on Praetorian standards.