A tropaion (, ), from which the English word "

trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

" is derived, was a monument erected to commemorate a victory over one's foes by the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

and later, by the Romans. The

armour Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

of the defeated foe would be hung upon the monument. Originally, the location of the monument was the battlefield where the commemorated victory took place. Initially, the typical monument was constructed out of a living tree with lateral branches, or it was constructed in the shape of one. After construction, the ''tropaion'' was dedicated to a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

in thanksgiving for the victory. Some images of tropaion show many weapons and shields heaped below the armor hoisted upon the monument. In later times, pairs of lances, banners, or stakes set crosswise might be used instead of the tree format.

Greece

In the Greek

city-states A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

of the Archaic period, a ''tropaion'' would be set up on the battlefield itself, usually at the site of the "turning point" (Gk. ''tropê'') at which the routed enemy's

phalanx The phalanx (: phalanxes or phalanges) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar polearms tightly packed together. The term is particularly used t ...

broke, turned, and ran. The monument would be dressed in the typical

hoplite Hoplites ( ) ( ) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the sold ...

panoply of the period, including (at different times), a

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

cuirass A cuirass ( ; ; ) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The term probably originates from the original material, leather, from the Old French word and the Latin word . The us ...

(either of

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 ...

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

), and a number of

shields A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

, etc., would be piled about the base. It remained on the battlefield until the campaigns of the following seasons (since battles often were fought in the same, relatively few plains amid Greece's numerous mountains), whereupon it might be replaced with a new trophy. During later eras in the Greek world, intention to build a ''tropaia'' might be declared at the battlefield, but in fact, erected at pan-Hellenic sanctuaries such as Olympia or

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

, further increasing the prestige of the victorious state. The significance of the monument was a ritualistic notification of "victory" to the defeated enemies. Since warfare in the Greek world was largely a ritualistic affair in the archaic hoplite-age (see Hanson, ''The Western Way of War'' for further elaboration of this idea), the monument was used to reinforce the

symbolic capital In sociology and anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthr ...

of the victory in the Greek community. Another interpretation of the tropaion is that it was a monument dedicated to the slaughter of the enemy. Key passages describe that the tropaion was the last stage of battle, following the critical rout and chase of the enemy. A critical passage of Thucydides suggests that the tropaion was set up to celebrate the enemy killed in battle. Ancient sources attest to the great deal of significance that early Greek cities placed upon symbols and ritual as linked to warfare – for example, the story in

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

1, involving the bones of

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

that greatly exceeds the ritualistic properties to even magically 'guaranteeing' the

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n victory, displays the same sort of interest in objects and symbols of power as they relate to military success or failure.Herodotus, 1.67

Rome

In Ancient Rome, on the other hand, their ''tropaeum'' probably would ''not'' be set up on the battlefield, but rather, it would be displayed prominently in the city of Rome. During the later years of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

, Romans were less concerned about impressing foreign powers or military rivals than they were in using military success to further their own political careers. A ''tropaeum'' displayed on the battlefield likely could not win votes, but one displayed in the city as part of a triumph could impress the citizens during later elections. Neither did a battlefield display gain desired prestige among competitive nobles. The symbolic effectiveness of the ''tropaeum'' became so well recognized that, in later eras, Romans chose to display sculpted reliefs of them for an enduring record of their victories rather than the fleeting presence of one constructed in the traditional fashion (see image and Tropaeum Traiani).

Gallery

File:Trofeo_delle_Alpi_22.JPG, Tropaeum scene on the Tropaeum Alpium with male on the left and female on the right File:Brutus_by_casca.jpg, A tropaeum upon a tree on this 42 BC Roman coin dedicated to Brutus combines naval imagery File:Caesar_venustrophy3b.jpg, Tropaeum on Roman coin 46-45 BC with male on the left and female on the right File:Roman Trophy.jpg, A Roman tropaeum displayed on crossed stakes inside the

Musei Capitolini The Capitoline Museums () are a group of art and archaeology, archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The historic seats of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, facing ...

courtyard

References

External links

Ancient Roman trophies
on Wikimedia Ancient warfare Victory monuments War trophies

Greece

Rome

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links