Raising the alarm in the Roman camp

[M. Caecilius]

Lots of things are possible. Caesar mentions trumpets as signalling for attack, and at least one other time as a signal. I don't remember any mention of whistles, anywhere. But I'm not a historian. I just sort of hang around the edges of the circle.

Do you have a source for Caesar using them as a signal (unless it's a signal in battle itself or to initiate one when the troops are ready anyway, such as when Labienus prepares to push back the Treveri under Indutiomarus)?

Whistles would be interesting - they carry a long way - but I don't know any reference to them either. Cassius Dio (54.4.4.) says that Augustus added a bell to the statue of Jupiter Tonans, "for those who guard communities at night carry a bell, in order to be able to signal to the inhabitants whenever they need to do so". Other examples, from civilian contexts, do mention trumpets to summon the neighbourhood or the watch, such as various temples when about to be robbed by Verres (in Cicero), or the episode where the fire-fighters mistake Trimalchio's trumpet concert for an alarm and take axes to the door to mill around the feats with their buckets and mats, but in the cases of trumpets I know of, we are not talking about a single exposed sentinel who needs to have at least one hand free to survive, beside sounding the alarm. Whistles do not appear in any literary work that I know of, but I would greatly appreciate the information if anyone comes across them!

[Nathan Ross]

Whistles do not appear in any literary work that I know of, but I would greatly appreciate the information if anyone comes across them!

Bear in mind that the modern pea whistle (as used by policemen, sports referees etc) was only invented in the 1880s. Whistles have been found in Roman forts, but they're pea-less flute-like things. They could still be fairly loud, but not louder than a human shout...

Discussion HERE (EDIT - which I noticed you contributed to, Max! Apologies - you know all this already!)

[M. Demetrius]

De Bello Gallico. I don't have the book at hand at the moment. One instance has already been mentioned below (the surprise attack) and another was just something like, "the trumpets were sounded", said in an offhand manner as if we would all know what he was talking about.

[M. Caecilius]

Bear in mind that the modern pea whistle (as used by policemen, sports referees etc) was only invented in the 1880s. Whistles have been found in Roman forts, but they're pea-less flute-like things. They could still be fairly loud, but not louder than a human shout...

Thanks for the information. I'll have to check at one of the Roman festivals in the future whether anyone has reconstructed such a whistle. As far as volume goes, is this a matter simply of decibels, but also of scale - are ancient whistles less shrill than the modern ones? I believe I have red somewhere that Sparta used flutes to communicate rather than drums or trumpets because their piercing sound can be heard through the din of the battle, but can't find the reference, and indeed have found that much of the evidence seems to rest on a vase painting... I don't assume that hand-bells, such as used by the city watch (and still used in the 19th century, iirc), are much louder than a human voice at full capacity?

De Bello Gallico. I don't have the book at hand at the moment. One instance has already been mentioned below (the surprise attack) and another was just something like, "the trumpets were sounded", said in an offhand manner as if we would all know what he was talking about.

Thanks. I'll have to check again. That's the problem with ancient sources, they just don't imagine they are writing for people 2000 years ahead. I do wonder what people will think of our society, when they try to puzzle out aspects that we would consider so perfectly obvious that we don't even manage to question them!

[falcons1988]

Few points about the instruments and errors in translations

The Romans did not have cornets, it is a Cornu/Buccina originating from animal horn buccina meaning "bovine note player"(its earliest form pre600BC). A cornet is a modern brass band instrument, and the name is not derived from anything Roman, more the shape of the tubing being conical rather than semi-conical. Cornett a baroque instrument.
On orchestral scores in italian, the Horns are called Corni, which does derive from the Latin "Cornu".

The trumpets where known as Tuba's; literally meaning "tube".


The length of a brass instrument is NOT designed to produce a bigger and louder sound. That is done by the player in conjunction with the mouthpiece. The bore or diameter of the tubing is also important. Though a balance has to be struck to be able to sound calls and producing the sound. If the bore is too narrow the player will not be able to get the air through the instrument and thus no sound, likewise if it is too wide.

The also conical or semi-conical is just as important to creating different types of sound.
The cornu itself is not unwieldy it the bar that goes across just rests on the shoulder. The length of the instrument is designed for its tessitura (pitch range) and notes available to be played. On a Cornu it is possible to play Baroque trumpet music!

[falcons1988]

The cornu itself is not unwieldy it the bar that goes across just rests on the shoulder.