Hello. I decided to put the EB part of my Multi AAR (I'll explain in a second) here, since this forum is quite vivid and the meadhall simply isn't.
So what is this about?
What is this AAR about?
This AAR can be considered as a mammoth project I have been thinking about for a while. History of man will replay an entire string of history, from the Persian Empire till the American domination of the 20th century. Yeah that’s right, I want to pull off a series of AARs that connect to each other, an entire alternative history.
Since I know this is a big AAR and everyone will most likley have doubts ("yeah he’ll start it and never finish it."), I’ll post first things first. I am fully aware how much work this will be, that’s why I will take a slow approche. A very slow aproche. Secondly, I have allready played a test run from 300BC till 1500 AD, and playing that alone alread took me half a year. But I am willing to take my time.
What are the methods?
Since this is my first AAR I’ll have to try a few things out as we go. But this AAR will be written as pseudo realistic primary sources. Certain people will write about something in history. Sometimes they are writing to back up a king, sometimes an aristrocate will write negative comments about a ruler. Sometimes a historical source will be critical with the situation itself. Sometimes it will have lies and plot-holes in it. Some writers might be more interessted in facts, some in myths, and well often enough a writer will be more curious about who the king/emperor/president is having an afaire.
But there will be also historians posting scientific or populistic work about it. You will meet all those persons as we go.
What I want with this method is to create a multi-structual history. I don’t want to simply entertain with jokes or simple dialogs, I want my reader to think and re-live my history with me.
Do I have to read all the previous posts to enjoy this part of the AAR?
Not necessarily. This AAR should be understandable without the previous updates for the most part. But it can't hurt to read either if you like, since some less essential parts will be less clear, like for example why there were five Samnite wars. If you wan't to read all the stuff go here: History of Men
Last edited by Fixiwee; 10-19-2009 at 19:02.
Reason: removed the weird prophecy of future american domination
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock.
-Will Rogers
First punic war
The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003
With Pyrrhus gone from Italy, the Romans were exhausted from a century of war, after facing a total of five wars against the Samnites. But the war was not completely over yet, Pyrrhus left a small garrison at Tarrentum, but otherwise he did not support his Oscan allies. The Oscans raided the the southern Roman border, but that seemed to prove counterproductive. In 271 BC a consular army Lucius Quincitus Caudinus marched on Tarentum itself and stormed the city after a brief siege.
Rome in the winter 272 BC. A Oscan raiding band can be seen atacking Campania.
Consul L. Quintus Caudinus is ready to take the city by force.
Bruttian Infantry from Calabria played an important role in taking of the Tarentum.
The fightings in the city were unlike for antiquity, but from time to time street fighting like here occured.
Roman cavalry securing a small alley conecting two major routes. Much fighting took place in small groups in small alleys like this one.
A Roman envoy reached Epirus the next year and made a final peace treaty that settled the south Italy as a Roman sphere of influence. In conclusion the Romans lost most of the battles against Epirus, but nevertheless won the war.
The following year, 269 BC, the Romans had one last problem to deal with in south Italy. During the 4th Samnite war Rhegion, modern-day Reggio Calabria, was garrisoned with Campanian and Roman troops who declared their independence from Rome. The Roman senate did not respond well to that kind of mutiny and sent an army to the city which was besieged more then a year and starved to submission. While the city it self was preserved from looting and destruction some 300 captured Roman renegades were beheaded on the Roman forum.
Rome besieging Rhegion. The city was well fortified by experienced soldiers. It took the Romans over a year to take it, and that only by starving the city to submission
Now the Romans had all the land they could possibly use for their own needs and most Roman citizen and senators agreed that the last wars were long and bloody and that Rome needed some rest. But that would not happen.
The situation in Greece: In Greece the new Epirote king Alexander II defeated the Macedons under King Antigonos Argeades in 258BC and gained the city of Pella. In the meanwhile the Macedons, though weakend, were not idle and pressed against Athens and caputred it in 256 BC. Attempts to take Sparta failed.
Silanos – Historiai
(written about 130 BC)
Who is Silanos?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Silanos was a greek historian who lived from 200BC to 120 BC. He came to Rome [under reasons that have not happend yet - this will be edited]. His account on the Roman history are of high value since he followed the pragmatic histiography like Demosthnes of Ancyle.
Book IV […] In the year that M. Atilius Flaccus and D. Iunius Caudex were consuls [264BC] the Mamertine, which means “Son of Mars”, mercenary captain Ennychos from Messana in Sicily started raiding the Bruttium [modern Calabria] coast with small ships, ignoring the fact that there was still a consular army stationed in Rhegion. It is hard to reconstruct the reason for Ennychos brutal attacks. Possibly he was trying to achieve more wealth to fight of his main enemy, Hieros from Syracuse. Nevertheless it is very likely that Ennychos was looking for a quick way to get his hands on some booty, being unaware that he would start a war between two other nations. The Romans on the other hand were hoping that the problem would go away by itself, doing nothing at first. The following year Ennychos repeated his attacks once more and the Roman senators grew weary by the raids. What happened then was changing history significantly so it is most important to describe the details in length here. The Romans had a long history of a friendly relationship with the Carthaginians, both sides traded vividly with each other and in some cases Carthage even sent the Roman military aid, for example during the war with Pyrrhus (source: Kalisthos of Syrakousai). However the diplomatic contact of both city-states was rather weak and both powers missed the important chance to talk about the sphere of influence in Sicily. Not at one point either of the states declared a border to the other. From this perspective the Punic war might be seen as a simple mistake, but there is also something deeper then this. Growing tired of Ennychos the Roman senate debated over the possible actions. But being stressed out from the numerous wars with the Samnites and the Oscans, and possibly also being aware of the danger about leading an army to Sicily many Senators under the lead of L. Cornelius Arvina, spoke out against taking action to Messana, but rather fortify Bruttium with Roman colonies to annihilate Ennychos. The senators could not agree on this matter so they decided to let the Comitia have a decision over the matter. The voters of popular assembly also showed hesitation for they also thought that Rome needed rest from the wars, but eventually the opinion was swayed by the idea to lead a consular army to Sicily and swiftly gain booty and wealth. This was seen as a simple military expedition without aim to gain permanent hold on the island itself, something Carthage didn't know. Next year the army was lead by the consul C. Fabius Caudex, with him was a man called L. Conerlius Scipio, who I will talk later in greater detail.
Raids by Messana as described by Fabius.
A history of Rome, by Prof Alfred Kennard, 2002 New York
The consular army that crossed the strait of Messina in 262 was lead by Consul C. Fabius Caudex. This act would ultimately lead to war with Carthage, since a small band of Carthaginian troops were stationed close to Messina and violence broke out when Roman scouts reached the Carthaginian outpost. It is hard to tell if that event was intentionally used as a reason for both sides to wage war against each other or if the whole act was accidental. It is not unlikely though that a diplomatic solution could have been achieved. The Carthaginian could have had Messina, while the Romans would have controlled the straight of Messina which seemed to be the key of the conflict.
