Legio X Equestris – Epic Roman Music

Aulos by @stefanoskrasopoulis, bagpipe by @Dimitrios_Dallas, vocals, lyre, pan flute and mantouraki by Farya Faraji, lyrics by Giuseppe Régimbeau, based on Greek Aegean island dance melodies.

The Epic Roman Music series aims to reshape public perceptions of how Ancient Rome is imagined sonically, moving toward a more accurate representation which uses their instrumentation and repertoire of modes. While I also maintain a separate series dedicated to historically informed approximations of Roman music, the Epic Roman Series approaches the question through an ethnomusicological methodology. The living traditions of the modern Balkans preserve sound worlds closer to what we can plausibly imagine for ancient Roman music than the cinematic conventions of film soundtracks. Thus, we can explore the unavoidable gaps in our limited knowledge of Roman music through living musical practices preserved in the Balkans. This allows the attested sounds of their instruments and modal languages to be heard in a culturally realistic way, while remaining distinct from modern cinematic soundscapes.

Legio X Equestris (Tenth Legion of Cavalry) was the elite legion personally raised and favored by Julius Caesar in 58 BCE. It served as his most trusted unit during the Gallic Wars, often acting as his battlefield reserve and shock force. The title Equestris (mounted) came from a notable episode in which Caesar temporarily mounted legionaries on horses, reportedly to match the prestige of Germanic cavalry during diplomatic encounters, highlighting the legion’s exceptional status and versatility.

Lyrics:
Scūta conserta,
Stāte, virī!
Ad arma, frātrēs!
Víncere aut morī!

Caesaris virī sumus!
Decimānī sumus!
Caesaris virī sumus!
Decimānī sumus!

Scūta conserta,
Stāte, virī!
Ad arma, frātrēs!
Víncere aut morī!

Tēla parāta!Pugnāte, virī!In hostēs, frātrēs!Vincere aut cadere!
Rōmae mīlitēs sumus!Invictī sumus!Rōmae mīlitēs sumus!Invictī sumus!

Veneris virī
Alesiam,
Victōrēs!
Galliae domitōrēs

Decimēmur, sī Caesari dēsumus

Veneris virī
Alesiam,
Victōrēs!
Galliae domitōrēs

English translation:
Shields locked,
Stand firm, men,
To arms, brothers,
Conquer or die.

We are Caesar’s men,
We are the Tenth,
We are Caesar’s men,
We are the Tenth,

Weapons ready,
Fight, men,
Against the enemy, brothers,
Vanquish or fall,

We are soldiers of Rome!
We are unconquered!
We are soldiers of Rome!
We are unconquered!

The men of Venus,
Victors at Alesia,
Subduers of Gaul!

May we be decimated,
If we fail Caesar!

Video Source