Spolia opima

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See Spolia for Roman reuse of building rubble, and Spolia (disambiguation) for other meanings

Spolia opima (or "rich spoils/trophies") refers to the armor, arms, and other effects that an ancient Roman general had stripped from the body of an opposing commander slain in single, hand-to-hand combat. Though the Romans recognized and put on display other sorts of trophies--such as standards and the beaks of enemy ships--spolia opima were considered the most honorable to have won and brought great fame to their captor.

Over the course of their entire history, the Romans recognized only three instances of spolia opima having been taken. The first was in 752 BC by Romulus from Acro, king of the Caeninenses after the Rape of the Sabine Women ^[1]; the second by Aulus Cornelius Cossus from Lar Tolumnius, king of the Veientes; the third by Marcus Claudius Marcellus from Viridomarus, king of the Gaesatae (a Celtic warband). As the first two figures are legendary, or semi-legendary, it may be said that Marcus Claudius Marcellus is the only Roman figure ever to have accomplished this feat.

Political Implications

Of course, while these noted above are the only recognized instances, there is a case where the honour was not awarded despite the fact that the act itself had (it is likely) been achieved. The man concerned, Marcus Licinius Crassus (not to be confused with his grandfather the triumvir of the same name) had defeated an enemy leader in single combat (in Macedonia) in 29 BC and was thus eligible to claim the honour of spolia opima.^[2]

The main reason that Crassus' victory was downplayed and even ignored (he had no Roman Triumph upon his return to Italy) has a lot to do with the charged political atmosphere of Rome at the time. His victory occurring when it did, the chronological proximity to the initial settlement of the Emperor Augustus (then Octavian) meant that the spolia opima was swallowed in an effort to consolidate Octavian's position in the eyes of the Senate. The efforts and successes of other military leaders were also not recognized.^{[citation needed]} This helped maintain military stability and strengthen the prestige of the Emperor. Octavian needed to unite all Roman leaders behind him and to strengthen his own military prestige (as we are told in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti). The emperor also wanted to avoid the rise of powerful military commanders with their own political factions, and thus dissuade a relapse into the civil wars wrought previously by factionalism in the Roman armies.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Tropaion

References

1. ^ Livy, Ab urbe condita, 1:10
2. ^ Syme, The Roman Revolution, p308