Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo were two
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
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 mentioned in the personal writings of
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 ...
. Although it is sometimes stated they were members of the 11th
Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
(
Legio XI Claudia
Legio XI Claudia ("Claudius' Eleventh Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. The legion was levied by Julius Caesar for his campaign against the Nervii. XI ''Claudia'' dates back to the two legions (the other was the XIIth) recruit ...
), in fact Caesar never states the number of the legion concerned, giving only (in the reference cited below) the words ''in ea legione'', 'in that legion'. The legion concerned is never specified and therefore are several possibilities, for example
Legio IX Hispana
Legio IX Hispana ("9th Spanish Legion"), also written Legio VIIII Hispana, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army that existed from the 1st century BC until at least 120 AD. The legion fought in various provinces of the late Roman Re ...
. All that we learn is that the legion in which they served under Caesar was one commanded at the time by
Quintus Cicero Quintus Tullius Cicero ( , ; 102 – 43 BC) was a Roman statesman and military leader, the younger brother of Marcus Tullius Cicero. He was born into a family of the equestrian order, as the son of a wealthy landowner in Arpinum, some south-east o ...
.
Known life
Vorenus and Pullo appear in Caesar's ''
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 ...
,'' Book 5, Chapter 44. The episode describes the two as centurions, approaching the first ranks, who shared a bitter personal rivalry, and takes place in 54 BC when the
Nervii
The Nervii were one of the most powerful Belgic tribes of northern Gaul at the time of its conquest by Rome. Their territory corresponds to the central part of modern Belgium, including Brussels, and stretched southwards into French Hainault. D ...
attacked the legion under
Quintus Cicero Quintus Tullius Cicero ( , ; 102 – 43 BC) was a Roman statesman and military leader, the younger brother of Marcus Tullius Cicero. He was born into a family of the equestrian order, as the son of a wealthy landowner in Arpinum, some south-east o ...
in their winter quarters in Nervian territory.
In an effort to outdo Vorenus, Pullo charged out of the fortified camp and attacked the enemy. Pullo cast his
javelin
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
into one of the enemies from a short distance, but his belt was simultaneously pierced by a spear, preventing him from drawing his sword, and he was surrounded by other Nervii. Just then, Vorenus, following Pullo from the fortifications, reached the site of the mêlée and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. After slaying one of the enemy and driving back the rest, Vorenus lost his footing on the irregular terrain. As the Nervii drew closer to him, Pullo came to his aid. After slaying many of their opponents, the two retreated to the fortifications amidst roaring applause from their comrades, or "covered with glory," as described by Caesar.
Vorenus then disappears from history. However, it is known that in the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
of 49 BC, Pullo was assigned to the
XXI Victrix Rapax, a new Italian legion commanded by the
legate
Legate may refer to:
*Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class
:*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period
*A member of a legation
*A representative, ...
Gaius Antonius
Gaius Antonius (82–42 BC) was the second son of Marcus Antonius Creticus and Julia, and thus, younger brother of the Triumvir Mark Antony.
Life Early life
Like both of his brothers, Gaius started his life free from paternal guidance, in the mid ...
. In 48 BC, Antonius was blockaded on an island and forced to surrender; Pullo was apparently responsible for most of his soldiers switching sides to fight for
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...
. Later that year, he is recorded bravely defending Pompey's camp in Greece from Caesar's attack shortly before the
Battle of Pharsalus
The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War fought on 9 August 48 BC near Pharsalus in central Greece. Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the Roman Republic under the command of Pompey. P ...
.
Fictional depictions
*
Lucius Vorenus
Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo were two Roman centurions mentioned in the personal writings of Julius Caesar. Although it is sometimes stated they were members of the 11th Legion (Legio XI Claudia), in fact Caesar never states the number of the ...
and
Titus Pullo
Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo were two Roman centurions mentioned in the personal writings of Julius Caesar. Although it is sometimes stated they were members of the 11th Legion (Legio XI Claudia), in fact Caesar never states the number of th ...
are principal characters in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
/
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Vorenus is played by actor
. Unlike the historical centurions, the fictional characters are members of the 13th Legion (
), an ally of Caesar, and particularly of Octavian. Vorenus is shown as more
and uptight, while Pullo is portrayed as a rowdy yet honorable soldier. Pullo does not defect to
.
*Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo can both be earned as retainers, adding status bonus for playable characters in the computer game ''
''. Their description and included quotes are directly pulled from the television series ''Rome''.
*Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are minor characters in ''
'' series. They are shown as
. The novels recount the adventures of several maniples of Caesar's legions in Gaul that are whisked away by
. The two companions are fairly faithful to Caesar's portrayal, starting as rival legionaries before rising to centurion rank and becoming fast friends.
* Vorenus and Pullo appear as hireable praetorians in the 2022 PC game
* Both appear in the second book of the Marius' Mules series by S.J.A. Turney. Pullo is the senior centurion (Primus Pilus) of the XIII while Vorenus was the Pilus Prior (Centurion of cohort his first century is attached).
(English translation by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn)