The ''spolia opima'' ("rich spoils") were the armour, arms, and other effects that an ancient

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 ...

general stripped from the body of an opposing commander slain in

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repres ...

. The ''spolia opima'' were regarded as the most honourable of the several kinds of

war trophies __NOTOC__ A war trophy is an item taken during warfare by an invading force. Common war trophies include flags, weapons, vehicles, and art. History In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, military victories were commemorated with a display of captu ...

a commander could obtain, including enemy

military standard In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

s and the peaks of warships. For the majority of the city's existence, the Romans recognized only three instances when ''spolia opima'' were taken. The precedent was imagined in Rome's mythical history, which tells that in 752 BC

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

defeated and stripped Acron, king of the Caeninenses, following the

Rape of the Sabine Women The Rape of the Sabine Women ( ), also known as the Abduction of the Sabine Women or the Kidnapping of the Sabine Women, was an incident in Roman mythology in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cit ...

. In the second instance,

Aulus Cornelius Cossus __NOTOC__ Aulus Cornelius Cossus was a Roman general from the early Republic. He is most famous for being the second Roman, after Romulus, to be awarded the ''spolia opima,'' Rome's highest military honor, for killing the commander of an enemy arm ...

obtained the ''spolia opima'' from

Lars Tolumnius Lars Tolumnius ( Etruscan: Larth Tulumnes, d. 437 BC) was the most famous king of the wealthy Etruscan city-state of Veii, roughly ten miles northwest of Rome, best remembered for instigating a war with Rome that ended in a decisive Roman victory. ...

, king of the Veientes, during Rome's semi-legendary fifth century BC. The third and most historically grounded occurred before the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

when

Marcus Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...

(consul 222 BC) galloped forward beyond his battle line and speared the Celtic warrior

Viridomarus Viridomarus or Britomartus as translations vary, (died 222 BC) was a Gaulish military leader who led an army against an army of the Roman Republic at the Battle of Clastidium. The Romans won the battle, and in the process, Marcus Claudius Marcellu ...

, a king of the

Gaesatae The Gaesatae or Gaesati (Greek Γαισάται) were a group of Gallic mercenary warriors who lived in the Alps near the river Rhône and fought against the Roman Republic at the Battle of Telamon in 225 BC., s.v. ''Gaesatae''. According to som ...

, before stripping him of his armour on the battlefield. The ceremony of the ''spolia opima'' was a ritual of state religion that was supposed to emulate the archaic ceremonies carried out by the founder Romulus. The victor affixed the stripped armor to the trunk of an oak tree, carried it himself in a procession to the

Capitoline The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. T ...

, and dedicated it at the

Temple of Jupiter Feretrius The Temple of Jupiter Feretrius (Latin: ''Aedes Iuppiter Feretrius'') was, according to legend, the first temple ever built in Rome (the second being the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus). Its site is uncertain but is thought to have been on the ...

. To dedicate the spoils to Jupiter Feretrius, one needed be the commander of a Roman army. Thus, Titus Manlius Torquatus, Valerius Corvus and

Scipio Aemilianus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Aemilianus (185–129 BC), known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a Roman general and statesman noted for his military exploits in the Third Punic War against Carthage and during the ...

, though they all slew enemy leaders in single combat (the first two against Gauls and Aemilianus against a king in

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

), were not considered to have won the ''spolia opima''.

Imperial period

During the early years of the imperial regime, in 27 BC, M Licinius Crassus (grandson of the

triumvir A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

) after victories in Macedonia requested a triumph and right to dedicate ''spolia opima'' due to his slaying of an enemy chieftain in hand-to-hand combat. Dedication rights were denied by Augustus. Crassus' illustrious political lineage made him a potential rival to Augustus. While Crassus' triumph was granted, it was required to be a joint triumph with Augustus who may have argued he deserved it due to his ''also'' holding ''imperium'' in Macedonia.

Nero Claudius Drusus Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus (38–9 BC), also called Drusus the Elder, was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a patrician Claudian on his birth father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family. He was the ...

, a Roman general of the first century BC and member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, sought out Germanic chieftains to face in single combat during his campaigns. Sources suggest that he may have eventually been able to take the ''spolia opima''.Lindsay Powell, "Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus the Elder, Conqueror of Germania," p. 104

References

{{italic title Military awards and decorations of ancient Rome Victory Processions in ancient Rome

Imperial period

See also

References