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The use of the Drum in the Roman Army
#16
Generally when we march in step in a large group, the things I notice are the rhythmic jingling of the aprons, the sound of sword pommels knocking rhythmically against armour and the steady dipping to the left and right of the shoulders of the men in front, all of which help maintain the rhythm of the step. We do often sing marching songs but when we do there is a tendency for some men to rush the song and unwittingly quicken the pace.<br>
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As far as the accuracy of marching in step goes, four legionaries depicted as a group on the Adamklissi metopes appear to be marching in step.<br>
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Crispvs <p></p><i></i>
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#17
I remember also an epîsode of a battle related by an ancient source whose name I can't remember (Sander.. Jasper.. Help..) where the author writes about "the taramtaratatam of the war horns sounding the charge"..<br>
...Or something like that. It gave me a pretty accurate idea of how it sounded like. Very rythmic. I couldn't help but think about the US cavalry in the western movies.<br>
Even without drums, horns or bugles can give a good pretty cadence, I think.<br>
But anyways, I found this:<br>
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Nikonorov, Valerii P. (St. Petersburg/Russia): The Use of Music in Ancient Warfare: Parthian and Central Asian Warfare<br>
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"The use of music on battle-fields always had for such objects as to give the signal, to inspirit one’s own soldiery and to frighten foes. The Parthians, according to the classical authors (Plutarch, Crassus 23.9; 26.4; Justin XLI. 2.8; cf. Herodian IV. 11,3), employed in the war not horns or trumpets but kettle-drums (tympana). The tympanon, when being struck with sticks, uttered first toneless sounds turning then into those like both the beastly howl and peals of thunder, which were heard for a distance of several kilometres, inspiring great fear on the enemy (as this was, for the most striking instance, at the famous battle of Carrhae in 53 BC).This is so impressive, one membraned instrument must have been brought to Iran by the nomadic founders of the Parthian Arsacid empire from their steppe homeland, and the Medieval Middle Asian kettle-drums called nagora probably originated from it. A battle drum (tumbag) is referred to in a Sasanian-date Pahlavi, but Parthian-age by origin, text Ayyatkar i Zareran (§26). Gurgani’s in c. poem Vis u Ramin, composed in 1050 AD and going back most likely to a Parthian model again, speaks of battle drums as well. A dominant role of the percussion instruments in the battle music of the Parthians may be explained by some peculiarities of their warfare. For Middle Asia (or western Central Asia) proper, there is a unique find of a ceramic giblet-shaped, one membraned drum (tablak) which has been recently discovered at Tali Khamtuda (Northern Sogdia), in a warrior’s (?) burial dated to the 3rd or 4th century AD. Drum-type instruments are depicted on monuments of art, belonging to Late Antiquity and early Medieval times, from Airtam (Northern Bactria), Toprak-kala (Khorezm), Afrasiab, Penjikent, Khirman-tepe (Sogdia). All of (two-membraned) and "sand-glass"-shaped drums; however, those of different shapes and kettle-drums are also met. At least, some of these instruments could be quite employed for the accompaniment to military actions. In addition to the pictorial evidences, the use of drums in Early Medieval Middle Asia, including on battle fields, is reported by the Arabic and Chinese sources."<br>
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I found it there. A very good site about the Parthians.[url=http://www.parthia.com/Default.htm" target="top]www.parthia.com/Default.htm[/url]<br>
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<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://b30.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=antoninuslucretius@romanarmytalk>Antoninus Lucretius</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://lucretius.homestead.com/files/Cesar_triste.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 4/23/04 1:01 pm<br></i>
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#18
Drums.. skins get damp and then drum not work so well.<br>
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Horns... well, your lips might freeze to the mouthpiece in winter but other than that they'll work in any weather. .. and can be heard in pouring rain, and can be heard over the din of battle.<br>
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Hibernicus<br>
<p></p><i></i>
Hibernicus

