Standard of the Legion

• The Standard of the Legion was the Eagle, carried as its symbol by the Aquilifer (Eagle bearer) who walked in front of the army.
• The Eagle was made of Gold or Silvergilt and positioned on top of a pole adorned with images of the Roman Emperor.

History

• After the Marian Reforms of 104 BCE, the Eagle was adopted as the unique symbol of each Legion.
• Prior to this five symbols were used, the Eagle, the Wolf, the Ox with a man’s head, the Boar and the Horse.

Lost Standards known to have been recovered

Because the Standard was the symbol of the Legion, if lost in battle, it would be the cause of future battles until it had been returned, either by force or by negotiation. The enemies of Rome knew this:

• 53 BCE Battle of Carrhae
  • After Crassus lost the Battle, the Eagles of 7 legions were captured by the Persians.
  • 33 years later, Augustus negotiated their return in 20 BCE along with the surviving prisoners.
• 17 BCE ‘Clades Lolliana’ The ‘Lollian Disaster’
  • The Consul Marcus Lollius Paulinus, with the Legio V Macedonica was defeated by an alliance of Germanic Tribes, the Sicambri, the Tencteri and the Usipetes, who had crossed the Rhine.
  • The Standard was recovered in 16 BCE.
• 9 CE Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
  • 3 legions were defeated and their Standards captured.
  • Germanicus recaptured 2 Standards in 15 and 16 CE. The other was recaptured in 41 CE.
• 86 CE Battle of Tapae
  • The Legio V Alaudae was destroyed and its Standard taken.
  • The Standard was recaptured during 101 or 102 CE during Trajan's Dacian Wars.

The Temple of Mars

• The Temple was located in the Forum of Augustus.
  • The Standards lost to the Parthians by Crassus after the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE, were returned in 20 BCE and placed here.
  • The three Standards lost to the Germanic Tribes after the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, were returned in 14 CE and also placed here.

Temple of Mars, Rome