Battle of the Allia

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Battle of the Allia
Part of Roman-Gaulish Wars
Date 18 July 390 BC (traditional), 387 (probable)
Location Allia River, near Rome
Result Gallic victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic Gauls
Commanders
Quintus Sulpicius Brennus
Strength
around 24,000 15,000
 
Roman-Gaulish Wars
Allia River - Arretium – Lake Vadimo – Faesulae – Telamon – Clastidium - Cremona – Mutina

The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. The battle was fought near the Allia river: the defeat of the Roman army opened the route for the Gauls to sack Rome. It was fought in 390/387 BC.

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[edit] Background

Prior to the battle, the Gauls invaded the Etruscan province of Siena and attacked the town of Clusium. The Clusians, overwhelmed by the size of the enemy in numbers and ferocity, called on Rome for help, though they were not allies or friends. Rome, weakened by recent wars, sent a delegation to investigate the situation. Negotiations broke down, resulting in Quintus Fabius, a member of a powerful patrician family, killing one of the Gallic leaders. The Gauls demanded the Fabians be handed over to them for justice. However, the defiant Romans not only refused, but, as Livy writes, "those who ought to have been punished were instead appointed for the coming year military tribunes with consular powers (the highest that could be granted)." The enraged Gauls promised war against the Romans to avenge the insult that they had been dealt, resulting in the Battle of the Allia and the subsequent siege of Rome itself.

[edit] Roman disaster

According to the common (but incorrect) Varronian chronology, the battle took place on July 18, 390 BC, but a more plausible date is 387. About 24,000 Romans under Quintus Sulpicius fought against the Senones, a Gallic tribe who were about equal in number, under Brennus. The Romans, with six legions, took post on the Allia to check the advance of the Senones on Rome. In those days, a legion counted 4200 men, but was rarely fully manned. The Roman army was at this time a militia and very similar to a Greek phalanx battle line, with heavy hoplites in the centre (representing the richer Roman citizens) and extending to flanks with poorer and poorly armed conscripts (every soldier was required to supply his own equipment). When the Gauls attacked, the Roman flanks were routed leaving the Roman centre to be surrounded and slaughtered. Many of Rome's older citizens made up this centre and they would be sorely missed in the coming calamity.

The remnants of the legions fled back to Rome in panic; as Livy states, "all hastened to Rome and took refuge in the Capitol without closing the gates." In Rome the citizens barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill. The Gauls unsuccessfully tried a full frontal assault, pausing half way up the hill and due to the Romans' quick thinking, and a direct charge later, they paid dearly and lost many lives. At this point, the Roman soldiers in Veii needed to get a message to the Senate in order to reinstate Marcus Furius Camillus as the dictator and general, and so a messenger climbed a steep cliff the Gauls had neglected to guard. The messenger left with the Senate's approval, but the Gauls noticed this path onto the hill. According to legend Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was alerted to the Gallic attack by the sacred geese of Juno. The rest of the city was plundered and almost all Roman records were destroyed. As a result, all Roman history prior to this date is perhaps more legend than fact. Marcus Furius Camillus may have arrived with a relief army, but this may be Roman propaganda to help quell the humiliation of defeat. The Gauls may have been ill-prepared for the siege, as an epidemic broke out among them as a result of not burying the dead. Brennus and the Romans negotiated an end to the siege when the Romans agreed to pay one thousand pounds in gold.

According to tradition, to add insult to injury, it was discovered that Brennus was using heavier weights than standard for weighing the gold. When the Romans complained, Brennus is said to have exclaimed "vae victis" - "woe to the vanquished". It was in this very moment that Camillus arrived with a Roman army and, after putting his sword on the steelyard, replied, "Not gold, but steel redeems the native land," thus attacking the Gauls. A battle ensued in the streets of Rome, but neither army could fight effectively in the narrow streets and alleyways. The Gallic and Roman armies left the city and fought the next day. Camillus' army lived up to his hopes and the Gallic army was routed.

The Romans dubbed Camillus a "second Romulus," a second founder of Rome. The military system that resulted remained the basis of all Roman armies for the next few centuries, as well as the instrument that made possible the Roman Empire.

[edit] Recovery and reform

It is conjectured that there was no effective wall around the larger city prior to the siege because Rome's earlier Etruscan rulers may have forced the Romans to dismantle significant defences. As a result of the siege and near total destruction of Rome, Rome built the much stronger Servian Wall.

The Romans also began restructuring their military organization: They ceased using the Greek phalanx style spear and adopted better and more standardized armour and weapons.

Later, after Roman defeats in the second Samnite War, recognizing the need for flexibility, the legion was reorganized into three main lines of soldiers: the hastati in front, the principes in the middle, and the triarii in the rear. Men who had been fighting in the legion for up to two years would fight in the Velites rank in the far front, throwing javelins at the enemy and then retreating. Men with more experience would fight in the next two ranks armed with short swords and a shield. Finally the older Triarii would be in the rear, organized in smaller units of 60 men as opposed to 120 in the front ranks. The Triarii were armed in Hoplite weapons and armor. The Romans had created a "teaching army" that would introduce the young Velites to battle while minimizing the chances of death.

The defeat at the hands of the Gauls was the last time the city of Rome was captured by non-Roman forces until 410 AD.

The memory of this catastrophic defeat stayed with Rome for generations after the initial shock had worn off. Every year, on the anniversary of the sacking, Guard Dogs were crucified on the Capitoline hill as punishment for their failure to alert the people of Rome to the Gallic sneak attack, while the Capitoline Geese, whose honking provided the only warning, were brought to watch on gilded purple cushions.

[edit] External links and References