Lucius Vorenus
Encyclopedia
Lucius Vorenus was one of the two soldiers of the 11th Legion
(Legio XI Claudia
) mentioned in the personal writings of Julius Caesar
. The other soldier mentioned was Titus Pullo
.
He appears, along with Titus Pullo
, in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico
, Book 5, Chapter 44. The episode describes the two as centurion
s, approaching the first ranks, who shared a bitter personal rivalry. It relates how Pullo charged the enemy (the Nervii
) in the heat of battle. Pullo casts his javelin at one of the enemy from a short distance, but he is simultaneously pierced by a spear and surrounded by other Nervii preventing him from drawing his sword. At this moment, Lucius Vorenus, following Pullo from the fortifications, reached the site of the mêlée, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. After slaying one of the enemy and driving back the rest, Vorenus lost his footing on the irregular terrain. As the Nervii drew closer to him, Pullo came to his rescue. After slaying many of their opponents, the two retreated to the fortifications amidst roaring applause from their comrades in arms.
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
(Legio XI Claudia
Legio XI Claudia
Legio undecima Claudia was a Roman legion. XI Claudia dates back to the two legions recruited by Julius Caesar to invade Gallia in 58 BC, and it existed at least until early 5th century, guarding lower Danube in Durostorum...
) mentioned in the personal writings of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. The other soldier mentioned was Titus Pullo
Titus Pullo
Titus Pullo was one of the two Roman centurions of the 11th Legion mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The other soldier mentioned was Lucius Vorenus; they appear in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book 5, Chapter 44....
.
He appears, along with Titus Pullo
Titus Pullo
Titus Pullo was one of the two Roman centurions of the 11th Legion mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The other soldier mentioned was Lucius Vorenus; they appear in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book 5, Chapter 44....
, in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
, Book 5, Chapter 44. The episode describes the two as centurion
Centurion
A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army .Centurion may also refer to:-Military:* Centurion tank, British battle tank* HMS Centurion, name of several ships and a shore base of the British Royal Navy...
s, approaching the first ranks, who shared a bitter personal rivalry. It relates how Pullo charged the enemy (the Nervii
Nervii
The Nervii were an ancient Germanic tribe, and one of the most powerful Belgic tribes; living in the northeastern hinterlands of Gaul, they were known to trek long distances to engage in various wars and functions...
) in the heat of battle. Pullo casts his javelin at one of the enemy from a short distance, but he is simultaneously pierced by a spear and surrounded by other Nervii preventing him from drawing his sword. At this moment, Lucius Vorenus, following Pullo from the fortifications, reached the site of the mêlée, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. After slaying one of the enemy and driving back the rest, Vorenus lost his footing on the irregular terrain. As the Nervii drew closer to him, Pullo came to his rescue. After slaying many of their opponents, the two retreated to the fortifications amidst roaring applause from their comrades in arms.
Fictional depictions
- Lucius VorenusLucius Vorenus (character of Rome)Lucius Vorenus is a semi-fictional character in the British-Italian-American historical drama television series Rome, a show about the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Played by Scottish actor Kevin McKidd in the series, Lucius Vorenus is introduced as a main character...
is a principal character in the HBOHome Box OfficeHBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
/BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
/RAIRAIRAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
original television series RomeRome (TV series)Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
, played by actor Kevin McKiddKevin McKiddKevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor and director. Before playing the role of Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, McKidd starred as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama series Rome, and provided the voice of Captain John "Soap" Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the sequel...
. The character's name is taken from Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War and is instead depicted as a centurion in the 13th Legion (Legio XIII GeminaLegio XIII GeminaLegio tertia decima Gemina was one of the most prominent Roman legions. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he famously crossed the Rubicon on January 10, 49 BC. The legion appears to have still been in existence in the fifth century...
). - Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are also minor characters in CaesarCaesar (novel)Caesar: Let the Dice Fly is the fifth historical novel in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.-Plot summary:The novel opens in 54 BC, with Caesar in the middle of his epochal Gallic campaigns, having just invaded Britannia...
, the fifth book in Colleen McCulloughColleen McCulloughColleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
's Masters of RomeMasters of RomeMasters of Rome is a series of historical fiction novels by author Colleen McCullough set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeius Magnus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the early...
series. They are shown as centurions, serving under Quintus Cicero, commander of the Ninth Legion (Legio IX Hispana)Legio IX HispanaLegio Nona Hispana was a Roman legion, which operated from the first century BCE until mid 2nd century CE. The Spanish Legion's disappearance has raised speculations over its fate, largely of its alleged destruction in Scotland in about 117 CE, though some scholars believe it was destroyed in the...
. - Vorenus also appears in the Legion tetralogy of the VidessosVidessosVidessos is a series of fantasy novels series by Harry Turtledove.-The Videssos novels:*The Videssos cycle**The Misplaced Legion **An Emperor for the Legion **The Legion of Videssos...
Cycle by Harry TurtledoveHarry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
. The novels recount the adventures of several maniples of Caesar's legions in Gaul that are whisked away by druidDruidA druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
spells to a land of magic loosely based on the Byzantine EmpireByzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. The two companions are fairly faithful to Caesar's portrayal, starting as rival legionaries before rising to centurionCenturionA centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army .Centurion may also refer to:-Military:* Centurion tank, British battle tank* HMS Centurion, name of several ships and a shore base of the British Royal Navy...
rank and becoming fast friends.
External links
- De Bello Gallico: V:XLIV (Latin original)
- The War in Gaul: 5:44 (W. A. MacDevitte's English translation)