---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The camp offices stood in the centre…"
description: "\"“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the Vth Macedonica and the VIth Fe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg"
---

#  The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine…

![“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the Vth Macedonica and the VIth Ferrata, these buildings were of grey stone, dressed by Gaulish masons to such smoothness that a man could run his hand down them and not feel the…” quote by M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg)

> ““The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the Vth Macedonica and the VIth Ferrata, these buildings were of grey stone, dressed by Gaulish masons to such smoothness that a man could run his hand down them and not feel the joins. The legions’ respective signs of the bull and the eagle had been carved thereon with such pride and perfection that men copied them on their shields and carved them on the bedheads in the barracks. At Raphana, the camp office of the XIIth Fulminata and IVth Scythians before which we dismounted was built of the local baked mud, and some drunkard with a poor eye for detail had etched the Scythians’ sign of the goat and the Fulminata’s crossed thunderbolts together, so that it seemed as if the goat were thunderstruck, or else that lightning grew from its anus. Both applied equally; each was unthinkable in a legion which had any pride in itself.””

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote highlights how even disciplined military units can suffer from careless workmanship, leading to absurd and disrespectful symbols that betray pride.

**In simple terms:** Even proud groups can make sloppy mistakes that ruin their reputation.

Key Takeaway

Pay attention to detail to preserve honor.

Themes

pride craftsmanship military culture

Mood

irritated critical

Type

historical observational

When to use this quote

- building construction
- military insignia
- historical reenactment
- museum curation

Key Concepts

symbolism attention to detail institutional pride

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a small error affect group identity?
- What standards prevent such oversights?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting quality can undermine morale and respect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ancient rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) [Eye for detail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye-for-detail/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers/)

## Related quotes

> [“What of honour? What of courage? What of all the things that bind the legions together?’ He gave a shrug and a nod together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/what-of-honour-what-of-courage-what-of-all-the-things-that-bind-the/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Something snapped in my mind. The noise all around me receded in a wave until all I heard was a distant, throbbing pulse like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/something-snapped-in-my-mind-the-noise-all-around-me-receded-in-a/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“By a series of calculations which need not be here explained, Colonel Cole has concluded that the individual weights carried within the legions were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-a-marshall/by-a-series-of-calculations-which-need-not-be-here-explained-colonel/)

S.L.A. Marshall

> [The man who will go where his colors go, without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in the jungle and mountain range, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach/the-man-who-will-go-where-his-colors-go-without-asking-who-will-fight/)

[T. R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/)

> [“Together they would brave satan and all his legions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/together-they-would-brave-satan-and-all-his-legions/)

[Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/)

> [“Caesar gives his legions free rein to chase women and gamble when they are off duty. “My men fight just as well when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/caesar-gives-his-legions-free-rein-to-chase-women-and-gamble-when/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“we are dealing with a new kind of army altogether, no longer held together in the solidarity of a common citizenship. As that tie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/we-are-dealing-with-a-new-kind-of-army-altogether-no-longer-held/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [The Roman legions were formed in the first instance of citizen soldiers, who yet had been made to submit to a rigid discipline, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-roman-legions-were-formed-in-the-first-instance-of-citizen/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [“Despite their inglorious end, the legions remain to this day, thousands of years after their creation, the most pre-eminent example of how detailed organization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dando-collins/despite-their-inglorious-end-the-legions-remain-to-this-day-thousands/)

Stephen Dando-Collins

> [“The Roman greatness is a proof of the excellence of their legions,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavius-vegetius-renatus/the-roman-greatness-is-a-proof-of-the-excellence-of-their-legions/)

[Flavius Vegetius Renatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavius-vegetius-renatus/)

> [“The long existence of the Roman Empire had everything to do with the legions. While the legions were strong, Rome was strong. Conversely, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dando-collins/the-long-existence-of-the-roman-empire-had-everything-to-do-with-the/)

Stephen Dando-Collins

> [Quintilius Varus, Give me back my legions!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus/quintilius-varus-give-me-back-my-legions/)

[Augustus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus/)

> [Legions and fleets are not such sure bulwarks of imperial power as a numerous family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/legions-and-fleets-are-not-such-sure-bulwarks-of-imperial-power-as-a/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [“We are the legions of hope. We are his hands and feet. We are the chosen. Gifted by Grace, Gifted to serve. Called out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-holdsworth/we-are-the-legions-of-hope-we-are-his-hands-and-feet-we-are-the/)

[David Holdsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-holdsworth/)

> [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/)

[Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/)

