ROM077-KC
King & Country
Not yet released - expected in early March.
Each Legion carried two main standards, one showed a carved or cast portrait of the current emperor to remind the Legionnaires of their loyalty to him.
The other standard emblem was an ‘Eagle’ made from either silver or gold with thunderbolts held between its claws. This ‘Eagle’ standard carried by the ‘Aquilifer’ was the symbol of the entire army.
The soldier carrying the ‘Eagle’ usually wore a brown bearskin over his armour.
Among the Roman Legions military standards stood for the prestige and glory of Rome itself and were proudly paraded and guarded at all times. All of these symbols were carried on tall poles ahead of the army going into battle or on the march and were often used as rallying points in the frequently confusing mayhem of battle itself.
These unique symbols of Rome were valued so highly that battles and campaigns were sometimes fought to recover any that were seized by enemy forces.
After victories had been won and enemies crushed these same symbols would be paraded through the streets of Ancient Rome itself as the victorious Legions and their commanders enjoyed a ceremonial parade called, appropriately enough… ‘A Triumph’.