This Ancient Roman Soldier Won the Equivalent of the Medal of Honor 6 Times

William McLaughlin - May 15, 2017

There is no higher military honor in the U.S. than the Medal of Honor, and only 19 men have won the award twice. The Romans had a whole host of awards for bravery and courage. In fact, Polybius, the Greek historian who lived in Rome, thought that the wealth of possible awards and the reverence they were given very likely gave the Romans part of that extra fighting spirit that allowed them to conquer the Mediterranean.

Roman Crowns: Not Just for Kings

Where the average medal in modern history has been just that, a medal to be pinned or worn around the neck, Roman awards were mostly types of crowns. A great naval victory might be awarded with the Naval Crown (Corona Navalis), a golden crown with small prows/rams of ships all along as decoration.

Many of the crowns were gold, but the two most prestigious were made of oak or grass. The Grass Crown (Corona Obsidionalis) was the hardest to obtain. It was awarded to a general who broke a siege or otherwise saved a trapped army and drove the enemy from the field. The saved army would gather grass and twigs from the field to make the honored crown.

Since the average soldier could not have the opportunity to win the grass crown, the Civic Crown (Corona Civica) was the highest honor one could achieve. It’s not really a direct equivalent but held in similar esteem. A bit more specific than a Medal of Honor, to win a Civic Crown a soldier had to save a fellow Roman soldier and kill the enemy that had nearly killed the citizen. Furthermore, the hero had to stand his ground or advance forward from that spot.

Sounds fairly straightforward, except the saved man had to give personal testimony for the award to even be considered. Romans did not like to admit that they needed to be saved by someone else. Also, the saved man was then expected to treat his savior in almost every way as an elder and father figure, on top of owing a life debt. So, most men wouldn’t get the award even if they did save someone.

Spurius Ligustinus: A Man of Humblest Origins

But Spurius Ligustinus was a different sort of soldier. A relatively poor man for army service, Spurius had just one jugerum of farmland, about half the size of a modern football pitch, and served before the reforms of Marius that allowed the poor to join the army in droves. Spurius was of Sabine origin, meaning he descended from the hill tribes of the Apennine mountains that run through central Italy. These fierce people gave the Romans the hardest fights on their road to conquering Italy.

Joining in 200 BCE, it would have seemed that Spurius just missed out on the greatest war Rome had seen, the Second Punic War against Hannibal (218-201), but the almost endless conflict would dominate the next several decades.

The first campaign was against the Macedonians and Philip V. Philip had been expanding Macedon again and was threatening to take over all of the Greek cities. Rome intervened and three years later they would win a decisive battle against the feared and famed Macedonian Phalanx.

Spurius served in the Hastati, which was the front line of Rome’s three-line infantry formation. The Hastati were younger men in the best fighting shape and the idea was to gain experience early, with those surviving several years moving to the middle line of Princeps. Spurius would be promoted to Centurion of one of Hastati’s maniples before the decisive battle of Cynoscephalae.

NEXT >>

Off to Spain with Cato the Elder

Spurius was then sent back to Italy where the army disbanded. Eager for more glory, Spurius immediately volunteered to join a young Cato on a campaign in Spain. Cato had grown up in Sabine territory after inheriting some land at a very young age, and may have had some things in common with our Spurius. Spurius seems to have enjoyed his time with Cato as he had this to say of his commander: “of all living commanders not one has shown himself a keener observer or more accurate judge of military valor.”

A brutal campaign saw the Romans tear up and down southeast Spain, winning battles and destroying towns. Throughout this, Spurius was likely promoted through the Centurion ranks of the Hastati, starting from the 10^th maniple until he reached the post of centurion of the 1^st maniple, the best of the Hastati.

After Roman Spain was pacified, Spurius again volunteered to fight the Seleucids in Greece. Like the Spartans centuries before, the Seleucid army under Antiochus the Great prepared to meet the larger Roman army in the narrow pass of Thermopylae.

Centurions were Supposed to Lead from the Front and Often Died Trying

Here Spurius, now a centurion of the second-line Princeps, attacked the Seleucids head-on while more Romans used the now well-known goat path to hit the army from multiple sides, winning a decisive victory. Here it is important to note the astounding skill and luck that Spurius must have possessed. Centurions were seen as leaders and expected to be examples of bravery and martial skill to their men.

Infantry rotated frequently to keep fresh troops on the front, but Centurions rarely stepped far away from the action and were often in the thick of the fighting to inspire their men. The death rate for centurions was staggering, even for those in the Princeps.

Centurions could be appointed by superiors or voted into position by their peers, Spurius could have been prompted both ways through his career. Centurions also had to be able to read, so we can assume that Spurius was literate, or got literate just two years into his service. This would be a rare ability among small farmers.

Despite this, Spurius survived and thrived as a centurion. At Thermopylae, the Romans won an easy and complete victory. From there Spurius headed back to Italy and disbanded. He didn’t rest long before going out to Spain again.