Ennychos was dealt quickly with. The citizen of Messina had enough of Ennychos reign of terror and opened the gates to the consular army. The mercenary captain did not surrender and barricaded himself in the inner city. It took two days of fighting after which about 2000 Roman troops and 800 Mamertines were killed in the struggle.
With the open conflict that emerged against Carthage the Roman senate decided to hold Messina, since they didn’t want to let the city fall into enemy hands.
Despite the open conflict both sides hesitated with attacking the other for the first few years and the first phase consisted of very minor skirmishes and mostly shadow boxing. Oddly enough there were no diplomatic talks; both Fabius and Silanos confirm that.
In 258 BC the Romans were able to gain the support of Syracuse, leaving Hieros in office, who joined an alliance with Rome, sending money and troops for their cause. Two years later, L. Cornelius Scipio was elected Praetor, which was significant for the war since he was sent to Sicily to organise Roman rule on the island.
Carthaginian troops land on Sicily in the winter of 256. The following year the Romans would also strenghten up their forces.
In the following year, 255 BC, both sides built up their forces and a massive clash of war seemed to become inevitable. The Carthaginians had two armies stationed on Sicily lead by Hamalcar the Elder and his son Hamalcar the Younger. The Roman consular army started campaigning in the west of Sicily, but Hamalcar the Elder tried to wear out Roman supply and resources, thus avoiding direct confrontation. It wasn’t until 254 BC when the consul L. Valerius Maximus marched on Lilibeo, the most important city on Sicily, so that Hamalcar the Elder decided to attack the Romans.
What followed was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. […]
Gnawing hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
“When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of a battle-field, they have all one rank in my eyes.” -Napoleon
Battles of history with Patrick Goodwin
Battle of Mazana 254 BC
Who is Patrick Goodwin?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Patrick Goodwin is a renown BBC anchorman who has worked with the station for over 40 years. He is famous for his political and historic works. Goodwin currently works at a new series "Battles of history" which brings important and infamous engagements back to life.
Goodwin: In the middle of the 3rd century BC the Roman republic was at war with the Carthage. The reason for this war was a conflict for the Mediterranean Sea around Sicily. But when the war started in 262 BC nothing happened at first. The Romans did not use their superior land forces to secure the Island, and the Carthaginians at the same time did not use their fleet to cut the Roman supply from the mainland with their fleet. But a few years later both sides bolstered up their troops on Sicily. The Roman Senate decided to send a consul under the name Lucius Valerius Maximus in the year 254 BC with two consular armies and allies to secure the Island with a deceive blow against the Carthaginian army. We asked Alfred Kennard, a university professor from the University of New York about the reasons that lead to the Battle of Mazana.
Alfred Kennard
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Kennard [sitting in his office]: The first Punic war is actually quite a mystery for modern historians. We do not know the exact reasons why this war started. We have no clear aggressor; Rome had acquired all the land it needed to feed its population in the last wars. Land grabbing for reasons of trade cannot have been a reason either, Rome was no trading state and there were no merchants that influenced politics yet. Also Sicily was not the Mediterranean granary it would later become, so the strategic importance of Sicily was not a priority either. I personally believe this war was an accident and the lack of communication techniques, unlike today, made it impossible to find a compromise. As the war went on, for Rome this was simply a war to keep Carthage away from the mainland.
Goodwin: In the year 254 BC the Roman consul Lucius Valerius Maximus was campaigning in Sicily. The enemy army was commanded by two people, Hamalcar the Younger and Hamalcar the Elder, father and son. Both were Carthaginian generals that brought mercenary troops from Africa, Spain and Sicilian Greek. When Maximus reached Lilibeo, an important stronghold for Carthage, father and son decided to lay a trap for the Roman consul. Hamalcar the Elder was a seasoned and experienced military leader who had fought with much success on other Carthaginian borders and his soon showed much potential to reach his glory.
[Both father and sun sitting on a horse near a cliff that overlooks the area to Lilbeo and the sea.]
From left to right: Hamalcar the Elder, Hamalcar the Younger
Father: We have evaded the Romans for long enough, Maximus troops are now close enough. The key to our victory is that we have a superior number of troops, elephants and a sacred band from our mother, the city of Carthage. Son, I know that you are eager to show your will to fight in battle, but I need you to stay in reserve and wait for my signal. Son: But father, I need to show my troops that I am able to lead them to battle. I can’t go on like that for ever. Father: Silence! I will not have you question my command. I will charge you with treason if you do not obey my orders to the point. Did I make myself clear? Son: Yes my leader.
Goodwin: The following day Carthaginian troops marched against the Roman camp, Maximus orders them to order up in a tight formation.
Maximus: Listen up my fellow Legates. My plan is to fight in a tight formation - let our army be a "Phalanx" so that Hamalcar will burst asunder with his troops . This way we can balance the large army the enemy has brought before us. Nothing can stop us now.
Goodwin: Both sides were ready and prepared for battle. The Romans had about 30.000 troops, while the Carthaginians had about 40.000 men.
The roman troops were waiting eagerly for the Carthaginians to arrive. Maximus was hardly an experienced general, but the Romans feared the Carthaginian power and were willing to stick with Maximus. Ancient historian Fabius tells us: The soldiers of every rank were looking at the troops marching towards them; they had brought many man and fierce elephants. Unlike Hamalcar the Elder - Maximus was not a really good leader. He had only achieved the office because his family connections with the Senate and he wanted prove his worth as a leader. But besides that the Romans were loyal to him, because nevertheless he was a kind and forgiving man.
Goodwin: In the late morning the battle is a bout to begin, the mood is tense on both sides. This battle could determine the winner of Sicily.
Goodwin: The Romans have formed up in a good position, but the Carthaginians have a terrible weapon that can strike fear into any soldier; the war-trained Elephant.
Kennard: The Romans did not face Elephants for the first time. Pyrrhus, when he attacked Italy some 30 years earlier, he also brought Elephants with him. Nevertheless the sight of Elephants was a terrifying one, and the Romans had not yet developed any tactic to counter this ancient battle tank.
Goodwin: When the scouts confirmed sighting of Elephants the Roman soldiers became worried. It takes a lot to bring down an African Elephant. The only hope was that the beasts would panic when wounded and run away.
Goodwin: About 150 feet from the enemy, the Cartheginians start to charge with war cries, while the Romans throw their pila, a roman javelin onto the soldiers.