## More by M.C. Scott

> [“Governor Paetus...’ Lupus closed his eyes that we might not read the rage in them. ‘Governor Paetus has informed us that he will return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/governor-paetus-lupus-closed-his-eyes-that-we-might-not-read-the-rage/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“It would have been easy to ask, then, ‘What of this Eagle?’, to have wheedled out of them all they knew: where it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/it-would-have-been-easy-to-ask-then-what-of-this-eagle-to-have/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“The dying go so swiftly at the end. Always the speed of their leaving catches me unawares; so much left to say, to promise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-dying-go-so-swiftly-at-the-end-always-the-speed-of-their-leaving/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Tell me we’re not going to be stoking up the cook fires to build palisades through the night by their light.’ I stood, turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/tell-me-we-re-not-going-to-be-stoking-up-the-cook-fires-to-build/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of horse-traders counted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/he-bared-thick-teeth-i-am-zacchariah-my-price-will-be-right-you-show/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“The mare on which the traitor had been seated at the time of his death was, obviously, no longer considered the best horse in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-mare-on-which-the-traitor-had-been-seated-at-the-time-of-his/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Three old men with moon-silver hair and slow, ponderous movement took him in their arms and laid him on a marble slab and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/three-old-men-with-moon-silver-hair-and-slow-ponderous-movement-took/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“So we left the spear in the wagon and I dressed and still was not sick and together we walked to the head of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/so-we-left-the-spear-in-the-wagon-and-i-dressed-and-still-was-not/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“We broke camp together and set off in our opposite directions: we of the XIIth and our allies marched east, towards the rising sun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/we-broke-camp-together-and-set-off-in-our-opposite-directions-we-of/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“He is wounded, but he is still the Leopard, still dangerous. His eyes look through you, until they don’t. That’s when he’ll kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/he-is-wounded-but-he-is-still-the-leopard-still-dangerous-his-eyes/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“What of honour? What of courage? What of all the things that bind the legions together?’ He gave a shrug and a nod together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/what-of-honour-what-of-courage-what-of-all-the-things-that-bind-the/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Silvanus, the camp prefect, took a step forward. I heard his voice every morning after parade, but had never listened to the tones of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/silvanus-the-camp-prefect-took-a-step-forward-i-heard-his-voice-every/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“In the centre of our line, eighty paces to my left, I felt Cadus raise his hand; I did not need to look. ‘Sound,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/in-the-centre-of-our-line-eighty-paces-to-my-left-i-felt-cadus-raise/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“I nursed that flame as if it were my only son, and all round the ram nineteen other men did likewise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/i-nursed-that-flame-as-if-it-were-my-only-son-and-all-round-the-ram/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-snow-and-ice-and-high-blue/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

[Explore all 37 M.C. Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

## More Ancient rome quotes

> [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/)

[Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/)

> [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Governor Paetus...’ Lupus closed his eyes that we might not read the rage in them. ‘Governor Paetus has informed us that he will return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/governor-paetus-lupus-closed-his-eyes-that-we-might-not-read-the-rage/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [“Cum dignitate otium”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/cum-dignitate-otium/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/)

S.F. Chandler

> [From food trucks to hot dog stands to county fair favorites, 'street food' has enjoyed a rich and storied history in American cuisine. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/from-food-trucks-to-hot-dog-stands-to-county-fair-favorites-street/)

[Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/)

> [“The hermit, without access to the news of the day, owes it to himself to be up to date on the doings of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-tesson/the-hermit-without-access-to-the-news-of-the-day-owes-it-to-himself/)

[Sylvain Tesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-tesson/)

> [“Marcus woke again to find Sanga lying asleep on his bed, and he quietly climbed off his own mattress, standing still for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/marcus-woke-again-to-find-sanga-lying-asleep-on-his-bed-and-he/)

[Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/)

> [If we were living in ancient Rome or Greece, I would be considered sickly and unattractive. The times dictate that thin is better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/if-we-were-living-in-ancient-rome-or-greece-i-would-be-considered/)

[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/)

> [“Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men were ready for a forced march, none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/)

[Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/)

> [“It would have been easy to ask, then, ‘What of this Eagle?’, to have wheedled out of them all they knew: where it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/it-would-have-been-easy-to-ask-then-what-of-this-eagle-to-have/)

[M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/)

> [ “My tongue tasted like a gladiator's jockstrap \[Marcus Corvinus after a night out\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wishart/my-tongue-tasted-like-a-gladiator-s-jockstrap-marcus-corvinus-after-a/)

David Wishart

> [I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/i-write-about-times-and-places-i-would-visit-in-a-time-machine-like/)

[Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/)

> [I was born in England and went to school there. That's when I discovered my undying passion for history - not just for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-henley/i-was-born-in-england-and-went-to-school-there-that-s-when-i/)

[Virginia Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-henley/)

> [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

[Browse all 142 Ancient rome quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the Vth Macedonica and the VIth Ferrata, these buildings were of grey stone, dressed by Gaulish masons to such smoothness that a man could run his hand down them and not feel the joins. The legions’ respective signs of the bull and the eagle had been carved thereon with such pride and perfection that men copied them on their shields and carved them on the bedheads in the barracks. At Raphana, the camp office of the XIIth Fulminata and IVth Scythians before which we dismounted was built of the local baked mud, and some drunkard with a poor eye for detail had etched the Scythians’ sign of the goat and the Fulminata’s crossed thunderbolts together, so that it seemed as if the goat were thunderstruck, or else that lightning grew from its anus. Both applied equally; each was unthinkable in a legion which had any pride in itself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "M.C. Scott"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adjoining-the-shrine-to-jupiter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ancient rome"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adjoining-the-shrine-to-jupiter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adj_1183420.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the…” — M.C. Scott",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "M.C. Scott",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The camp offices stood in the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adjoining-the-shrine-to-jupiter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adjoining-the-shrine-to-jupiter/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
