An armilla (plural armillae) was an armband awarded as a military decoration (donum militarium) to soldiers of ancient Rome for conspicuous gallantry. Legionary (citizen) soldiers and non-commissioned officers below the rank of centurion were eligible for this award, but non-citizen soldiers were not.[1] Unlike legionaries, auxiliary common soldiers did not receive individual decorations, though auxiliary officers did. However, a whole auxiliary regiment could be honoured by a title as an equivalent award, which in this case would be armillata ("awarded bracelets"), or be granted Roman citizenship en masse as a reward. This entitled an auxiliary regiment to add the appellation civium Romanorum (Roman citizens) to its list of honours.
Pair of Roman armillae in the shape of snakes, 1st century CE, at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland
Armillae were either gold, silver or bronze. The status of the recipient appears to have determined whether he would be granted a gold armilla or the lesser silver.[2] Bronze armillae were given as awards for distinguished conduct to soldiers of lesser rank, but were valued no less highly for the prestige they conferred upon their owners. Armillae were usually awarded in pairs and a soldier could win more than one pair.[3] They were not for everyday wear, but generally only worn at military parades or on dress uniform occasions like a general's Triumph, though they could also be worn at certain civic events like religious ceremonies and the games.
Roman military honours were not awarded posthumously, but those won during a soldier's lifetime were often proudly shown on his sarcophagus or cenotaph. The armillae awarded to senior centurion Marcus Caelius of Legio XVIII, for example, are evident on his funerary monument, and three pairs of armillae can be seen on the memorial panel at Villa Vallelunga in Italy which depicts the awards granted to veteran C. Vibius Macer during his years of active service.[4]
Military armillae were modelled on those worn by the Celts. The tradition of using Celtic-style torcs and armillae as Roman military decorations had its beginnings in 361 BC when Titus Manlius Torquatus (consul 347 BC) slew a Gallic chieftain of impressive size in single combat. He then stripped the bloodstained torc from the corpse's neck and placed it around his own as a trophy.[5] The Romans were initially daunted by the fearsome appearance of the Gauls, whose elite warriors were "richly adorned with gold necklaces and armbands".[6] The torc was the Celtic symbol of authority and prestige. By his action, Torquatus in effect took the vanquished chieftain's power for his own, and created a potent, visible token of Roman domination. As such, over time the torc and also the armilla were adopted as official awards for valour, taking on the role of symbolic war trophies.
Armillae were made in a substantial masculine style and produced in a variety of designs: a solid, hinged cuff, sometimes inscribed with legionary emblems or decorated with incised patterns; an open-ended spiral; a chunky, rounded bracelet with open or overlapping ends; or a torc in miniature. Armillae which were open-ended or had overlapping ends often featured knobs or snake-heads as terminals.[7]
The armilla or armill continued as a type of royal regalia, probably in both the Western and Byzantine worlds, and taking variable forms. A pair were made to be worn by the monarch at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. These were thick gold bracelets; earlier examples seem to have been worn on the shoulder or upper arm.
In fictionedit
The Capricorn Bracelet, by Rosemary Sutcliff, is a series of six stories for older children, following several generations of Roman soldiers serving at Hadrian's Wall from the 1st to the 4th centuries. The stories are linked by a family heirloom, an armilla inscribed with the Capricorn emblem of Legio II Augusta.
Marcus Flavius Aquila, hero of Sutcliff's Eagle of the Ninth, is awarded an armilla for his part in repelling a British attack on the Roman fort of Isca Dumnoniorum, during which he is seriously wounded.
Referencesedit
^Maxfield, Valerie A. (1981). The Military Decorations of the Roman Army, pp. 89-91. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles.
^ Crummy, Nina (2005). From bracelets to battle-honours: military armillae from the Roman conquest of Britain 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, p.100. In : N. Crummy (ed.), Image, Craft and the Classical World. Essays in honour of Donald Bailey and Catherine Johns (Monogr. Instrumentum 29), Montagnac 2005, pp. 93-105.
^Keppie, Lawrence (2000). Legions and Veterans: Roman Army Papers 1971-2000, fig 4, p.14. Franz Steiner: Stuttgart.
^Maxfield, Valerie A. (1981). The Military Decorations of the Roman Army, fig 9, p.89.
External linksedit
by Scott McCulloch. Posted March 30, 2012, in Roman History at the Ancient Life website.
Armillae Some representative images (Saarland University website).
The gold armills presented to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the occasion of her coronation in 1953. Royal Exhibitions website.
