An ''aquilifer'' (, "eagle-bearer") was a soldier

signifer A ''signifer'' () was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a ''signum'' (standard) for a cohort or century. Each century had a ''signifer'' so there were 59 in a legion. Within each cohort, the first century's ''signifer'' would b ...

bearing the eagle standard of a

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...

. The name derives from the type of standard, '' aquila'' meaning "

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

" (which was the universal type used since 106 BC), and ''ferre'', the Latin word for bringing or carrying. Before that time, the

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

and

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

were also used. The eagle standard was the most important possession of the legion, and its loss was a terrible disgrace. The aquila emblem generally had up-raised wings surrounded by a laurel wreath. It was mounted on a narrow trapezoidal base and mounted on a pole that was held aloft. The aquilifer's position was accordingly one of enormous prestige, and he was ranked immediately below the

centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...

s and above the

optio An , plural ( lat, italic=yes, optiō, , from , "to choose", so-called because an was chosen by a centurion), was a position in a '' centuria'' (century) of a Roman army similar to that of an executive officer. The main function of an was as ...

nes, receiving twice the pay of an ordinary

legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...

. Aquilifers carried a small circular shield called a ''

parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

'' that could be strapped on if their hands were already full . Aquilifers were very easily recognizable not only because of their standard but because they always wore a type of fur: as wolf fur was worn by the

vexillarius left, A reenactor, equipped as a ''vexillifer'', with a ''vexillum'' standard Vexillarius is a term referring to one of several distinct types of Roman soldier. A vexillarius or vexillifer was one of the ''signiferi'' in a Roman legion. His dut ...

and bear fur by the

, a lion fur was given to the aquilifers. The furs were worn as capes with the head of the animal strapped to the helmet of the bearer.

Examples of aquilifers in ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico''

The idea that great disgrace would fall upon a legion should its eagle fall into enemy hands or the symbolism of its passage being barred by enemies places aquilifers in a key position—that of maintaining a legion's honor. An aquilifer plays an important role in the landing of Roman soldiers in

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

, as accounted by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

. In ''

De Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Ca ...

'' IV.25,

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

put up stiff resistance against the Roman landing party, therefore the legionaries delay to avoid engaging with the enemy. To spur on the troops, the aquilifer shouts out, so that all the soldiers can hear him, that despite the common lack of initiative, he would have fulfilled his office for both Julius Caesar his general and for the public (pūblicae) thing (reī) (''i.e.'' for the republic); he then immediately jumps from the ship and makes his way to the shore with the eagle so that others may be inspired to follow him. The text reads as such: "'Desilite,' inquit, 'commilitiones, nisi vultis aquilam hostibus prodere; ego certe meum rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestitero.' Hoc cum voce magna dixisset, se ex navi proiecit atque in hostes aquilam ferre coepit" . Unfortunately for the Romans, chaos ensues as soldiers from different divisions group themselves to the closest standard rather than their assigned one, disturbing battle formation greatly .

Lucius Petrosidius

Few aquilifers are recorded individually in history. An exception to this is Lucius Petrosidius, who is mentioned by Caesar in

Commentarii de Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Ca ...

, his first hand account of the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homela ...

. The Latin text says "Ex quibus Lucius Petrosidius aquilifer, cum magna multitudine hostium premeretur, aquilam intra vallum proiecit; ipse pro castris fortissime pugnans occiditur" , which translates to "From which Lucius Petrosidius, an Eagle-bearer, although hard pressed by a great multitude, threw the eagle behind the wall. He was killed most bravely fighting for the camp" (; ).

References

* * * * * * * {{wikicite, ref={{harvid, Gill, 2018, reference=“Caesar's Books, the Gallic Wars” by N. S. Gill. ThoughtCo.com (2018). Military ranks of ancient Rome Ancient Roman titles

Examples of aquilifers in ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico''

Lucius Petrosidius

See also

References