There is nothing quite comparable in modern armies to the Roman standards, signa, except perhaps the regimental colours. They performed the function of being a recognition signal and a rallying point. Army units required a device to watch and follow in battle conditions and the soldiers also needed to recognize their own at a glance. …
The Ala The ala was composed entirely of cavalry. The name is Latin for wing and derives from the use of horsemen on the flanks of an army, where they gave protection to the infantry centre. When necessary they could deliver flank attacks themselves and thereafter deploy against retreating enemy or attempt to divert pressure …
The symbolic bed enthroned in the atrium or tablinum of the Roman house was a reminder that the house was also intended to accommodate a woman destined to become a mother. Marriage really could either bring a wife into the household following a proper marriage ritual, or merely involved the couple living under the same …
If at first the games of the early Roman republic had religious significance, then later the ‘secular’ games were purely for entertainment, some lasting a fortnight. There were two kinds of games: ludi scaenici and ludi circenses. The theatrical Festivals(ludi scaenici) The ludi scaenici, the theatrical performances, were hopelessly overwhelmed by the ludi circenses, the …
Roman clothing owed much to that of ancient Greece, but it had distinct forms of its own. In all the ancient world, first and foremost clothes needed to be simple. As for possible materials there was only really one. Wool, although to some extent linen was also available. The needles of the day were coarse …
The civilization that was Rome had high demands on its people.The Roman citizen may have enjoyed rights and had room to follow his ambitions, but so too did he have duties. These were not merely legal duties, but social ones. He would have to live up to the expectations of the men at the head …