December 18, 2023
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An armilla plural armillae was an armband awarded as a military decoration donum militarium to soldiers of ancient Rome for conspicuous gallantry Legionary citizen soldiers and non commissioned officers below the rank of centurion were eligible for this award but non citizen soldiers were not 1 Unlike legionaries auxiliary common soldiers did not receive individual decorations though auxiliary officers did However a whole auxiliary regiment could be honoured by a title as an equivalent award which in this case would be armillata awarded bracelets or be granted Roman citizenship en masse as a reward This entitled an auxiliary regiment to add the appellation civium Romanorum Roman citizens to its list of honours Pair of Roman armillae in the shape of snakes 1st century CE at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore MarylandArmillae were either gold silver or bronze The status of the recipient appears to have determined whether he would be granted a gold armilla or the lesser silver 2 Bronze armillae were given as awards for distinguished conduct to soldiers of lesser rank but were valued no less highly for the prestige they conferred upon their owners Armillae were usually awarded in pairs and a soldier could win more than one pair 3 They were not for everyday wear but generally only worn at military parades or on dress uniform occasions like a general s Triumph though they could also be worn at certain civic events like religious ceremonies and the games Roman military honours were not awarded posthumously but those won during a soldier s lifetime were often proudly shown on his sarcophagus or cenotaph The armillae awarded to senior centurion Marcus Caelius of Legio XVIII for example are evident on his funerary monument and three pairs of armillae can be seen on the memorial panel at Villa Vallelunga in Italy which depicts the awards granted to veteran C Vibius Macer during his years of active service 4 Military armillae were modelled on those worn by the Celts The tradition of using Celtic style torcs and armillae as Roman military decorations had its beginnings in 361 BC when Titus Manlius Torquatus consul 347 BC slew a Gallic chieftain of impressive size in single combat He then stripped the bloodstained torc from the corpse s neck and placed it around his own as a trophy 5 The Romans were initially daunted by the fearsome appearance of the Gauls whose elite warriors were richly adorned with gold necklaces and armbands 6 The torc was the Celtic symbol of authority and prestige By his action Torquatus in effect took the vanquished chieftain s power for his own and created a potent visible token of Roman domination As such over time the torc and also the armilla were adopted as official awards for valour taking on the role of symbolic war trophies Armillae were made in a substantial masculine style and produced in a variety of designs a solid hinged cuff sometimes inscribed with legionary emblems or decorated with incised patterns an open ended spiral a chunky rounded bracelet with open or overlapping ends or a torc in miniature Armillae which were open ended or had overlapping ends often featured knobs or snake heads as terminals 7 The armilla or armill continued as a type of royal regalia probably in both the Western and Byzantine worlds and taking variable forms A pair were made to be worn by the monarch at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 These were thick gold bracelets earlier examples seem to have been worn on the shoulder or upper arm In fiction editThe Capricorn Bracelet by Rosemary Sutcliff is a series of six stories for older children following several generations of Roman soldiers serving at Hadrian s Wall from the 1st to the 4th centuries The stories are linked by a family heirloom an armilla inscribed with the Capricorn emblem of Legio II Augusta Marcus Flavius Aquila hero of Sutcliff s Eagle of the Ninth is awarded an armilla for his part in repelling a British attack on the Roman fort of Isca Dumnoniorum during which he is seriously wounded References edit Maxfield Valerie A 1981 The Military Decorations of the Roman Army pp 89 91 University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles Maxfield Valerie A 1981 The Military Decorations of the Roman Army p 128 Crummy Nina 2005 From bracelets to battle honours military armillae from the Roman conquest of Britain Archived 2013 10 04 at the Wayback Machine p 100 In N Crummy ed Image Craft and the Classical World Essays in honour of Donald Bailey and Catherine Johns Monogr Instrumentum 29 Montagnac 2005 pp 93 105 Keppie Lawrence 2000 Legions and Veterans Roman Army Papers 1971 2000 fig 4 p 14 Franz Steiner Stuttgart Livy The History of Rome Bk VII 10 Polybius Histories 2 29 Maxfield Valerie A 1981 The Military Decorations of the Roman Army fig 9 p 89 External links editAwards and Commendations in the Roman Army by Scott McCulloch Posted March 30 2012 in Roman History at the Ancient Life website Armillae Some representative images Saarland University website The gold armills presented to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the occasion of her coronation in 1953 Royal Exhibitions website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Armilla military decoration amp oldid 1145202129, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
