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 lett ...

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, an ...

. 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. All that we learn is that the legion in which they served under Caesar was one commanded at the time by Quintus Cicero.

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 C ...

,'' 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. ...

attacked the legion under Quintus Cicero 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 the ...

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 polici ...

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. 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 ...

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 the ...

are principal characters in the HBO/ BBC/

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

original

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

''Rome''. Vorenus is played by actor Kevin McKidd and Pullo by Ray Stevenson. Unlike the historical centurions, the fictional characters are members of the 13th Legion (

Legio XIII Gemina , in English the 13th Twin Legion was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he crossed the Rubicon in January, perhaps the 10th, 49 BC. The legi ...

), an ally of Caesar, and particularly of Octavian. Vorenus is shown as more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

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 '' Total War: Rome II''. Their description and included quotes are directly pulled from the television series ''Rome''. *Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are minor characters in ''

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, an ...

'', the fifth book in

Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being ''The Thorn Birds'' and '' The Ladies of Missalonghi''. Life ...

's ''

Masters of Rome ''Masters of Rome'' is a series of historical novels by Australian author Colleen McCullough, set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Su ...

'' series. They are shown as

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, serving under Quintus Cicero, commander of the Ninth Legion (''Legio IX Hispana''). * Vorenus and Pullo appear in the ''Legion'' tetralogy of the Videssos Cycle by

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...

. The novels recount the adventures of several maniples of Caesar's legions in Gaul that are whisked away by

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

spells to a land of magic loosely based on the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. 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 Expeditions: Rome * 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).

References

{{Reflist

External links

''De Bello Gallico:'' 5.44
(Latin original)
''The War in Gaul:'' 5:44
(English translation by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn) Ancient Roman soldiers Roman people of the Gallic Wars Romans from unknown gentes Military personnel of Julius Caesar Articles about multiple people in ancient Rome