Seconds later the Carthaginian cavalry also charges into the Roman line. The impact is overwhelming, the Romans get to feel all the military power of Carthage. But the most important attack happens on the left flank of the Roman side.
The Elephants attack the left flank and are about to annihilate it. This is a dangerous moment for Maximus. He orders his most experienced soldiers to secure the left flank, the Triarii.
But even with the Triarii trying to secure the situation the Carthaginians are about to crush the left flank and the Romans are endangered to be encircled.
Meanwhile heavy fighting occurs in the centre and at the right flank. Cost of man is high on both sides and the battle proves to be a terribly acrimonious one.
Moments later Hamalcar the Younger sends his troops to battle, after his father sent the signal. He hid his army, about 10,000 people in the nearby woods.
In the centre the death toll rises, brutal hand to hand fighting that cost lives on both sides. Here Roman Hastati, the light infantry, faces the Sacred Band, a Carthaginian elite force.
The Romans cannot break through such a well organized attacker, so they sent their cavalry to encircle the sacred band. But this move leads to a crack in the left roman flank. Allthough the Romans were able to panic the Elephants under severe costs of their own men, the left flank is finally about to break away.
[Maximus sitting on his horse, a military legate is aproaching him.]
Sir, the enemy is outflanking us and we will most likely become encircled. What are your orders? I… I don’t know? Sir! The men need your orders least we all get slaughtered. We… Prepare my man to charge the flanking enemy immediately.
Kennard: What Maximus intended next was called the devotion, a self-sacrifice or suicide for the greater cause of Rome. With this act he wanted to restore faith in his man to fight to the last man.
Maximus charges into the flanking enemy to the surprise of the Carthaginians. There he is lethally wounded by an enemy spear. Word of his suicide for the cause of Rome, restoring his name as a general inspired his troops who were about to loose heart.
The Principes, the standard soldier of the Roman army, rally and form a line of defence to hold up the advancing enemy.
The Carthaginians were not able to completely encircle the Romans and now faced a foe that was willing to make a final stand in this position. The hours went on, and the fighting was still grim and fierce. Dead bodies lying everywhere, wounded screaming for help and some thousand man on both sides still fighting and trying to win.
Hamalcar the Elder is now in a difficult position. He fears that the Romans are to determined to win, so he orders that he will personally attack with his unit of heavy horses and break the spirit.
Hamalcar the Elder: Our cavalry is the needs to break the Roman spirit. We need to push hard, constantly charging the enemy. We can break the spirit, I know it. Ba’al give me strength.
Hamalcars charge did not have the effect he sought. The Romans still stand and fight. Fabius tells us about this particular moment: But the Roman soldiers were enraged, willing to fight to the death. The spirit of Mars was firing up their will to give all and everything. When Hamalcar charged Roman soldiers were screaming everywhere: Kill that pig! Get him! It was that moment when Hamalcar realized what a terrible mistake he did.
Hamalcar the Elder was quickly surrounded and dragged of his horse. He was dead minutes later. But now the Carthaginians were also furious by the death of the leader and fighting continued for hours. The whole field was filled with dead. In the afternoon about ¾ of each army was either dead or wounded.
During the late afternoon the Carthaginian flanking force was stopped and routed, the centre-force was still fighting by all means necessary. The Sacred Band was fighting fiercely and the Romans were not able to break through their Phalanx formation.
It was already becoming night and the troops ceased fighting because of the dark. Zones of battles disintegrated and both sides returned to their camps. The following morning both sides were utterly weakened and retreated. The battle of Mazana ended indecisively as a draw. The Romans brought about 30,000 troops and at the end of the day only 6,500 were left, thus loosing about 23,500 men. Carthage brought about 40,000 men to the battle, at the end of the day they only had 6,000 left, thus loosing 34,000 men.
One might think that the Romans won statistically, but that is not correct: The Romans had to retreat from western Sicily, while Carthage was able to hold their ground.
Kennard: This remarkable yet terribly brutal battle marked the beginning of a new phase in the battle of Sicily. One might think that the Romans won statistically, but that is not correct: The Romans had to retreat from western Sicily, while Carthage was able to hold their ground.
Now both sides had shown what they are worth in battle. From a military point of view this battle changed little. No tactics were changed afterwards, nor did the battle determine a shift of power. This bloody battle only cost a lot of lives and radicalized the Punic war.
Now it was clear, the battle for Sicily would need to be fought with any needs necessary.
Rome should break the deadlock by building a fleet and invading North Africa. It never fails.
Minor nitpick:
Originally Posted by Fixiwee
The battle of Mazana ended indecisively as a draw. The Romans brought about 30,000 troops and at the end of the day only 6,500 were left, thus losing about 13,500 men. [/COLOR]Carthage brought about 40,000 men to the battle, at the end of the day they only had 6,000 left, thus losing 34,000 men.
That should be 23,500 Roman casualties.
Completed campaigns:
Vanilla Carthage
BI Sassanids
EB 1.1 Casse
"I don't intend for this to take on a political tone. I'm just here for the drugs."
-Nancy Reagan at an anti-drug rally.
You should definitely mod your DMB to give the Carthies two-handed lance sacred band horsemen. It looks awesome. I can detail this if you're interested...
You should definitely mod your DMB to give the Carthies two-handed lance sacred band horsemen. It looks awesome. I can detail this if you're interested...
Well, sounds interessting, but is it realistic?
Originally Posted by A Terribly Harmful Name
By the way, what battle formations mod you're using? I liked your Roman deployment.
Well I only use alex.exe, I manually set up my armies in a historical way. Hastati in the front, Triari in the back etc.
In politics, strangely enough, the best way to play your cards is to lay them face upwards on the table.
- H. G. Wells
Scipios Gamble
The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003
Lucius Cornelius Scipio
After the devastating Battle of Mazana the Romans were once more determined to turn the war to their odds in 251 BC. The people of Rome elected Lucius Cornelius Scipio as consul, a man who had had many dealings with Sicily already and therefore knew the land and people. Scipio tried to break the deadlock with a swift and decisive push against Lilibeo like Maximus before him. Hamalcar the Younger faced the consul in the Battle of Lilibeo 251 BC. Scipio was a talented military leader and unlike Maximus 3 years earlier, he used the flexibility of his troops to his advantage. He won a solid victory over Hamalcar without destroying his army though.
Heavy cavalry attacking the Roman line.
Carthage had high quality mercaneries from around the world, but Scipios military competence prevailed in the battle.
Scipio won the battle because he used his cavalry wisely despite the difficult terrain. Here Greek mercenaries get caught in between a Roman maneuver.
But fortune turned against Scipio when he started to lay siege against Lilibeo, in the hot summer days a devastating plague broke out among the Romans, Scipio had to break off the siege and retreat. Nevertheless the victory over Hamalcar added much prestige to the Scipio family.
