On the Military Crowns Awarded after Naulochus

Abstract

The epic naval battle of Naulochus, one of the watersheds in Caesar Octavianus’ rise to the rule of the Roman world, earned the victor, his subordinate commanders and his soldiers many special honours and distinctions. While some of these are well known and have received considerable attention, others remain obscure or have been largely overlooked. This paper seeks to enhance and deepen our understanding of the military crowns awarded respectively to M. Vipsanius Agrippa (cos. 37, 28, 27) and all those who took part in the fighting at Naulochus: namely the corona naualis (naval crown) and the corona oleaginea (olive crown). A careful reappraisal of both awards suggests that the modalities of conferral, as well as the particular usage of both decorations, represent notable, if calculated, departures from republican practice, accounting for striking examples of the novelties that marked the civil wars following the assassination of C. Iulius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44. As a corollary, the analysis highlights a distinctive but hitherto widely ignored feature of the ovation (also known as the lesser triumph) and enhances our appreciation of the origins of the Augustan ornamenta triumphalia. This leads to reflections upon the wider historical significance of the honours of 36 as milestones on the road to the so-called Augustan Principate and early indicators of some of the hallmarks of Augustan autocratic statecraft.