Vibius Tiberius Costa Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Who were allowed these wreaths? What really were they? Who could give them out? How may were there? Did they give you priveleges? Did any famous romans recieve them? Please answer these questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 The oak leaf crown (corona civica I believe) was awarded to a soldier who saved the life of another in battle. I believe it was given by one of the commanding officers. Anyone who recieved the corona civica recieved a great honor. They were required to wear the crown when appearing in public, or at public events. (which makes me wonder how they kept the crown fresh, still. Perhaps it gave them privilage to wear *a* oak leaf crown, and they kept making or were provided with fresh ones.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochus of Seleucia Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 The oak leaf crown (corona civica I believe) was awarded to a soldier who saved the life of another in battle. I believe it was given by one of the commanding officers. Anyone who recieved the corona civica recieved a great honor. They were required to wear the crown when appearing in public, or at public events. (which makes me wonder how they kept the crown fresh, still. Perhaps it gave them privilage to wear *a* oak leaf crown, and they kept making or were provided with fresh ones.) Just to add to LW's, they person saved must be a citizen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Caesar was a recipient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vibius Tiberius Costa Posted December 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 So many must of been given out because citizens could be easily saved. does this count for seiges where the besieged army is saving all its citizens? Caesar got one eh, why and how? which commanding officer, do you mean a general or lesser? thanks for the answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 So many must of been given out because citizens could be easily saved. does this count for seiges where the besieged army is saving all its citizens? Caesar got one eh, why and how? which commanding officer, do you mean a general or lesser? thanks for the answers "...One of Thurmus' main tasks was to defeat the city of Mytilene, which was beseiged and eventually taken by storm. During the course of the fighting the nineteen year old Caesar won Rome's highest award for gallentry, the civic crown. Traditionally this decoration was given only to those who had risked their own life to save that of another citizen. The rescued man was supposed to plait a simple wreath of oak leaves - a tree that was sacred to Jupiter - and present this to his savior as an open acknowledgment of his debt. However, by Caesar's day it was normally awarded by the magistrate commanding the army. The wreath was worn at military parades, but winners of the crown were also permitted to wear them during festivals in Rome. None of our sources preserve any details of the exploit that led to Caesar being awarded the crown, but the corona civica was never lightly bestowed and commanded immense respect." Goldsworthy's Caesar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 (edited) Did they give you priveleges? I believe that after Sulla's reforms, the corona civica became an even more particularly sought after item. Sulla's reforms made it that a winner of a Civic Crown was entitled to entrance into the Senate. At any and all public occasions, the person in question was obliged by the law to wear the corona civica, and all people, including people higher in station and seniority, were required to rise and applaud the wearer of the corona civica. I would also add that to win a corona civica, a person had not only to save a citizen's life, but he had to hold the ground where he saved the citizen's life. Not a bad little prize to win eh? Edited December 9, 2006 by Tobias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 Anyone who recieved the corona civica recieved a great honor. They were required to wear the crown when appearing in public, or at public events. (which makes me wonder how they kept the crown fresh, still. Perhaps it gave them privilage to wear *a* oak leaf crown, and they kept making or were provided with fresh ones.) They would have been given one as part of the military ceremony, and allowed to wear another thereafter as described. In some cases, the wreath might have been artificial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 One must note that thanks to the laws of Sulla Caesar had very early access to the senate : first when ordained priest by Marius ( since his title included access to the senate, he must have been one of the yougest one to enter ( at least formally ) this body ( if not the yougest ), then he came back with the crown when he was not even 20... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 They would have been given one as part of the military ceremony, and allowed to wear another thereafter as described. In some cases, the wreath might have been artificial? What sort of artificial? I don't recall there being decorative "silk" flowers in ancient Rome? Perhaps they were made of real silk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelianus Posted December 11, 2006 Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 Metal I suspect. This page contains a pretty encompassing description of everything you asked, V.T.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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