250 BC - Scipio retreats back to Messana after the plague.
Small skirmish, Roman Hastati facing spanish mercenaries fighting for Carthage.
For the next years the Punic war turned into small battles and skirmishes once again. Scipio remained head of the army in 250 BC as proconsul, when a year later he was elected censor and had to return to Rome for political duties. Hamalcar realised his chance and sent an army under his general Giscon to push for Messana. Giscon was a close friend of Hamalcar and the second in command of the Sicilian troops. When reinforcements under consul Caius Valerius Mas landed to support the troops in Messana, Giscon was outnumbered and decided to retreat to a safer position. The Punic war was still far from being over.
249 BC - Giscon attacking Messana
In 247 BC the Romans had not yet achieved any significant progress in Sicily. Both sides were equally strong and each offensive against the enemy stronghold was blighted by the fortunes of war. It was clear that the Romans had to do something more drastical to break the deadlock. Some Senators, among them was Lucius C. Scipio, spoke out for a landing in Africa. Africa! Attacking a distant continent was something new to the Romans, who had mostly fought their wars on the Italian peninsula. But the people voted in favour for Scipio, who was elected consul a second time the following year. But to deceive the ambitious plans, Scipio went to Sicily to pretend another major push on Lilibeo. Meanwhile the second consul, Caius Aurius Cotta, a relative unknown plebeian with little military experience was charged with leading the fleet and the troops to Africa in 246 BC. This was quite a gamble, but Cotta was an ambitious man nevertheless, who wanted to live up to his duties.
247 BC - Cotta landing in Africa to the suprise of Carthage.
The fortune now turned in favour to the Romans, the Carthaginians had most of their troops in Sicily, since they feared Scipios attack. So when Cotta landed in Africa very little Carthaginian troops were stationed there. He quickly secured a port to get additional supplies and hasted to attack Carthage. The city was not prepared for a siege, despite its huge walls and enormous size. The council agreed to surrender, despite the fact that they were not beaten on the field. To defend Carthage the council would have had to order the troops in Sicily back, which would have left Sicily open for the taking anyway - plus the attack on the city of Carthage was a symbolic and military humiliation.
Cotta laying siege to Carthage - What a humiliation for the might Carthaginian Empire!
Carthage had to pay a large amount of money and agreed to give Sicily and Corsica to the Romans. Over all the war was won by a tricky yet successful military move. Carthage had to pay large quantities of money, but the military might was far from broken.
Rome dictates a harsh peace
For the Romans a peaceful and prosper time began with new trade routes to Sicily and Corsica. But Carthage was saw this peace as vile and shame – more conflict was bound to happen.
Transcript of the college presentation during the lecture „The Roman Republic“ in 2003, University of Minnesota, USA
[Trevor Adams speaking]:
Dear colleges, dear professor, my presentation today is about the Roman peacetime period between 246 BC and 220 BC. In this presentation I will tell you about the events during this particular period and what actually lead to the series of devastating wars in 220 BC. First of all, 246 BC marks the beginning of a peacetime era for Rome. The first Punic war was over; Rome had endured many decades of war and thus tired of fighting. But the victory over the Carthaginians also brought new land, or provinces, which were governed by senators. That meant new taxes and trading posts for the growing “Roman Empire”. This era was also called the small golden age, since there was little foreign threat and Rome became a rich through trade.
But the peacetime period was not uneventful, there were even small wars which make the term “peacetime period” sound rather absurd. But nevertheless the conflicts were quite small compared to the first Punic war.
Well, the Romans made new allies in southern France and Spain. In those areas independent Greek colonies existed that were harassed by Gauls and Celtic tribes. The Romans allied themselves with the two major Greek cities Massalia, modern day Marseille and Empuries or also called Emporion. The deal was that the Romans sent troops for security while the Greek cities had to trade heavily with Rome. De jure those cities remained independent, but in reality the cities slowly became a part of Rome. Oh I forgot to mention, that deal was made around 235 BC. Well anyway…
Another important event happened in 238 BC, when the Carthaginian mercenary general Hipposander revolted in Sardinia, which was nominally under the rule of Carthage. Some Roman traders were killed in that revolt and Rome was quick to dispatch troops to Sardinia and killing Hipposander. Carthage feared another war with Rome and did not demand the control back over Sardinia. But this lead to much mischief with the Carthaginians and more and more people demanded revenge, which would eventually lead to another war with Rome in 220 BC.
In 225 BC the Boii Celts, situated in the Po valley in Italy, attacked the kingdom of Illyria and envoys came to Rome begging for help. The Romans had not much love for those Celts and agreed to snet assistance. The disciplined Roman army had no trouble defeating the small Celtic amry in modern day Slovenia and they placed the king Deutemirus back to power. There was no formal treaty, but the Romans were now “friends” – or amici as the Romans would say – with the Kingdom with Illyria. The link was a moral one, which arose from the “beneficium” of their liberation. They had to show Rome practical gratitude, while Rome was morally engaged to maintain their liberty.
The year 220 BC saw an end to the Roman peacetime period. Reason for this was a treaty made in 222 BC with the kingdom of Macedon. A year later the Epirotes, an old enemy of Rome, started a war with Macedon and the Romans decided to step in and solve the situation. But this, I think, is already the topic of the presentation next week by my college Mary. My conclusion of this so called peacetime period is that it was a period of increasing wealth and expansion for the Romans. Rome was now a major player in the Mediterranean Sea and solved a few crises with military might. Thank you.
[The Professor speaking]: Thank you mister Adams. Good presentation with many important details. One major flaw though, you could have used more maps for clarification. I think not everyone in this room knows exactly where the Illyrian kingdom was situated.
Why is this only a small pictureless update? FRAPS did not take pictures during this period so I lost my data and information. Hence I decided to make a small update, since this period was rather uneventfull anyway. The text was written like someone would actually speak it. I hope it's not a pain to read that way. :)
"Zeus most glorious and most great, Thundercloud, throned in the heavens! Let not the sun go down and the darkness come, until I cast down headlong the citadel of Priam in flames, and burn his gates with blazing fire, and tear to rags the shirt upon Hectors breast! May many of his men fall about him prone in the dust and bite the earth! "
-Homer - The Illiad
534 Ab Urbe Condita
Silanos – Historiai
(written about 130 BC)
Who is Silanos?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Silanos was a greek historian who lived from 200BC to 120 BC. He came to Rome [under reasons that have not happend yet - this will be edited]. His account on the Roman history are of high value since he followed the pragmatic histiography like Demosthnes of Ancyle.
