An aquila eagle pendant in silver 3D print model

Gold9: 10.16 g Gold14: 11.93 g Gold18: 13.69 g Platinum: 18.91 g Silver: 9.19 g

An aquila (Classical Latin: [ˈakᶣɪla], eagle) was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion. A legionary known as an aquilifer, the eagle-bearer, carried this standard. Each legion carried one eagle.

The eagle had quasi-religious importance to the Roman soldier, far beyond being merely a symbol of his legion. To lose a standard was extremely grave, and the Roman military went to great lengths both to protect a standard and to recover it if it were lost; after the annihilation of three legions in the Teutoburg Forest, the Romans spent decades retaliating for the defeat while also attempting to recover the three lost eagles.

No legionary eagles are known to have survived. However, other Roman eagles, either symbolizing imperial rule or used as funerary emblems, have been discovered.