Later Roman Signa & Signiferi

[Nathan Ross]

Does anyone have any clues on the appearance, or even the existence, of centurial standards and standard-bearers in the later Roman army?

The only visual evidence I can think of for later standards (the arches of Galerius and Constantine) shows vexilla, eagles and dracos, but nothing resembling the earlier signa.

Can we assume that the familiar standards with discs and spearhead/hand, and their bearskin-clad bearers, continued into the later empire, or not? What's the latest evidence we have for standards at century level?

[mcbishop]

Does anyone have any clues on the appearance, or even the existence, of centurial standards and standard-bearers in the later Roman army?

The only visual evidence I can think of for later standards (the arches of Galerius and Constantine) shows vexilla, eagles and dracos, but nothing resembling the earlier signa.

Can we assume that the familiar standards with discs and spearhead/hand, and their bearskin-clad bearers, continued into the later empire, or not? What's the latest evidence we have for standards at century level?

Well here's a cockerel on a stick from Strasbourg to get you started.



Then, depending upon how you define 'late', there's a bull on a stick from Carrawburgh.



Exactly what they are standards for is, of course, open to interpretation, but I think we can safely say they are standards.

Mike Bishop

[jho]

I have checked Töpfer's Signa Militaria and the latest evidence he cites for disc type standards is Tetrarchic (Gamzigrad, Decennalia basis in Rome, pedestal reliefs of Constantine's arch). All of these show signa much similar to Praetorian standards but with a reduced number of elements (which may be artistic incompetence). Also, several small hollow Tetrarchic busts have been found which would fit neatly on discs for a signum.

I am not aware of later evidence but I remember an article speculating that a reference to statues of Jupiter in connection with the battle on the river Frigidus (394 AD) may refer to small statues attached to signa.

Ammianus refers to signa many time but Töpfer believes this to be anachronistic, he also points out that Vegetius is aware only of vexilla and dracones, not signa.

[Nathan Ross]

here's a cockerel on a stick, there's a bull on a stick

Ah yes, I'd seen Lepontius before - I thought that was an aquila actually. Perhaps not - might he be a gallifer?

The other guy's new to me. A taurifer? And the ones with the boar standards would be porciferi, I suppose?



Anyway, these don't seem to be centurial signa - or are they?...

(Gamzigrad, Decennalia basis in Rome, pedestal reliefs of Constantine's arch)

These are standards, certainly - the Gamzigrad ones I didn't know, but if they're like this one they appear to be tetrarchic variations on the imagines - there's six emperors on that one, with space for two more, which seems to be taking the principle of collegiate government a bit far!

Ross Cowan (IIRC) interprets the standards on the Arch of Constantine bases as Praetorian eagles, though they appear to have emperor busts as well - more imagines? The troops on the great frieze, meanwhile, are carrying little humanoid figurines on top of their standards - as seen here...

So again, none of these really resemble the signa of the principiate. Are there any depictions of the old-style signum discs without imperial images on them?

Re. Vegetius - might it be possible that the introduction of dracones as cohort insignia made the old signa obselete as century standards?

[John W Davison]

Post-Constantine, some form of the labarum might have been used as a military standard. At the time of his reputed vision just before the Milvian Bridge battle (312), a single device was constructed and used as a standard for the army (per Eusebius), but once he became undisputed emperor, some wider use of the device might have been introduced.

Various coins show a chi-rho monogram in a rather military-looking context (e.g. attached), but I suppose the only way of linking it to a smaller unit rather than a standard for the whole army or the emperor himself would be to find a coin showing the labarum in conjunction with an identified unit.

[Nathan Ross]

Various coins show a chi-rho monogram in a rather military-looking context

Good thought! I'd forgotten about coin images. There are actually a wide variety of different military standards shown on coins: some are the labarum with the chi-rho at the top, others show spear-topped standards with the chi-rho on a vexillum, while other show what appears to be a little box or house on top of the staff containing a human figure - perhaps an image of the emperor, like the ones on the arch of Constantine.

No way of knowing whether any of them represent small-unit signa, but many at least show the discs on the staff and bear a superficial resemblance to old-style century standards.

This follis of Constantine I shows three different standards - very odd! - looks like a ship, a wolf (?) and... something else!



Does anyone have a copy of Ancient Warfare III.6, by the way? Raffaele D'Amato's article on 'Late Roman Standards' might have some clues...

[Flavivs Aetivs]

The 3rd one is obviously a Portal Built by aliens.

In all seriousness I have roman bronze from Constantine's reign that depicts a soldier bearing a standard with a Chi-Rho on it.