Tropaion A tropaion ( , ) , whence English " trophy " is an ancient Greek and later Roman monument set up to commemorate a victory over one ' s foes . Typically this takes the shape of a tree , sometimes with a pair of arm - like branches ( or , in later times , a pair of stakes set crosswise ) upon which is hung the armour of a defeated and dead foe . The " tropaion " is then dedicated to a god in thanksgiving for the victory . Greece . In the Greek city - states of the Archaic period , the " tropaion " would be set up on the battlefield itself , usually at the site of the " turning point " ( Gk . " tropê " ) at which the routed enemy ' s phalanx broke , turned and ran . It would be dressed in the typical hoplite panoply of the period , including ( at different times ) , a helmet , cuirass ( either of bronze or linen ) , and a number of shields , etc . , would be piled about the base . It remained on the battlefield until the following season ' s campaigns ( since battles were often fought in the same , relatively few plains amid Greece ' s numerous mountains ) , where it might be replaced with a new trophy . In later eras in the Greek world , these " tropaia " might be vowed at the battle - site , but in fact erected at pan - Hellenic sanctuaries such as Olympia or Delphi to further increase the prestige of the victorious state . The significance of the monument is a ritualistic notification of " victory " to the defeated enemies . Since warfare in the Greek world was largely a ritualistic affair in the archaic hoplite - age ( see Hanson , " The Western Way of War " for further elaboration of this idea ) , the monument is used to reinforce the symbolic capital of the victory in the Greek community . Ancient sources attest to the great deal of significance that early Greek cities placed upon symbols and ritual as linked to warfare — the story involving the bones of Orestes , for example , in Herodotus 1 which go beyond the ritualistic properties to even magically ' guaranteeing ' the Spartan victory , displays the same sort of interest in objects and symbols of power as they relate to military success or failure . Rome . The " tropaeum " in Rome , on the other hand , would probably " not " be set up on the battle - site itself , but rather displayed prominently in the city of Rome . Romans were less concerned about impressing foreign powers or military rivals than they were in using military success to further their own political careers inside the city , especially during the later years of the Republic . A " tropaeum " displayed on the battlefield does not win votes , but one brought back and displayed as part of a triumph can impress the citizens ( who might then vote in future elections in favor of the conqueror ) or the nobles ( with whom most aristocratic Romans of the Republican period were in a constant struggle for prestige ) . The symbolism of the " tropaeum " became so well known that in later eras , Romans began to simply display images of them upon sculpted reliefs ( see image and Tropaeum Traiani ) , to leave a permanent trace of the victory in question rather than the temporary monument of the " tropaeum " itself . Paleontological Note . The name " Tropaeum " was neoclassically applied by paleontologist James De Carle Sowerby in 1837 to certain ammonite fossils dating from the Cretaceous Period . His genus name " Tropaeum " remains in use to this day .