Spolia opima

Imagine being on a playground and finding a really cool toy that another kid has. You think it's awesome and you want to keep it for yourself. That's kind of what spolia opima means.

Spolia opima were objects taken from an enemy during a battle by a victorious commander. These objects could be anything from weapons, armor, or even the defeated leader's personal belongings. It was like a prize for winning the fight.

Now, spolia opima was pretty rare. It would only happen if a commander defeated the enemy leader in single combat. That means both leaders would fight each other one-on-one until one of them was defeated. If the victorious leader won in this way, then they were allowed to take the spolia opima as a prize.

So basically, spolia opima was something really special that only happened in very specific circumstances. But when it did happen, it was a big deal and a way for the victorious commander to show off their power and dominance on the playground... I mean battlefield.