Book VI […] So it came that the year 534 ab urbe Condita [220 BC] saw the start of a series of conflicts. But before the reader is able to understand what lead to the second Epirus war and the second Punic war as well, the reader has to look at the political situation that preceded the war. To the west of Rome Carthage was expanding in Spain to compensate the losses of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. Carthage was a trading nation and the coast of Spain offered new possibilities for trade. To the east the kingdom of Epirus was waging war against Macedon. In 536 AUC [222 BC] the Romans signed a formal treaty with the Macedon king Antigonus III Amynous to send money and supplies to the Macedon cause. A year later the Macedons lost another battle so that Antigonus III had abandoned most of the Macedon home land. The Romans felt a moral obligation to aid their allies against the king of Epirus Polyanthes Aiakides and without much hesitation and trouble they sailed a full legion to the coast of Epirus in the year 534 AUC [220 BC]. At that time the king of Epirus, Polyanthes Aiakides, was residing in the capital Ambrakia with only his royal guard to his protection. His army was campaigning against Macedon out of his reach. When the Romans realized that Polyanthes was in the capital without any troops they quickly started laying siege against the city, closing every road in and out of Ambrakia. It is said that Polyanthes screamed “Bring me the man who taught those primitive Romans how to use a boat!” when he became aware that he was trapped. Despite being a proud and brilliant military leader and king Polyanthes agreed, heading his advisors to negotiate with his enemy. The Roman consul Quintus Atilius Scaevola received the proud king in his army tent, greeting him with all military honours. There the consul made clear that the Roman people had no interest in killing Epirotes and plundering Polyanthes lands. What both man talked that day is not written down, so I cannot retell the story about it, but in the end the king of Epirus agreed to stop making war against the Macedons and restore their land to the status quo while the Romans would return to their land and make peace with Polyanthes. So in the autumn 534 AUC [220BC] the conflict seemed to be over already. In the winter of the same year a group of Carthaginian ships landed in the port of Emporion, a Greek city-state situated in Spain and allied with Rome. The Carthaginian ships destroyed a few Greek ships and plundered some minor goods. It was by all means clear to the Carthaginians that this action against an ally of Rome was a direct threat to Rome itself. But it has puzzled many historians as well as myself as of why the Carthaginians were eager to battle the Romans again. Yet this small incident was the beginning of a long and bloody conflict in Spain. At the same time Polyanthes was already planning his next step against the Macedons and the Romans. In this sense, the year 534 marks a new step in the history of Rome, as it was more and more drawn into the affairs of the Greeks.
“Monarchy degenerates into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into savage violence and chaos”
- Polybius
Second war with Epirus 220 BC - 214 BC
The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003
Once the Romans left Polyanthes Aiakides, the king of Epirus, to do as he pleases, he immediately began preparing for a new offensive against Macedon. In late 219 BC he attacked and beat Antigonus Amynous once again in 218 BC at the battle of Berora much to the displeasure of the Romans. In the same year the Senators of Rome agreed to attack Polyanthes once again and a year later a Roman legion embarked over the sea to Epirus.
The map shows the world in 220 BC and the Roman camapigns in Epirus. Note that the Romans only campaigned in the Epirus homeland.
Polyanthes had reinforced Epirus since he knew that the Romans might eventually attack, so in 217 BC it came to the battle of Epidamnos under the Roman consul L. Aurelius Cotta. Though the Romans suffered notable casualties the maniple system proved to be flexible enough to overcome the Greek phalanx.
Roman Hastati outflanking a Phalanx, due to their better mobility. At the same time the war with Carthage in Spain was making hardly any progress for the Romans until 217 BC Cn. Aurelius Cotta, the brother of the victor at Epidamnos seized the Carthaginian city of Arsé. Lucius Cotta was assassinated in the same year, while Cnaeus died of natural causes a year later. The war in Spain stalled again.
A history of Rome, by Prof Alfred Kennard, 2002 New York
In the year 216 BC the Romans won the important sea battle of Thiro against the Carthaginians, securing sea superiority in northern Mediterranean Sea. The battle actually consisted of three separate sea engagements in over two weeks. The Carthaginians tried to flank the Roman fleet with faster ships, but the Roman tactic of boarding enemy ships with ground troops proved to be superior. In total the Romans lost 45 ships, while the Carthaginians lost about 90 ships. This victory secured the vital sea trade and transportation of troops to Spain.
This map shows a reconstruction of the Battle of Thiro. 1) The Roman fleet under Admiral Decimus Papirus Turdus gets attacked near the port of Thiro by the Carthaginian Admiral Bodinelquart. After his defeat Bodinelquart retreats and regroups to the west. A few days later Turdus gets attacked at 2) again by Admiral Tabnit with the main fleet, but this battle is indecissive. The Romans move further west where Tabnit atacks with his mainfleet at 3) again.Bodinelquart regrouped at 4) and moved to the battle trying to flank the Romans. Though the Romans suffer signifianct casualties, they are able to rout the enemy fleet.
Meanwhile the tide seemed to turn for the kingdom of Epirus. The assassinated Roman Consul Lucius Aurelius Cotta was replaced by the new consul Cnaeus Pomponius Titus. Apollodoros Aiakides, the brother of the King of Epirus Polyanthes Aiakides, destroyed a Roman army in the battle of Toryne. Unfortunately only fragments of the historical sources concerning this battle survived but it is clear that poor Roman leadership lead to the loss of 15.000 Roman lives. This defeat led to a change in the Roman military system. Soldiers were now divided into the three existing military groups (Hastati, Principes, Triari) by age and experience rather then by wealth. While not a revolutionary reform, this change was an important step to ensure the necessary military strength needed to fight in foreign regions like Greece and Spain.
With the defeat at Toryne the Romans were caught off guard. But the RomanRepublic had access to a vast amount of military manpower and a year later another Roman legion landed at the shores of Epirus.
It is said that the Aiakides brothers had a dispute over the war with the Romans since the kinghimself, unlike his brother, had not yet won a single battle against them though he had beaten the Macedons time after time. King Polyanthes Aiakides feared loosing support to his brother who had smashed the Romans last year. So he decided for a swift and quick attack against the Roman legion under the command of Consul Publius Claudius Nero while they were still on the shore. As we have seen before the Romans lacked experienced and talented leaders during this period. Polyanthes moved with his troops against the Roman encampment where it came to the battle of Cassope in 215 BC
Battle of Cassope 215 BC - A battle with poor leadership for the Romans
Greek cavalry trying to punch through the Roman lines.
The Romans had the high ground and the numbers to hold the line. Without outflanking this formation the Epirotes are not able to break through the enemy.
Polyanthes was one of the best military leaders of his times and his troops where experienced, but the Romans had the high ground and more troops. During the battle Polyanthes was killed trying to manoeuvre his troops around the Roman flank. With his demise the troops where unable to complete the manoeuvre, thus the Romans remained in advantage over the Epriotes and eventually won the battle. The Romans lost about 5.000 soldiers, while Polyanthes lost his own life and 15.000 soldiers. According to Silanos the victory at the battle of Cassope was a surprise to the Romans, since they did not believe they could win the war against Polyanthes in a single battle.
