Phalerae
Phalerae are discs known as military awards and horse-harness ornaments. Function depends on attachments, inscriptions and find context, not shape alone.
Funerary monuments show decorated soldiers with sets of phalerae on chest straps. They were not restricted to centurions or standard-bearers, nor automatically awarded with an appointment. Their absence does not establish rank.
Surviving examples include copper alloys, sometimes silvered or otherwise finished. Bronze is not a precious metal. Ring-shaped awards beside phalerae require separate identification: armillae are bracelets, while torcs are neck rings.
Award sets and their depiction
Reliefs show sets with different numbers of discs. Images may conceal attachments, so the visible objects need not equal the complete set. The Lauersfort finds are a well-known example of first-century CE award discs; one set does not establish its owner’s office or an obligatory number of awards.
Decoration includes faces, deities, animals and mythological motifs. Their meanings belong to Roman visual traditions, not a modern system in which every emblem necessarily denotes one specific award.
The bronze roundel of Aurelius Cervianus depicts an eagle, vexilla and emblems of Legio XX Valeria Victrix and Legio II Augusta. It is held in the Musée de la BnF, Paris. RIB 2427.26 explicitly excludes a find in Roman Britain: the provenance is unknown, probably Continental.
Tombstone of Marcus Caelius, centurion of Legio XVIII, killed in 9 CE. LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. Phalerae appear on the chest, torcs near the shoulders and bracelets at the wrists.
Phalerae from Lauersfort, Germany; first century CE. A surviving set of decorated discs, not proof of one obligatory award set for every centurion.
Relief of a centurion wearing phalerae. Museo Maffeiano, Verona; first century CE.Medusa’s head and other mythological motifs occur on award discs. Protective associations are possible, but do not explain the function of every phalera.
Monuments show discs on straps over clothing or armour. Attachments are investigated through the backs of surviving objects and images. A single relief does not prove that every set was fastened behind the back in the same way.
Attachment on a phalera depicting Victoria. Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, Italy; first–second century CE.
Relief depicting a phalera with Victoria. Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, Italy; first–second century CE.Glass portrait discs have been discussed as phalerae or their components. Identification and portrait attributions are not always certain. Material, mounting traces and context matter more than general resemblance to a metal award; the number of published examples changes with research.
Phalera with a portrait identified as an emperor, first century CE. The portrait attribution is not established here.
Phalera with the head of Medusa. Roman; silver, gold and bronze, AD 100-225.
Disc from southern Italy described as a phalera. Metropolitan Museum, New York; third century BCE. Comparative evidence, not automatically a Roman military award.Standard-bearer Phalerae
Monuments of standard-bearers also show award discs. These sets are distinguished from ornaments on the standard and horse harness. A plain disc does not prove association with a standard-bearer, and an adjacent ring should not automatically be called an armilla.
For an aquilifer reconstruction, compare the entire monument: standard, weapons, straps and awards. This is more reliable than combining striking details from unrelated sources.
Gold disc tentatively identified as a phalera. Kabul Museum; first century BCE. A Roman military function is not established.
Tombstone of Aquilifer with phalerae. Mainz City Museum,Germany. EDCS-11000956. First half of the 1st century AD
Disc from southern Italy described as a phalera. Metropolitan Museum, New York; third century BCE. Comparative evidence, not automatically a Roman military award.Reenactment
A replica should follow a find or monument. Embossing, casting, silvering and attachments are separate characteristics, not one recipe for all phalerae. Retain the chosen example’s number and arrangement of discs, identifying missing or conjecturally restored details.
For performances, check straps and discs so metal does not catch on weapons or clothing. An award set should not be added to every centurion portrayal simply for decoration.
Modern reconstruction of an aquilifer’s phalerae.
Modern reconstruction of a centurion’s phalerae.Related topics
Centurion, Legion's standard-bearer group, Aquilifer
Literature and sources
- Phalera from Xanten: British Museum, 1854,0717.24.
- Bronze roundel of Aurelius Cervianus: RIB 2427.26.
- Valerie A. Maxfield. The Military Decorations of the Roman Army. 1981.
Funerary relief of a soldier of Legio VII from Dalmatia, showing military awards; first century CE. The exact date of the monument is not established by the information provided.
Silver phalera from Nijmegen bearing an inscription associated with a centurion; first century CE.
Disc ornament depicting Heracles. National Archaeological Museum, Sofia; fourth century BCE. Comparative evidence, not a Roman military award.
Disc from southern Italy described as a phalera. Metropolitan Museum, New York; third century BCE. Comparative evidence, not automatically a Roman military award.
Disc from southern Italy described as a phalera. Metropolitan Museum, New York; third century BCE. Comparative evidence, not automatically a Roman military award.
Glass phalera with the head of Medusa, mid-first century AD; Sasson Ancient Art Gallery, Jerusalem.
Falera. found in Vindoland in 2023. II-th century AD
Glass disc with a portrait identified as Tiberius. Auction collection; early first century CE. Identification and archaeological provenance require independent confirmation.
Glass portrait disc identified as Germanicus. British Museum; attributed to the first–third century CE. Identification as a phalera is interpretative.
Glass portrait disc identified as Drusus the Younger with his sons. Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne; first century CE. Portrait attribution is interpretative.
Relief showing discs with a three-horned head. Museo Lapidario Estense, Modena; first century BCE.
Detail of a relief showing discs with a three-horned head. Museo Lapidario Estense, Modena; first century BCE.
Tombstone of Quintus Cornelius of Legio XVI, showing military awards; first–second century CE.
Relief with phalerae from Dalmatia. Museum of Roman Civilisation, Rome; original monument, first century CE.
Bronze roundel of Aurelius Cervianus, showing an eagle, vexilla and legionary emblems; third century CE. Musée de la BnF, Paris, bronze.1363. Provenance unknown, probably Continental; RIB 2427.26* excludes a find in Roman Britain.Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
