Archive for the ‘Ancient Rome’ Category
By: The Scribe on April, 2011
One thing that the Romans never seemed to learn was the principle of choosing your friends carefully. Throughout Roman history, there were a number of cases of former allies rising up and fighting against both the Republic and the Empire. One of the most notable was the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which a collection of Germanic tribes fought back against Roman soldiers and managed to slaughter several legions’ worth of troops. What made this battle worse was the fact that Arminius, leader of the Germanic forces, had actually been made a Roman soldier and a minor noble. You would think that Rome would have learned from this mistake but alas, it apparently did not.
The year was 378 CE. Two years prior, in 376 CE, the Roman Emperor Valens had thought he would do a good thing by allowing Goth tribesmen to settle in Roman territory. Oh sure, the Goths had fought against the Romans in the past, but surely by giving them land, they would earn the appreciation of these tribes and be safe from any further attack, right? Wrong. Ultimately, the Goths would overrun Rome and lead to the downfall of the entire Roman Empire.
One could argue that the Romans brought it on themselves. Things may have turned out very different for both Rome and the Goths if the provincial commanders hadn’t shown themselves to be completely dishonest. The Goths found life in their new territories to be incredibly harsh and finally they had enough. They revolted and fought against the Romans in the running battles that tribesmen tend to be good at and Roman legionaries tend to have problems with.
The Goths again asked for land. This time the Goths were denied which set things in motion and which would ultimately lead to the Battle of Adrianople. It is not totally certain how many troops were fighting on behalf of Rome but it is estimated that Roman troops and allies totaled a maximum of about 45,000 soldiers. They were veterans but when faced with 50,000 Gothic cavalry and between 12,000-and 15,000 other troops as well. These were not good odds for the Romans.
On August 9th, 378 CE, the Romans and the Goths squared off. The Goths had been 
camped on top of a hill near Adrianople. The Romans had to march for seven hours in order to reach the field of battle and the terrain was incredibly difficult to move through. Because the Gothic cavalry wasn’t there at the beginning, the Romans were overeager and attacked before they were ordered to. Suddenly, the Gothic cavalry returned, surrounded the Roman troops and massacred them.
In the end, Valens was abandoned by the troops who were supposed to guard him. It is believed that he was killed on the field of battle although it is not certain that this is what happened. In the end, many experienced officers and troops were killed in the battle and this may have led to the eventual downfall of the Roman Empire as a whole. Suddenly the Goths went from being thought of as disorganized rabble to a dangerous adversary that could destroy Rome totally.
By: The Scribe on April, 2011
One thing that the Roman army was known for was its’ power. Many people thought that the Roman army with its’ strict organization, structure and equipment was virtually unstoppable. There were times that the Roman soldiers were defeated by the enemies that they faced. One battle that goes down as a spectacular failure on the part of the Romans was the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
The Teutoburg Forest is located in what is now known as Germany. The terrain is made up of low mountains and the area is divided into two different portions by a valley. In 9 CE, the terrain was ruled by Germanic tribes that had formed an alliance against the Romans. The Germanic forces were led by Arminius. He was chieftain of the Cherusci and lived from 18 BCE to 21 CE. Arminius was actually able to achieve Roman citizenship during his lifetime but he chose to return to Germania and worked to drive the Romans out of the area. He became a symbol of the Germanic fight against Rome.
The Romans were led by Publius Quinctilius Varus who lived from, 46 BCE to 9 CE. Varus had a political career that saw him holding positions such as consul junior as well as governor of Africa and Syria. In Syria, he led four legions and was known for being a harsh ruler. He occupied Jerusalem and crucified approximately 2,000 Jewish rebels. He may have been one of the reasons for the strong anti-Roman sentiment that was common in the Judea.
In 9 CE, Varus was stationed near a river in Germania known as the Weser River. He had three legions of troops with him as well as a number of auxiliary troops as well. They were ambushed by Arminius, whom Varus trusted due to Arminius’ Roman citizenship. The terrain in the area was not suited to the fighting style of the Roman legionaries. It was swampy and heavily forested. After three days of fighting, the Romans were overwhelmed by the Germanic troops in an area known as Kalkriese Hill.
The legions were totally defeated. Even soldiers who fled the area were tracked down and
killed. Some were killed in battle while others were burned alive after being placed in cages made of wicker. Others were turned into slaves or were ransomed off. Varus, commander of the Roman forces, committed suicide after it became obvious that the Roman troops were being completely destroyed.
When the dust settled, the Roman troops were shamed by their defeat. They were never able to rule the north or the east of Germany although they did retaliate against the Germanic tribes using eight legions to massacre the people of Germania and to capture the wife and son of Arminius. Arminius escaped capture and ultimately had to deal with inter-tribal conflicts and internal strife. In the end, Arminius was murdered by members of his own tribe.
To this day, the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest is still remembered as one of the worst Roman military defeats in the history of the empire.
By: The Scribe on March, 2011
Although many people tend to concentrate on the men in Roman politics, the women also had an important role to play in many cases. One example of this is Agrippina the Elder, who lived from 14 BCE to 33 CE. She was the granddaughter of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, who was emperor of Rome from 27 BCE to 14 CE. Her links to the Caesars of Rome did not end with Augustus, however.
