Soldier awards (late 1st century)

[Ajantis]

Salve, fratres!

I've got such a question to a respectable audience: does someone have information on types of awards, which were givven to soldiers and officers in Roman Army in late 1 century?

I know that soldiers on by money received dona militaria:

- PHALERAE (I wonder by the way - were they оbligatory part of centurio's equipment, or the award which he received during life of soldier or later as centurio himself?)
- torques
- armillae

Officers received:
- coronae (They were various degree of advantage. I wonder - how did they differ?
- vexilla (how did it look like?)
- hasta pura

As for phalerae and torques - there a lot of pictures of reenatement items. But I couldn't find any pictures of real finds of torques and no pictures of phalerae from glass.
As for all other awards - no pictures and very little information...

May be someone can throw light on this theme?
Thanks)

[jvrjenivs]

An very good read on which awards were given when would be Ross Cowan - For the glory of Rome.

Some glass phalerae from the Netherlands:



Nijmegen, 14-37 na Chr., diam. 3,8 cm


Vechten, 1ste eeuw na Chr., diam. 4 cm

[jvrjenivs]

And torques from the British Museum, London

[Tarbicus]

officer tombstones tell us they could wear phalerae and torques.

http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/ ... Itemid,94/
http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/component/ ... Itemid,94/

http://www.classics.uga.edu/courses/cla ... c_gaul.htm
http://flickr.com/photos/23655879@N00/1719727413/
http://www.mysteriousworld.com/Journal/ ... er/Giants/
http://halfmoon.tripod.com/Spain.html

http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEqui ... ignum.html

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=10499

[Arminius Primus]

Ave,

Good subject to discuss. Search on Phalerae and you can get a tremendous amount of information on RAT. There isalso the Maxfield book on Phalerae. It is dated and lacks good illustrations but she has a good statistical break down of who and what ranks were awarded Dona.

Earlier , I was trying to establish the award hierarchy within the Phalerae, No one can point to any hard evidence on this. From disc to figural disc there are wide variations....if there is a hierarchy, it remains unknown.

There also seem to be smaller versions of what the centurions wear, that some people have suggested were awarded to the miles. But am pretty sure that no one knows for sure exactly what these smaller items were as well.

There is a lot of room in this subject for additional scholarship. The Maxfield book is available, but it is expensive and somewhat limited, but at least, it is a starting point. She does give a good breakout of the crowns and the perks that came with them.

Regards from the Balkans, Arminius Primus aka Al

[Ajantis]

Thank you all for your answers!

Who can say something on this?:

PHALERAE (I wonder by the way - were they оbligatory part of centurio's equipment, or the award which he received during life of soldier or later as centurio himself?)

And still no clue to the lloks of armillae, coronae and hasta pura... May be somebody have some info?

[jvrjenivs]

And still no clue to the lloks of armillae, coronae and hasta pura... May be somebody have some info?

Armillae are small torques weard on the arm.

Corona:




Hasta pura:

[Peroni]

Hasta pura:

This picture is misleading as it shows a third century Beneficiarius lance head. :wink:

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

I think an Hasta pura was a spear head made of silver, probably made in a size more little than a regular ones. I don't know any real ones preserved.

For the armillae, you can read that article on some of Britain, with similar decoration as belt plates or fibulae:

http://www.editions-monique-mergoil.fr/ ... my2005.pdf