Despite the dangerous situation, the royal guard fought the Romans bitterly to the last men - a fact that the Romans were proud to defeat such a tough enemy.
With the destruction of the Epirote army the Romans quickly moved to the city of Epidamos where Apollodros Aiakades held out. In the same year the consular army stormed the city and took Apollodros prisoner. The following year, 214 BC Polyanthes son, Xanthippos Aiakades, now legitimate heir to the throne, met with the Romans to discuss the term of peace. With the whole of Epirus in the hand of the Romans, the king being dead and his brother being shipped to Rome in chains Xanthippos did not have any trumps to come to reasonable terms with the Romans. Xanthippos went to exile to the Seleucid Empire to the east. Epirus became Roman province and the Macedon King Antigonus III was restored in Greece. Apollodros Aiakades, the victor over the Romans in the battle of Toryne, was publicly executed during the triumph of Publius Claudius Nero.
It can be questioned why the Romans bothered so much with Epirus in the first place. Land hunger and military expansion cannot be the reason, since they did not try to gain any land when they first landed in Epirus in 220 BC. If we are to believe Fabius, the Romans felt a moral obligation to help the Macedons since the Romans allied themselves with them. From their perspective Polyanthes was a problem that was troubling the Roman-Macedon agreement and they just wanted to solve this problem and goy away again. Since Polyanthes did not stand to his word and attacked the Macedons again he had to be removed completely. To ensure further aggression from the king Romans dissolved the throne and made it Epirus into a province so that no one else could take control over Epirus again. From the view of the Romans they were just making sure that peace would endure. From the view of the Greeks the Romans were now a power factor bigger then themselves which could not be ignored any more.
But with the second Punic war still going on in Spain, peace in reality was a far goal for the Romans in 214 BC.
Transcript of the college class lecture „The RomanRepublic“ in 2003, University of Minnesota, USA
[Prof. Saramotti speaking]: Good day everyone to today’s class. Let me start right away with an announcement that Professor Marshal from Chicago will hold a special presentation about King Cambyses conquest of Anatolia and the impact to the Greek world. It’s certainly something you shouldn’t miss. Oh yes, the presentation itself is next Thursday at Coffman’s. Alright, today’s topic is the second Punic war. As we look at the second Punic war and we notice something interesting: During the first ten years of the war hardly anything happened. We have already seen that an important war for the Romans started the same way… Right, the first Punic war. But we have to be more specific, because the first ten years of the war a man called Tiberius Cornelius Scipio Asina, the son of Lucius Cornelius Scipio who already fought in the first Punic war, conquered great parts of the Spanish coast up to Mastia in the south. From 220 BC to 210 BC most battles were just small skirmishes. The situation seemed to change in 210 BC when the Carthaginians under the military commander Mytonnes Neperis allied themselves with the strong Celtic tribe called Carpetani under the King Mutorke Carmocoi. This alliance with the Carpetani seemed to shift the balance for the Carthaginians. Hence Scipio Asina retreated back to Arsé in the north. The Roman Senate realized that Spain was now the battleground where the war with Carthage had to be fought and sent more troops to aid Scipio Asina [Student asking]: Under what authority was Scipio in Spain for such a long time? [Prof. Saramotti speaking]: Very good question. Scipio Asina became consul in - I think - 218 BC and went to Spain fighting Carthage like his father did. Once he finished his consulship he stayed there as a pro-consul. So he had complete command or “Imperium” over the troops there without actually being a consul. We will talk about this in more detail when we come to his son who was the first to bend the rules in that sense. Anyway. In 209 BC it came to the first battle on a larger scale, the so called Battle of Ildum. But let’s take a break first. […]
The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003
The battle of Ildum in 209 BC marked the escalation of the second Punic war. Compared to the later battles it was still a small military clash, but it was an important one because the Romans won the battle and gained the initiative again. The Senate in Rome was also noticing Scipio Asinas effort in fighting the Carthaginians in mostly unknown lands.
Roman Hastati throwing spears at the aproaching enemy.
The Carthaginian army consited of numerous ethnic groups so that the Romans had to fight off different fighting techniques.
Though relying on mercanaries the Carthaginians also had their own elite troops. Here elite Hoplites fight against te Romans. These troops were a tough opponent for the Scipio.
Fabius mentioned the use of five African war elephants in the battle, but they did not have any major impact on the battle.
Far more important was the Roman cavallry which was used as shook troops to break and route the enemy army.
Scipio Asina knew how to use his victory and pushed with the rest of his troops including Celt Iberians auxiliary to the south where he captured the city Mastia including the general he defeated at Ildum - Mytonnes Nepheris. His pro-consulship ran out that year and he returned to Rome celebrating a triumph. Scipio Asina remained with the Senate but did not run for Consul anymore.
In the same year consul Titus Fabius Maximus won the battle of Segestia against the Ligures under the king Cador in North Italy. Now all of Italy was in control of Rome and this victory lead to the creation of a new province in North Italy called Gallia Cisalpina, which means “Gaul on this side of the Alps”.
The following years Carthage retreated to the southwest of Spain and reorganized their troops. The Romans had won a battle, but the war was not decided yet. Meanwhile the Carpentani tribe was keeping the Romans busy and small battles with some 5000 to 8.000 troops on both sides occurred every year. The situation seemed to change when a 26 year old Roman legate called Spurius Cornelius Sulla serving under pro-praetor Decimus Tullius Mes faced King Mutorke Carmocoi in battle.
Fabius - Ab Urbe Condita
(written at about 50 BC)
Book XIV
(4) In the winter of the year 550 ab urbe condita [204 BC] the Carpentani attacked roman lands in Spain under their King Mutorke Carmocoi. But before I will retell the story of the battle at Etovissa, I want to talk about both leaders. Mutorke Carmocoi was a proud barbarian king of old age. He was loved by his people, he was a brave warrior, but also a brilliant leader. Among his people, it is said that he was the best hunter and no one could match his skills with the bow. Another legend says that since his birth Mutorke Carmocoi has never cried out of pain or fear. These kind of legends always surround famous leaders, nevertheless one thing can be said for sure; he was one of a proud barbarian king. Spurius Cornelius Sulla came to Spain with the new pro-praetor Decimus Tullius Mes to Spain and. He served as a military tribune, queastor and military legate under his patron. Decimus Tullius Mes was not much of a fighter and let Sulla in command against the Iberians, despite Sulla being only in his 20ies. Sulla was born and educated in Rome, he was a smart man interested in politics and philosophy. He was a brilliant orator and many disputes were decided by his cunning and striking words. Nevertheless he was still young and inexperienced and of both Sulla was inferior to Carmocoi.
