longbow Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 How did a standard bearer defend himself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black_Francis Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 How did a standard bearer defend himself? I think that if it got to a point where the Standard Bearer was actually being attacked then all was lost anyway. The idea was that the cohort would group around the standard and defend it to the death as it was a symbol of their very identity and a sacred object to them. I read somewhere that the standard bearer was actually deployed in the center of the cohort a couple of men behind the front line. My theory is that the legionaries would attempt to place themselves between the enemy and the standard which would create pressure on the enemy line directly in front of the standard bearer. This would focus the power of the cohort into a point and create a wedge formation in a melee rather than dissipating the strength of the cohort along the length of the facing enemy formation and would also encourage forward motion as the legionaries pushed towards the point directly ahead of the standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Thanks Black Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Favonius Cornelius Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 (edited) The republican is reputed by the historian Pliny the elder to have had five standards, an eagle, a wolf, a Minotaur, a horse and a boar. Marius made the eagle supreme because of its close associations with Jupiter, and the remainder were relegated or abolished. I like to think that the choice of the eagle by Gaius Marius had more to do than just the association with Jupiter. When one considers the Roman art of war in comparison to other nations of the time, you get an impression of a finer form of attack. The Gauls and Germans rely on brute strength. The Greeks and Cartheginians their massive phalanxes, the Numidians their horses. The Roman relys on choosing his battles carefully because he is usually outnumbered. The Roman fights not with a huge pike nor a two-handed sword, but a short, sharp sword, used to make precision stabs rather than gaping wounds or the hope of any wound in a forest of pike. The Roman fights and kills as the eagle does, not like the bull, the horse or the boar. Edited March 1, 2006 by Favonius Cornelius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 (edited) The Welsh Flag? I'm not so sure about that. It's more likely that the flag is based on Merlins battle with the dragon that so impressed Uther... Edited March 2, 2006 by caldrail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovidius Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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