The vine staff, vine-staff, or centurion's staff () was a vitis rod of about in length used in the ancient Roman army and Roman navy. It was the mark and tool of the centurion: both as an implement in the direction of drill and maneuvers; and to beat wayward or laggard Legionary or sailors under his command. It was also borne by evocatus who held an equivalent rank.
Origin
The vine staff may have derived from the
Etruscans lituus and was certainly in use by the
Punic Wars. Following the enactment of the
Porcian Laws in the early 2nd century BC, it was the only manner by which
could be beaten and is mentioned by various classical authors. A line in
Ovid notes that "the good general commits the
vitis to one to command one hundred."
[Ovid, Art of Love, III, 527.] Pliny: "The centurion's vine staff is an excellent medicine for sluggish troops who don't want to advance..." "and when used to chastise offenses makes even the punishment respectable." It carried none of the stigma of the whipping (by virgae) suffered by criminals prior to
death penalty or the
(by fustes) endured for severe military offenses.
Tacitus mentions Lucilius, a centurion known as "Gimme Another" ( Cedo Alterum or Alteram) for his tendency to break his vine staffs during beatings;[Tacitus., Annals, Bk. I, Ch. 23, ยง4.] he was one of the first killed during the Pannonian Mutiny.
Generally, however, soldiers were expected to endure their punishments; seizing the vine staff was cause for demotion and breaking it or harming the centurion were offenses punishable by death. Some scholars state the vine staff was the instrument used to beat the Iceni queen Boadicca. St Marcellus the Centurion was martyred after he cast away his vine staff and repudiated his rank.
Description
The vine staff is often featured on
of the 1st through 4th century as a symbol of a centurion's status. These monuments show a variety of forms. During the early
Roman Principate, it was usually straight with a rounded top; it later acquired a mushroom-shaped head, which was continued under the
Byzantine Empire. Less often, it appeared in knotted and sinuous forms. One centurion gave his vine staff to the Temple of Jupiter at Heliopolis (modern
Baalbek) as a
votive offering. It was broken and given to the emperor
Trajan when he inquired of the
oracle of the Heliopolitan Jupiter whether he would survive his upcoming invasion of
Parthia.
See also
-
Pace stick, a similar long stick used in the British and Commonwealth armed forces as a symbol of authority and as an aid to military drill
-
Swagger stick, a similar rod or crop used in the British and American armed services
Citations
Bibliography