A history of Rome, by Prof Alfred Kennard, 2002 New York
The battle of Etovissa in 204 was one of the largest during the Roman-Iberian wars. While the Carthaginians were still reforming their army, the Carpentani were keeping the Romans busy. Both armies were equal in numbers and strength. Fabius account on the leaders and the battle itself is difficult to examine, since it is filled with stereotypical views about the educated dynamic Roman general fighting the brave and strong yet uncivilized Barbarian.
The Iberians were renown fighters. Here an elite cavallry band gathers for battle.
A Roman manipel charging a small hill while being harrased with spears by the enemy.
The wise use of cavallry as a flanking unit won Sulla the advantage over the Iberian king.
Roman cavallry trampeling the fleeing enemy to death. It was not a habit to take prisoners.
In the end, the 26 year old Sulla won by using his cavalry to encircle the enemy and crushing the Carpentani completely. That the king Carmocoi was slain in battle added much prestige to Sullas name. It is no surprise that his career got a boost: the following year he was already elected as Curulian Aedile. Nevertheless the war was far from over, the Iberians and the Carthaginians were still strong enemies, but for now Rome had won the initiative.
Where do you run to now, Quintus? by Sarah Buehler, 2007
Chapter Nine A ceramic bottle of wine and sour smell was the first thing he noticed when he entered the room. He looked around, but could not find the culprit of the foul stench. Quintus nose was starting to itch, his feelings about the offending smell was starting to bother him. “No, Appius Aurelius Cotta, the great roman senator is not here” Quintus said to himself after he decided that the smell was probably just part of the room. “Typical” he added as he noticed that he was really talking aloud. The slave, a young Spaniard called Modiac could not help himself but to grin. Slaves from Spain were en vogue since Scipio Asinas famous campaign in this wild and uncivilised land and a sophisticated man like Appius could not resist the exotic goods coming from the end of the world. As for the slave Modica, Quintus wasn’t mad at him for smirking, but rather surprised that he understood him. This young man mastered the Latin language so quickly, spotting the sarcasm that he implied when he referred to Cotta as a great roman senator. Appius Aurelius Cotta was not a brilliant politician, he was no man of great words or military exploits. But on the other hand he was not stupid. Appius knew how to keep friends, when to say yes when you actually mean no. In all those years, as Appius Aurelius Cotta was now in his 60ies, he became one of the oldest and most respected members of the senate. And he was a complete drunk. The stench, there it was again. It seemed to come from the window, so Quintus decided to move in that direction. “Ah! What a great view” he remarked as he looked outside, noticing the cityscape around him. The mansion he stood in was situated at the top of the Caelian hill, a friendly and rich neighbourhood in Rome. He cold spot some hundred chimneys from up here with fumes rising up to the sky like grey pillars. The smell seemed to worsen as he studied the view. He sniffed and realized that the stench was coming directly from the ground. “Oh gross” he shouted when he finally discovered that someone had vomited out of the window, covering the wall with disgusting puke.
“Don’t worry, it’s not going to be there forever.” A strong determined voice spoke to Quintus. “I tried to get someone to clean it up all morning, but imagine this. This household does not have any leaders. Not a single one.” “Ah, Appius Aurelius Cotta” Quintus reacted and quickly tried to hide the disgust written in his face. “On behalf of my family…” “No need for formalities Quintus, you have been my client for 15 years now. I think we can be more direct with each other.” The Senator said in a voice that was relaxing yet consisted a significant sound of authority while he was sitting down behind his desk. Usually a drunk like Appius would become fat over the time, but for some reason Appius stayed in perfect shape for his age. “Alright, so why did you call for me?” “Do you know my grandfather?” “Uh, pardon me”? “My grandfather! Caius Aurelius Cotta. As a lawyer and historian you should know him.” “Of course I do. He was the one who laid siege to Carthage, thus ending the first war we had with that city” Quintus mentioned with a suddenly determined voice. “Help me do the same thing.” “I am sorry - what?” Appius stood up in sudden eagerness shouting aloud: “Help me conquer Carthage. As a historian you can find out what he did and how, so I can do the same.” “But… I mean… History does not work that way.” “Why not? You can study exactly what happened and how he did that. History does work that way.” He suddenly leaped toward Quintus grabing him by his arms, passing by his desk. “You historians always say that people don’t want to learn from the past. Now you can prove yourself wrong.” Quintus started to think this through. Indeed Appius Aurelius Cotta, his legal patron was just asking him a favour. But the way he spoke seemed to scare him, as if Appius had no idea of warfare so that Quintus had to come up with a magic formula written down by some old mysterious librarian 40 years ago. “All right, all right! I just didn’t expect using my skills for war like that. I guess I can look into the books and the annual reports. Maybe we can indeed find a clue or two.”
After the usual small talk and the discussion of some minor legal issues Quintus left the manor. “Was he drunk or is he really planning to conquer Carthage?” he thought while going down a busy winter street. He pondered the situation, Rome and Carthage were both fighting a terrible and bloody war in Spain. Landing troops in Africa might solve the deadlock in this terrible war, just that no other Senator was speaking of this option for some reason. Was it possible? Or was it simply too dangerous with an enemy who might actually have learnt from its mistakes. “I don’t like the idea. This is going to end bad for me.” Quintus said while he was walking down a busy street in the cold city of Rome.
“Marta was watching the football game with me when she said, "You know, most of these sports are based on the idea of one group protecting its territory from invasion by another group." "Yeah," I said, trying not to laugh. Girls are funny.”
-Jack Handy
Invasion
A history of Rome, by Prof Alfred Kennard, 2002 New York
After his victory in the winter 204 BC Spurius Cornelius Sulla returned to Rome as a Curulian Aedile, using his position to get more attention for the situation in Spain. At the same time an elderly ex-consul by the name of Appius Aurelius Cotta, child of the victor at Carthage in 246 BC, was speaking against Sulla arguing that only an attack on Carthage would end the war for the Romans. The following year Sulla returned to Spain with more troops, but not as much as he actually hoped to. His aim was to capture the most important Carpentani city of Baikor under the new king Novantutas Carmocoi. Sulla pushed for the city in 202 and 201 BC, but he was constantly harassed by the enemy, who knew the terrain better then him. Although he did not loose any battle, supply and troop where growing thin during both campagins so he decided to return to Mastia and stay on the defence.
Sullas campaigns in 202 and 201 BC. Despite hard effort the unknown enemy territory seems to be impregnable.
In 200 BC C. Publius Sergius Orata, a close friend of Cotta, became consul who prepared troops, ships and supply for an attack on Africa. That implied that Cotta would run for consul again next year to take command over the invasion.
