The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

named from‘stripoff’(exuere), because they are stripped
from bodies. And booty-shares (pars)aresocalled from
the equitable (par) divisionofspoilsaccordingtothe
rank of the person and a fair judgment of their efforts.
The word ‘spoils’ (spolia) itselfisfrom‘garments’(pallium),
as if the word were expallia (i.e. “unclothings”),
for they are stripped away from the vanquished.
iii. Military standards (De signis) 1.Military standards
(signum) aresocalledbecauseanarmyreceivesfrom
them its signal for retreat both in the course of fighting
and in the case of victory, for an army is ordered either
by the sound of a trumpet or by a signal flag. The major
standards of the legions are eagles, dragons, and orbs.
2. Eagles, because that bird was auspicious in Jupiter’s
combats, for when Jupiter set out against the Titans,
people say an eagle appeared as a good omen for him.
Fortunate in its protection, and taking it as a sign of
victory, Jupiter made the eagle the emblem for a legion.
Hence it came about that it was afterwards employed in
military standards. Lucan recalls this, saying (Civil War
1.7):
Standards (against standards), eagles matching eagles,
and javelins threatening javelins.
3. Thestandard of dragons originated in the killing of
the serpent Python by Apollo. Hence they began to be
carried in battle by Greeks and Romans. 4. Augustus is
said to have established the orb (pila) asastandard –
because the nations of the whole globe (orbis)weresubjected
to him – so that he might the more display the
figure of the globe (orbis).
5.Abanner(vexillum)isalso a battle-sign, having its
name drawn from the diminutive of ‘sail’ (velum), as
if it were velxillum. Under Romulus, soldiers had small
bundles of hay for their banners; hence their companies
were called manipuli,for we give this name to bundles of
hay that ‘fill the hand’ (manum implere). According to
military custom there are other signs that display diverse
images by which an army recognizes itself in the tumult
of battle.
iv. War-trumpets (De bucinis) 1. A war-trumpet
(bucina) isthe means by which a signal is given to go
against an enemy, so called from its ‘sound’ (vox, gen.
vocis), as if it were vocina –for villagers and country
The Etymologies XVIII.iii.1–iv.5 361
people on every occasion used to be called together to
their meeting place by a war-trumpet; properly therefore
this signal was for country people. About this, Propertius
(cf. Elegies 4.1.13):
The war-trumpet (bucina) drove the ancient Quirites to
arms.
Its clangor is called a ‘blare’ (bucinum). 2. TheTyrrhenians
first invented the trumpet (tuba), whence [also]
Vergil (Aen. 8.526):
The Tyrrhenian clangor of the trumpet (tuba) blasted
through the air.
This trumpet was conceived of by Tyrrhenian pirates,
when, scattered along the seashore, they were not easily
called together byvoiceorbucina to each opportunity
for booty, especially with the wind roaring. 3. Hence
afterwards in battles it was used for announcing military
signals so that, where a herald could not be heard amid
the tumult, the sound of a blaring trumpet (tuba)would
reach. It is called tuba as if it were tofa, that is, hollow.
Again, tuba, asifitweretibia (“flute”).
4.The ancients distinguished between trumpet (tuba)
and war-trumpet (bucina), for a sounding war-trumpet
would announce alarm about approaching war – Vergil
(Aen. 7.519):
With which the dire war-trumpet gave its signal.
But they would signal a battle under way with the trumpet,
as (Vergil, Aen. 9.503):
But the trumpet (sounded) its terrible sound.
The sounding of the trumpet varies: sometimes it sounds
for battle to be joined, sometimes to chase the fleeing
enemy, sometimes for retreat. A retreat (receptus)
is the name of the maneuver by which an army regroups
(recipere), whence the expression ‘to sound the signal
for retreat.’ 5. Classica are horns made in order to call
people together, and they were called classica from ‘call
together’ (calare). About these, Vergil (Aen. 7.637):
And now the classica sound.
However, among the Amazons the army is not called by
atrumpet, as armies that are called by kings, but their
army of women is called together by the queen with a
sistrum.