Roman military standards

Emblems in the Roman army

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Roman standards

Roman military standards were emblems adopted by units of the Roman army. There were three main types of standard (Aquila, Vexillum, Signum). Several throughout its history include:

* Aquila, the emblem of the Roman legion whose adoption Pliny the Elder attributes to the general Gaius Marius. Each legion had an eagle, or aquila, carried by an aquilifer;
* Vexillum, the emblem of a legion, cohors, numerus or detachments of such units. This was a flag attached to the top of the pole. One type had the name and number of the legion on it. Others were used by detachments serving away from the legion;
* Draco, a cavalry standard later adopted also by infantry units;
* Labarum, personal ensign of emperor Constantine I, later adopted as army standard.
* Signum, Each century (80 men) had its own standard, called a signum. Signa had lots of symbols attached to the pole (Many were discs with indented circles).
* Imago, Standard showed the emperor.

## Sources

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* Töpfer, Kai (2011). Signa Militaria. Die römischen Feldzeichen in der Republik und im Prinzipat. Mainz: Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, ISBN 978-3-88467-162-7.

## External links

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* Types of Roman military standards