Since before the dawn of the written word, mankind has always cherished leaving behind memorials, inscriptions, trophies, monuments, and other kinds of symbolic instillations and accolades that present lasting honor to heroes and their deeds. Military achievements especially garnered such awards of distinction, with ancient rulers commissioning all sorts of stelae, pillars, arches, reliefs, and plaques to commemorate successful battles and campaigns. Public monuments aside, many people long for more personal and portable mementos and remembrances. One such civilization was Carthage, the greatest Mediterranean rival of the Roman Republic. Carthaginian warriors, as observed by their neighbors, were reportedly awarded arm rings to represent their participation in a military campaign. You could tell a seasoned warrior apart from a greenhorn based on the number of rings they had on their arm. Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE), the famed ancient Greek philosopher and scholar, commented on this, stating, “In some places there are also laws designed to foster military virtue, as at Carthage, where men reputedly receive decorations in the form of armlets to the number of the campaigns in which they have served” (Aristotle, The Politics, Bekker page 1324b). This ancient custom of commemorating and honoring military service and achievements lives on in the persisting modern use of patches, medals, citations, and similar military decorations.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Hannibal crossing the Alps, by Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).
Sources:
- The Politics by Aristotle, translated by T. A. Sinclair and revised by T. J. Saunders. London: Penguin Classics, 1962, 1992.
