A question about Roman Standards

[Alan Hamilton]

I have been reading a lot about the Roman Army and in particular that of the style of Warlord Games (et al) Early Imperial Romans.
I have been building, off and on, a Roman force that is gradually (and unintentionally) approaching a full wargame legion. It just keeps growing!

Anyway, I have a Signum for each cohort, an Aquila and Imago for the Legion, a Vexillum for a detachment so most of the Legionary ones are covered.

I have a Legion command group and want to add an “army Standard” type marker. Aquila goes with the First Cohort so what would the commander have? I have read (somewhere) that when several legions were deployed on a single operation the commander had his staff, escort, trumpeters etc and a standard that identified him and the army in purple letters. Whether or not the letters were purple is less important to me than finding out what type of standard this was.

I have my own idea that it was probably a vexillum, possibly larger than the one used to mark a detachment (Vexillation). But what might it actually have looked like?

Anyone know? Anyone got any ideas?

[willb]

Except for the two legions in Egypt which were commanded by Praefecti Legionis, a Roman legion was commanded by a Legatus Legionis, who was a senator.   The only reference that I know of for a standard for the whole legion is the eagle.  Later armies from Constantine on used the Labrum for an army standard.  I don’t recall the company at the moment, but there is one with vexila banners that have legion names and symbols on them.

Consuls, who commanded the Republican legions, had a lictor who carried their fasces, a symbol of their authority.  This carried on with the Legatus during the reign of Augustus.  The fasces of a Legatus had five sticks and an axe.

 

[Sane Max]

I have often wondered about this, there doesn’t seem to be much idea of what an Early Imperial Roman army would have had as a standard. My conclusion was ‘why would they even need one?’ The Standards were Rally Points and Sacred objects for the formations involved. Would a Legate need one? He would either be fighting as part of a Legion if he was a Caesar or Marius type, or at the back watching his Legion carry out his plan while eating Aardvark toes on toast if he was more of a Lucius Licinnius Lucullus or a Pompeius kinda guy.

If you feel the urge, a Vexillum would do no harm, would not look out of place. If your lads are wearing Banded Mail, there will have been no consulars around with Lictors, Augustus made damn sure of that 🙂

[Alan Hamilton]

Thanks, but I am thinking of campaigns like the Cantabrian War (and many others) where 8 Roman legions plus Auxiliaries were deployed and the overall commander marked his HQ.  I know each Legion had the Aquila etc.  Those are not the ones I am thinking of but (I found the reference) the type mentioned by Cassius Dio (Roman History, III, xl, 18) “But one of the large flags, that resemble sails, with purple letters upon them to distinguish the army and its commander in chief, was overturned … in a violent wind.  Crassus had the others of equal length cut down so they might be shorter and steadier to carry”

[Alan Hamilton]

Sane Max wrote:

I have often wondered about this, there doesn’t seem to be much idea of what an Early Imperial Roman army would have had as a standard. My conclusion was ‘why would they even need one?’ The Standards were Rally Points and Sacred objects for the formations involved. Would a Legate need one? He would either be fighting as part of a Legion if he was a Caesar or Marius type, or at the back watching his Legion carry out his plan while eating Aardvark toes on toast if he was more of a Lucius Licinnius Lucullus or a Pompeius kinda guy. If you feel the urge, a Vexillum would do no harm, would not look out of place. If your lads are wearing Banded Mail, there will have been no consulars around with Lictors, Augustus made damn sure of that 🙂

I am fairly sure that the commander would mark his presence on the battlefield so that he made his presence known to the Legion commanders.  Caesar at Pharsalus, for example, positioned himself behind the right (open) flank of his legions.  This was where he decided that the critical ground lay and had concealed a reserve force to counter Pompey’s expected flanking cavalry attack. He wanted to send the concealed troops into action on his command at the critical moment.

My legionaries are the Warlord games plastics wearing lorica segmentata plate armour.

[willb]

Alan Hamilton wrote:

Thanks, but I am thinking of campaigns like the Cantabrian War (and many others) where 8 Roman legions plus Auxiliaries were deployed and the overall commander marked his HQ. I know each Legion had the Aquila etc. Those are not the ones I am thinking of but (I found the reference) the type mentioned by Cassius Dio (Roman History, III, xl, 18) “But one of the large flags, that resemble sails, with purple letters upon them to distinguish the army and its commander in chief, was overturned … in a violent wind. Crassus had the others of equal length cut down so they might be shorter and steadier to carry”

Sounds like something similar to the Labrum.   The large ones had to be carried by a man on foot.

 

[Alan Hamilton]

Thanks, something similar to the labarum would fit the bill.

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