The Story of the Barritus

Do you feel like the America you live in now is different than the one you grew up with?  Keep that question in your thoughts as you continue reading.

The story of the Barritus comes from the 4th century AD. Unlike the early Greeks who marched to the cadence of music, it was the Roman custom to march in silence.  Before the battle, the Romans would unleash a roar in unison, striking fear into the hearts of their enemy. 

This war cry was called the Barritus.  We don’t know how it sounded, but Tacitus tells us it began as a “harsh, intermittent roar.”  By holding their shields to their mouth, the reverberating sound would swell into a deafening crescendo, like waves smashing into the rocky shore.

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