Barbarian Mercenaries Or Roman Citizens? Rausing, Gad Fornvännen 126-132 Ingår I: Samla.Raa.Se 126 Debatt

Barbarian mercenaries or Roman citizens? Rausing, Gad Fornvännen 126-132 http://kulturarvsdata.se/raa/fornvannen/html/1987_126 Ingår i: samla.raa.se 126 Debatt irrigen Meinung entgegentreten zu können, Sinne des neuen Gottesvolkes, populus Dei, das Sueones und Gothi seien in einigen Stellen bei das christlich gewordene Land bewohnt und Adam einander nebengeordnet und Sueones be dort den wahren Gott anstelle der Götzen anbe- zeichne deshalb eine neben den Gothi ("götar") tet. lebenden Völkergruppe. Durch eine Analyse Bemerkung: Die nach langen Verzögerungen erst neulich aller Belegstellen konnte naehgewiesen wer erschienene Arbeit des Verf.s; Die Kirche in Skandinavien. den, dass bei Adam IV, 24 die Gothi eindeutig Mitteieuropäischer und englischer Einfluss im 11. und 12. Jahrhundert. als eines der "sveonischen" Völker hingestellt Anfange der Domkapitel Berglum und Odense in Dänemark (Beiträge werden, während alle Stellen, die scheinbar zur Geschichte und Quellenkunde des Mittelalters 10), Sigmaringcn 1986, die im vorliegenden Aufsatz nicht be- eine Nebeneinanderreihung bieten, iiberzeu- riicksichtigl wurde, enthält im Kapitel I, Abschnitt 3, eine gender auf andere Weise erklärt werden kön Analyse der Terminologie Adams von Bremen, die im Jahre nen. 1979 die Grundlage fiir die Stellungnahme des Verf.s zu die Das eindeutige Ergebnis fiihrt mit sich, dass sem Thema wurde. In der Deutung der hier bchandelten Begriffspaare wurde jedoch der damals vertretene Stånd das Begriffspaar Sueonia/Sueones mit dem lateini punkt des Verf.s, nicht zuletzt dank der Zusammenarbeit sche Völkerbegriff^iw, auch im biblischen Sin im Herausgebergremium der neuen schwedischen Uber- ne der gentes, der (Heiden)völker, zu verbinden setzung Adams, wesentlich weiterentwickelt. ist, während das Begriffspaar Suedia/Suedi — Tore Nyberg das, wie schon von Nyberg 1984 hervorgeho ben, zu Adams Zeit etwas Neues darstellte — Historisk Inst. Odense Universitet mit der Ehrenbezeichnung populus in Verbin Da 530 Odense, Danmark dung zu bringen ist, und zwar besonders im Barbarian Mercenaries or Roman Citizens? Leadership, tactical ability and personal 1. The grass crown and the oakleaf crown, courage have always been highly valued by 2. The vexillum, the corona navalis, the fighting men and, even more so, by their corona muralis, the corona vallaris and the leaders. Also, man is vain. This is why, över and corona aurea. above pecuniary remunerations, soldiers have 3. The hasta pura, the torques, the armilla, always valued, and fougt to the utmost for, "a the patella, the phalera and the corniculum. piece of coloured riband", for visible signs of Awards of the first group were apparently their prowess being appreciated. Thus, in most granted to field officers only, for very excep- armies past and present, rewards or formål tional services. Awards of the second type went military decorations have been given to, or to field officers and to regimental officers, granted to, deserving soldiers. These have been originally for exceptional bravery only, låter as of many different kinds, from the enemy's skull regular service awards, and the same holds true by way of tattoos or feather headdresses to for the decorations of the third group, which bronze crosses and mere "coloured ribands". went to subalterns and to rankers. These In the Roman army of the late Republic and awards were of moderate (corona aurea, which of the early Empire the "dona militaria" were was mostly gold leaf) to insignificant (grass of three classes: crown and oakleaf crown) pecuniary value, but Förmännen 82 (1987) Debatt V2.1 they were conspicious and they conferred cer of defeated enemies had been sacrificed. These tain privileges upon their holders. consist of heavy, east, circular bronze plates, Most of these decorations are fairly well once rivetted to a leather harness, and covered known from contemporary descriptions, from with thin, chased silver plates, partly quilt. The tombstones and from other monuments, but no two phalerae seem to have been of the same size, more than a few have survived to our days since with a diameter of 132 mm. The central medal Roman burial customs did not include the lions, which are identical, are surrounded by deposition of such items with the dead. No circles of nine medallions each, with Medusa corona of any kind is known to have survived, masks, inside an elaborately chased börder, nor any vexillum or hasta. Roman bracelets are 35.4 mm wide. As Werner (1941) has shown, known from many sites but since they have not these phalerae are Roman provincial work, been found in male graves we can not differen- probably from the Aachen area, and date from tiate between military bracelets, worn as deco the second half of the second century A.D. This rations, and civilian ones, worn as jewellery. find is particularly important since Thorsbjerg The torques depicted on funeral monuments is far outside