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#19
Antoninus,<br>
The poet was Q. Ennius in one of his most famous line of the "Annals":<br>
"At tuba terribili sonitu taratantara dixit"<br>
(And the trumpet with terrible tone trumpeted “taratantara.â€ÂÂ
Flavius
aka Giuseppe Cascarino
Decima Legio
Roma, Italy
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#20
another good jodie would be "bottle of beer on the wall"<br>
Makes you wonder to what number they could go after a 25 mile march..<br>
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I think i´ve read somewere that the marching in step on music was reintroduced by the Prussian general Prince leopold I Von Anhalt-Dessau and king Frederick William I of Prussia in the 17/18th century. Where they got their inspiration for this, i don´t know (Vegetius ??)<br>
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<p>Professionals built the Titanic, amateurs built the ark<br>
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gr,
Jeroen Pelgrom
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#21
crispvs -<br>
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That's what I'm talking about. With a little practice/time I'm sure most people can learn to march in step using visual and other audial clues other than from an instrument....Besides, what happens when your musician goes down in battle? (but I hope not) I doubt any ol grunt could pick up the horn and start honking, or pick up drums and drum in proper time.<br>
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I donwanna march, I wanna bang on de drum all day? <p></p><i></i>
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#22
"I wonder if not drums, but rapping on a scutum could have been used"<br>
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Brilliant!!!!!!!<br>
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would love to see a very comfy clothed Nubian, wearing a pitbull smoking, laiden wih gold chains and necklaces,<br>
rapping about on a scutum, carried by some Germanic slaves in front of a marching Legion!!<br>
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Yo brothers, we gonna walk the walk, talk the talk, and fight the fight!!<br>
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marchin on our linen trail (cotton didnt exist yet)..<br>
marching marching to prevail... yo!!<br>
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and when we return victorious to Rome,<br>
people will cheer us from any Dome!!!<br>
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or something like that hahahahahahaha<br>
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Greetzzzzzzzz..<br>
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M.VIB.M..........<br>
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still smokin'.......... <p></p><i></i>
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#23
Probably this also belongs in the History forum rather than Reconstruction... I'll slide it over.<br>
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Jenny <p></p><i></i>
Cheers,
Jenny
Founder, Roman Army Talk and RomanArmy.com

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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#24
Scythius has provided a website that depicts many Roman musical instruments including one mosaic of a drum like tamborine at www.ancestral.co.uk/romanmusic.htm <p></p><i></i>
"In war as in loving, you must always keep shoving." George S. Patton, Jr.
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#25
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Good point Andy, what if the musicians went down in battle?<br>
An orderless chaos? Did the noise of the battle cover the voices order when the horns went silent? Did the signa or uexilla do this job at the same?<br>
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I guess that the enemy tried, first of all, to kill, the musicians to destroy the orders chain, so a good reserve of musicians would have been provided by any legion. It could be a special unit of musicians for this duty, or a special unit of soldiers to protect the musicians during the fight and assure that they worked anyway till the last moments of the battle. Anyone knows evidences?<br>
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Moreover it's strange to me that a sort of sound amplification (ok, not electronic ) that allowed to improve the voice level, like a simple megaphone was not used by the officers...<br>
I want to try if the scutum can be used to amplify the voice, since that under a big testudo the voices becomes thundering!<br>
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Valete,<br>
Titus<br>
<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
TITVS/Daniele Sabatini

... Tu modo nascenti puero, quo ferrea primum
desinet ac toto surget Gens Aurea mundo,
casta faue Lucina; tuus iam regnat Apollo ...


Vergilius, Bucolicae, ecloga IV, 4-10
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#26
On Cornicern -<br>
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I wonder...I think most reconstructions of Cornicern have the horn facing towards the front? Or is it possible to turn the horn slightly so it faces rearwards?<br>
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I wonder if the cornicern was more in the back ranks rather than front row center...If the horn can only really face "forwards" then it's not going to do any real good tooting at the enemy, the miles aren't gonna really hear him all so well...? So if it faces forwards, have the horn in the back ranks so the sound hits the miles from behind....I wonder....<br>
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what's the evidence for them and thier usage, if any?<br>
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Another noise-making concept - I've heard of a theory that [Gauls/Celts] would yell into thier shields, angled slightly forwards, to act as a kind of bullhorn to help amplify thier taunts and nanties? I wonder if the Romans did something similar, other than whacking gladii against scuta?<br>
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valete<br>
ANDY <p></p><i></i>
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