A phalera was a sculpted disk, usually made of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

, and worn on the

breastplate A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. European In medieval weaponry, the breastplate is the front portion of plate armour covering th ...

during parades by Roman soldiers who had been awarded it as a kind of

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

. Roman military units could also be awarded phalerae for distinguished conduct in action. These awards were often mounted on the staffs of the unit's standards. The term also refers to disks crafted by the continental Celts for religious and ornamental purposes, especially those used on equestrian gear. File:Phaleratus.jpg, A soldier with seven phalerae File:Lauersforter Phalerae Museum Burg Linn.jpg, Lauersfort Phalera, Burg Linn Museum Center, Krefeld, Germany File:Cohort standards with phallerae.jpg, Roman military unit standards with phalerae File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Rider from Lupu Dacian Silver Hoard.JPG, Circular Dacian phalera having the representation of a horseman with shield

References

External links

{{Commonscatinline
Roman Military Equipment – Military Awards and Decorations
Military awards and decorations of ancient Rome

See also

References

External links