the Limes, deep in Germanic ter appear generally to have been too small to be ritory. The ethnic background of the original worn round the neck, being instead usually owners of the phalerae from Newstead, Munn worn on a strap around the neck, in pairs, ingen and Lauersfort can never be ascertained, resting above the clavicles. No such torques although they must have been Roman citizens have been found. (vide infra) but the man whose decorations Phalerae, on the other hand, have been found were sacrificed at Thorsbjerg by his victorious at Lauersfort and at Kastell Munningen, in enemies was a German, although a Roman citi- Germany, and at Newstead, in England. zen. The set found at Lauersfort, near the Remain the patellae and the cornicula. legionary fortress of Vetera, not far from What, then, were the patellae? High-quality Xanten, is complete. It consists of nine piéces of service items, spectacularly ornamented, were silver-plated bronze, with heads of lions and of sometimes awarded for bravery, both in the mythological figures, in high relief. In addition French and in the British armies and navies. to these there is a crescent-shaped piece with a Thus, Napoleon gave "muskels of honour", double sphinx. It is somewhat uncertain whe service arms with engraved silver plates, to ther this belonged to the original set or whether deserving infantrymen and bodi Napoleon and it formed a separate decoration. (Matz 1932; king George gave swords of honour to deserving Maxfield 1981, P1.15). On the other hand, the officers. Kastell Munningen find consists of a single Is it conceivable that the patellae were exact phalera only, decorated with a bust of Virtus or ly what the name implies: high-quality cooking of Bellona in high relief and dating from the vessels? The idea of such being granted for time before the destruetion of the fort, in valour may appear ludicrous, but recent pa 259-60. rallels come to mind. Thus, both the Janissaries The Newstead phalerae comprise a set of of the Ottoman army and the warriors of the nine bronze plates, eight round and one kid- Zulu impies treasured their regimental cooking neyshaped, which have now löst their original vessels, one of the worst corporate punishments decorated silver facing. All of these are, or were, which could be meted out in either army being highly decorated piéces, much more elaborate depriving a regiment of one or more cooking than those shown on so many legionaries' pots. To the individual legionary, accustomed tombstones. These seem, generally, to have as he was to cooking in fragile clay vessels with been circular and fairly simple, with concentric low heat permeability, a brightly polished circles as their only decoration. bronze cooking vessel would not only be emi- However, another pair of highly decorated nently practical but also, carried strapped to the phalerae form part of the famous bog find from outside of the field pack, a highly visible decora Thorsbjerg, in Denmark, where the equipment tion. Förmännen 82 (1987) 128 Debatt Many different types of Roman bronze ves Seandinavia, and these have invariably been of sels have been found in Scandinavian tombs practical use. It should be noted that they all but two of them are quite predominant: the seem to date from the first two centuries of the "wine ladle wim sieve" and the bronze pan. Christian era, i.e. from that time when military Remarkably enough, neither such vessels nor dona were awarded. any others appear among the dona militaria so After about 200 A.D. dona were no longer often shown on Roman tombstones. Just pos given — and no more cooking pans or wine sibly, one of them might be shown on the Pictish ladles found their way to Seandinavia. Certain symbol stone of Dunnichen, in Scotland, which ly, several third-century graves contain such should probably be dated to late Imperial times vessels, but these were invariably old when (Johnson 1980 fig. 17). This carving has been deposited. They may have been in practical use taken to represent a mirror but it might, just for several generations before being buried with as well, show a Roman bronze pan, seen from their last owner. above. The corniculum is attested in but three The wine ladle with its sieve was used when literary passages (Livy, Suetonius) and in but serving the wine. In the Roman army, cheap one monumental inscription and is "probably wine, "posca", formed part of the daily ration. the most obscure ofall the military decorations. More often than not it was probably of such a The apparent failure of the corniculum to sur- quality as to require strålning. In Seandinavia, vive into the Imperial period has had one par such ladles with sieves were probably most ticularly unfortunate result: there is no way of useful when beer or mead was served. Although knowing for certain what it was. There is no not intended for the purpose, the ladle itself pictorial evidence for its appearance, and no- could also be used for cooking.

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