Off to Spain Again

Under Consul Flaccus, the Romans faced Celtiberians in Spain. Celtiberians were, unsurprisingly, a blend of Celtic and Iberian (Spain/Portugal) cultures, and were well known as some of the best fighters of the Western Mediterranean. In one battle, Flaccus was able to lure a huge force of Celtiberians into the attack before a reinforcing army approached from the Celtiberian rear, annihilating them.

Spurius was a major part of this battle, having to lead and cooperate with an allied army to complete the encirclement of the enemy. Experienced centurions were crucial to the mobility and adaptable tactics of the Roman army, many times they were given general orders with the expectation that they would change tactics whenever they saw better options.

When Flaccus and his army were marching through a pass to the coast to be replaced by the incoming Gracchus and his army, the Celtiberians launched a massive ambush. The Romans faced complete destruction approaching the scale of the Teutoburg disaster many years later. A Celtiberian infantry wedge punched deep into the surrounded Roman formation, but fierce and unyielding fighting won the day for the Romans. The Celtiberians lost 20,000 men in their failed ambush and Spurius was likely promoted again.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

The Triumph and Return to Spain

After this battle, Spurius participated in a well-deserved triumph under Flaccus. Not everyone got to take part in triumphs, so this was a great honor for Spurius. The legions in Spain threatened mutiny multiple times over the bad conditions and the length of their service. Spurius wasn’t likely one of the mutineers as he quickly returned to Spain to fight under Praetor Gracchus.

Here Spurius and the legions took the strong city of Munda by an unexpected night assault, something unthinkable without trust between a commander and his officers. In contrast with Spurius’ early campaign with Cato, Gracchus’ campaign had a few large battles a city assaults that were widely advertised to get other towns to surrender.

Though we don’t have many official names for these battles, they were still fought, with Spurius encouraging his men to victory. By the end of Gracchus’ campaign, much of southeast Spain was again under Roman control, this time with a firmer and more respected peace.

Spurius again rose through the ranks, being promoted to the first centurion of the triarii. The triarii were the rear line of the Roman legion composed of the richest, oldest and most veteran fighters. Spurius certainly wasn’t among the richest, but was undoubtedly among the most veteran of the triarii. Being the first spear (centurion of the 1^st maniple of the triarii) was about the highest honor a lowborn/poor soldier could attain.

After this campaign, Spurius returned to his farm once again, this time in his 50s. In the brief periods between campaigns, he was able to find a wife and have multiple children. His small farm never faltered. Next, Spurius is seen making a plea to the Consuls of 171 BCE. Here he is giving a report of his military service and accomplishments in hope of a high-ranking position for the next campaign.

How We Know Spurius’ Story

It is this speech that the historian Livy recorded that gives us all the data we have on Spurius Ligustinus. After his speech, the Consuls heartily thanked Spurius for his service and awarded him the rank of first spear centurion of the triarii.

A grizzled veteran, we can assume that Spurius fought in the decisive battle of Pydna against the Macedonians, again in Greece. We have no record, but we can assume that Spurius survived and was able to finally settle down with his family and tend his fields. The next major wars occurred as Spurius would have been in his 70s, so a continuation of service was unlikely.

It’s a shame that we don’t know how and where Spurius won his awards, but we know that he must have won them. A soldier wouldn’t dare lie to Consuls about military awards. Spurius Ligustinus won the coveted Civic Crown 6 times during his campaigns. The only men who may have won the award more times fought in the age of Roman kings, a time known for embellished or outright mythical tales.

One of the Greatest Individual Soldiers Rome Ever Saw

His Civic Crowns directly point to his ability as a centurion as well. Centurions were the experienced men expected to lead the men to victory but also keep them alive. At least 6 times, Spurius saved the life of one of the men under his command and held the ground, killing the enemy and any other challengers. He must have been truly loved and respected by the men he led so many to give testimony for each of his awarded crowns.

Few men served in as many campaigns as Spurius until the time of Caesar, and even then, there was a degree of rotation of the troops so few men actually served into their 50s and still signed up for more. Spurius won Rome’s highest honors practically every time he went on campaign, and was a centurion just two years into his service.

He was awarded 34 other medals for bravery as well. Though we hear him reciting his service record, he was still likely very famous throughout Rome. As mentioned, the Romans loved their military awards, and having 6 Civic Crowns would make him one of the most respected men in the republic.

A winner of the Civic Crown could wear it at any point and everyone in a room, senators included, was expected to stand out of respect. The best seats at the circus or arena were saved for such heroes too. It was not considered at all boastful to hang every single award in the most prominent area of a home either. 40 total medals might have had Spurius make an addition to his cottage to make room.

The Consul Cincinnatus was a legendary figure in Roman history. In a time of crisis in his retirement, Cincinnatus accepted the position of dictator to lead Roman forces to victory. When all was said and done, he relinquished his power and went back to his fields.

Spurius Ligustinus would have been similarly legendary for he was undeniably famous, but simply returned dutifully to his farm after every campaign before signing up for the next one. This humble sense of duty would get lost as Rome moved onto the path of an Empire and people grabbed power when they could. For Livy, who lived through the dictatorship of Caesar and saw the squabble of power that led to the creation of an Empire, Spurius Ligustinus was an example of the good old days of Roman virtue.

<< Previous