Agrippina was married to Germanicus, a general in the armies of the Roman Empire. She was also his maternal second cousin. She bore him nine children, although only six lived past childhood. Two of the best known would have to be her son Caligula, who later went on to rule the Empire, and her daughter, the Empress Agrippina the Younger. Many of her children still had important roles to play in the political life of Rome.
Her husband was a popular military leader and was adored by the common citizens in Rome. While Augustus was in power, everything looked good for Agrippina and her husband. She accompanied him on his military campaigns, which was something quite unusual for the time. It was far more normal for a Roman wife to stay at home with the children while her husband was off on campaign. This was something that earned her a reputation for being a very devoted and heroic wife. She also earned the reputation for being a skilled diplomat as well.
Because her husband was a favorite of Augustus, Germanicus was even considered by Augustus as the heir to the empire. If that had taken place, things would likely have turned out very differently for Agrippina. Unfortunately, her husband was passed over for the position and Tiberius was made Emperor instead of Germanicus.
Her husband died during a trip to the Middle East in 19 CE. Agrippina accused Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the man who was then governor of Syria, of poisoning her husband and returned to Italy with his ashes. She continued to be active in the political life of Rome and, over time, Tiberius began to suspect her of disloyalty to him. She was arrested, along with two of her sons, in 29 CE and was banished to the island of Pandataria, which is now known as Ventotene. There, she was flogged by a centurion and lost an eye in the process.
Agrippina eventually starved herself to death in 33 CE. Of her three sons, Drusus also died of starvation while imprisoned, and her son Nero died after his trial in 29 CE. Reports state that he was either murdered or that he committed suicide. Caligula, her remaining son, succeeded Tiberius as emperor of Rome. 
Although Tiberius tried to slander her name and reputation, he did not succeed. She was known for many positive things such as her courage and her devotion to her husband and her children. She also made it far more easy for women to wield power in Roman politics and showed them that women could indeed have a role in making policies that helped to shape the Roman Empire as a whole.
By: The Scribe on March, 2011
Romans often had a very busy religious life. There were many different religious festivals and rites that needed to be observed for well known Roman gods including Vesta, Jupiter and Juno but other than the religious ceremonies, these deities didn’t have much control over the daily lives of regular citizens. That was the responsibility of a collection of different spirits that were believed to reside in and around the home of Roman citizens. It was believed that these invisible spirits had a huge role to play in how harmonious, prosperous and peaceful a Roman home was and that if the spirits were not appeased, things could go very badly indeed.
If a Roman wanted to ensure that they would have enough food in the house, they didn’t go to Juno or Vesta. Instead, a Roman would pray to Panes or Penates. These were earth spirits who also held sway over the pantry and kitchen of a Roman home. They were represented by statuettes that were prayed to daily and which were set out on a table during a meal.
There were several different names for the spirits of dead ancestors. Ancestor worship was a huge part of Roman religious life. When someone’s mother or father died, it was believed that they became one of the Parentes, which were spirits of immediate family members. Parentes could also be the spirits of close relatives who were still living. They were represented by statuettes and it was not unusual for a Roman to take the statuettes of living relatives with them. The statuettes of living relatives were accompanied by fire from a Roman’s own hearth.
The spirits of dead ancestors were believed to live in statuettes as well but these were known as Lares. A Roman family was expected to pray to them daily and make offerings to them at different times during the year. Significant dates such as anniversaries, weddings and birthdays were celebrated by more elaborate rituals.
Moving permanently from one household to another meant that the statuettes which represented the Lares and Panes would also be moved by the family. It was very important to Romans that the spirits were prayed to and worshipped properly. It was believed that if a spirit was not shown the proper respect or if a family forgot to pray to it, it could become wrathful or mischievous. Spirits who became unhappy were known as Lemures. Since the Romans believed that the world around them was full of spirits it was not unusual that they would think some were wrathful or out to do harm to the living.
Romans referred to the spirits of the deceased as Manes. The Manes were worshipped during a festival known as Parentalia. During the festival, sacrifices were made to the Manes. The sacrifices (which usually took the form of flower garlands, wine-soaked bread, wheat and salt) were placed at family tombs and the celebration was considered to be a positive one. However, the evil spirits were also addressed during Feralia, a celebration that marked the end of Parentalia. It was believed that unless Feralia took place, the spirits of the dead would rise from their graves and roam the streets.
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The year was 378 CE. Two years prior, in 376 CE, the Roman Emperor Valens had thought he would do a good thing by allowing Goth tribesmen to settle in Roman territory. Oh sure, the Goths had fought against the Romans in the past, but surely by giving them land, they would earn the appreciation of these tribes and be safe from any further attack, right? Wrong. Ultimately, the Goths would overrun Rome and lead to the downfall of the entire Roman Empire.
camped on top of a hill near Adrianople. The Romans had to march for seven hours in order to reach the field of battle and the terrain was incredibly difficult to move through. Because the Gothic cavalry wasn’t there at the beginning, the Romans were overeager and attacked before they were ordered to. Suddenly, the Gothic cavalry returned, surrounded the Roman troops and massacred them.
