>>11961432
THE IRON EAGLE.
https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Standard/
The Roman Standard (Latin: Signum or Signa Romanum) was a pennant, flag, or banner, suspended or attached to a staff or pole, which identified a Roman legion (infantry) or Equites (cavalry). The Standard of a cavalry unit was emblazoned with the symbol of the serpent (Draconarius) while a legion of infantry was represented by a totemic animal. The most famous of these is the eagle (Aquila) but there were also legions identified by the boar, the wolf, the horse, and minotaur.
The Standard was important as a rallying point, symbol of pride and, more practically, as a means of communication in battle. A trumpet blast would draw the attention of the troops to the Standard which would then direct which action should be taken on the field. The Standard bearer would lower, raise, wave, or make some other motion with the Standard to indicate what the next move was for the troops or to change some tactic or formation. So important was the Standard to the armies of Rome that battles were fought for their return. In the time of the Roman Republic the Standards were imprinted with the letters SPQR which was an abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus (Senate and People of Rome). The Standard, then, represented not only the legion or cohort which carried it but the citizens of Rome, and the policies the army represented.
Besides the Serpent and Eagle symbols, there were also the Imago (a Standard displaying the image of the emperor), the Manus (an open hand at the top of the banner), the Vexillum (a rectangular cut cloth of a certain color, sometimes with a number, attached to a pole), and Banners which designated military hierarchy (a red banner, for example, would designate a general). The Vexillum designated the type of unit (legion or cohort) and which legion it was. The Manus of the open hand symbolized the loyalty of the soldiers and the trust they had in their leaders. The Imago reminded the troops of the emperor they fought for and symbolically stood for the will of Rome among them. A Standard would have more than one banner on it except for the Vexillum which was used to direct the troops' movements.
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The stories and films regarding attempts to find it celebrate the lengths to which one should go to preserve the honor of one's person, family, country, and brothers-in-arms and, whether those stories are true, they testify to the potent symbolism of the Roman Standard.
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Also see movie, THE IRON EAGLE, 2011
In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.
In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.
The Year is A.D. 140, and it has been 20 years since Rome's legendary Ninth Legion marched north into Caledonia (modern Scotland) to gain control over all of Britain. The Legion was completely defeated, to Rome's embarrassment, and the Legion's prized standard, a golden eagle, captured. Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) is the son of the Legion's General, and is determined to exonerate his father and the family name. Choosing Britain for his first active station, he must prove himself to his men when local Barbarian tribes, led by an angry Druid, attack the fort at night.
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See vid, as per the 2011 movie cited above.
https://youtu.be/3TLYO2I5kgw
In 2nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, in the Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE, directed by Kevin Macdonald. In 140 AD, Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) arrives in Britain, determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, who 20 years earlier had disappeared along Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion and their iconic emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth. After being wounded in battle, Marcus convalesces, demoralized, in the villa of his Uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland), a retired army man. When Marcus impulsively gets a young Briton’s life spared at a gladiatorial contest, Aquila buys the Briton, Esca (Jamie Bell), to be Marcus’ slave. Pushed to redeem his father’s honor, Aquila and Esca head north into unknown territory to discover what happed to Aquila’s father and the Eagle of the Ninth. Also starring Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim, and Denis O’Hare.