Appius Aurelius Cotta
On the side of Carthage a man called Carthalo Carales was charged with defending the city. Carthalo was an experienced military leader who fought against the Ptolemy dynasty in Egypt. He was a deep admirer of the Greek culture, their literature and philosophy, all in all a smart and seasoned opponent for the Romans. Appius Aurelius Cotta landed in early 199 BC in Africa, after being elected as consul. Upon landing he was informed that Carthage was well prepared for a siege and troops in the south where waiting to fall in the back of Cotta. So he decided to attack the army to the south. At this time Cotta did not know though, that Carthalo was moving his troops as fast as he could from a campaign in Egypt.
The red line symbolizes Cottas advance against the small enemy camp to the south of Carthage. The longer white line symbolizes Carthalos troops marching towards the homecity Carthage.
The troops south of Carthage were commanded by Hiempsal Sabrata and were much smaller then Cotta originally estimated. Only a few thousand troops were situated in the camp.
It is said that Sabrata fought bravley against the large quantity of Roman troops.
In the end he and the survivours fleed from the Romans. Fabius quotes him saying: "You're victory here means nothing".
The battle turned out to be a small skirmish and eventually the Carthaginians benefited from winning more time for Carthalo. Carthage realized its chance to delay Cotta even more and decided to move out the troops in the city under the militia commander Milkherem to meet the Romans. The Carthaginian suffets knew, that even if Milkherem would loose, it would be impossible for Cotta to take the before Carthalo would reach the Romans. The first battle of Sabo was about to happen.
After the small skirmish Cotta was eager to sieze Carthage. Moving northwards the Carthaginian militia leaves the city to face him on the field. Meanwhile Carthalo draws closer and closer to the Romans, marching with incredible speed with a large army.
Roman Hastati, the usual front line infantry, wating for the enemy attack.
Allthough mostly consisting of militia, Milkherems army consisted some well equiped Phalanx troops.
The Carthaginians plan was to shock the enemy and break right through the main line where the Romans were actually the strongest.
Cottas beast weapon were the heavy lancers. Having them placed well, he used them during the battle to fall in the back of the militia troops.
The effect is devastating. Milkherem gets killed and the troops break away.
Even the elite troops flee after the sucessfull Roman push.
In the end the first battle of Sabo was indeed a victory for the Romans. They had only lost 3000 men from 26.500, so they still had about 23.500 men left. Nevertheless Cotta was not making any progress against the enemy. Shortly after the battle he finally realized that Carthalo was marching against his position with 33.000 troops. The second battle of Sabo would decide the outcome of the invasion and possibly ending the second Punic war.
The Romans finaly realized that Carthalo was marching against their position. Cotta choosed to use the same position at Sabo to anticipate Carthalos attack.
Where do you run to now, Quintus? by Sarah Buehler, 2007
Chapter Thirteen
This was the very moment when Quintus, now centurion in Appius legion, was most scared during the war. It wasn’t the first or the second battle at Hadrumentum, where he faced death on one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles of his lifetime. No, it was this moment and it started with a “Screwed. I am so screwed!” Appius was sitting on his chair in the middle of his tent, having a total fit. Once again Quntius smelled a rotten stench, but this time it was obvious that his glorious leader had spilled wine over his tunica. He decided to try helping the screaming old man. “Sir, you better dress up your combat gear. Our scouts indicate that Carthalos army is 10 miles from our position. It’s best…” “Don’t you tell me what I have to do. I have to do nothing. Absolutely nothing.” With a sudden move the old body of Appius leaped forward, catching Quintus off guard and pulling him to the ground. The closing fist moving towards his nose was the first thing he noticed when he realized what was going on and it was the last thing before he blacked out.
Quintus came to senses again, slowly standing up. At first he didn’t hear anything but his own heartbeat. The next thing that came to his mind was that his nose was hurting terribly. Appius was sitting in his chair again, crying pathetically and repeating himself over and over again. “Screwed. I tell you.” His nose was broken. “I am so screwed” But he figured that he had to see this through. “Sir!” Even with this pain. “Sir!” Quintus said again. “Think this through. You cannot give up now.” His superior replied: “Carthalo is ten times the commander then I am. He has more troops and supplies. This was supposed to be my victory. You said it so.” “With all due respect, sir. You asked me about history and I told you that it does not work this way, remember?” “Bah!” Appius grunted with as much disgust as he could. “But the battle is not decided yet. If you give up yourself, that’s fine. But don’t you dare giving up on Rome.” For Quintus saying such a thing was quite the gamble. Appius could have easily beaten him to death this time. But surprisingly and against all odds Appius actually said: “Well. I guess you are right. I don’t think it makes any difference. By Plutos hairy arse maybe we’ll even win this one.”
Quintus was delighted, yet surprised over the turn of the events. It was obvious to him that this mod swing was just temporary, but he did everything he could to get this strange old men going. He returned to his tent to get his armor and sword, for south of the camp the mighty Carthalo was coming.
Goodwin: The second Punic war is shaking the Mediterranean Sea in 200 BC. Like the first Punic war, the second started because of trivial causes and turned out to be a terrible war for both the Carthaginians and the Romans. The war started in 220 BC when Carthaginian ships raided a Greek colony in Spain that was allied with Rome. Trivial the cause may be, but the conflict roots back deep to the old rivalry for the Mediterranean Sea between the two forces.
By 200 BC, 20 years after the war started, hardly any progress was made on either side. Most fighting took place in Spain with high causalities on both sides. In 200 BC an elder senator by the name of Appius Aurelius Cotta remembered that his father, Caius Aurelius Cotta, ended the first war with Carthage by attacking the the helpless city itself. Appius Aurelius Cotta planed to live up to his fathers’ reputation and win the second Punic war by defeating the Carthaginians in Africa. In 199 BC he landed with a huge force of 3 legions, facing a strong enemy. In the first battle of Sabo he defeated the Carthaginian militia who were trying to win time for the arrival of Carthage best general coming from Egypt: Carthalo
[The scene is a larger army force marching by foot and horses in a wide column. Carthalo is sitting on his horse; his face is unwashed and dirty because of the marching. Next to him are three of his military advisors; he is delivering a long monolog to them.]
Carthalo [speaking calmly]: Milkherems attack on Cotta was not successful, but they probably bought us enough time to reach Cotta before he can advance on our city and mother. I have been thinking about the Romans a lot. These men from Italy are well trained and disciplined. Breaking their back won’t be easy. Hence I have been pondering how to defeat the Romans. 50 years ago there was a terrible battle that we fought against these men at a place called Mazana. There the great Carthaginian leader Hamalcar nearly defeated the Romans. How did he do that? He outflanked their flanking force, pushing mainly through the right side. This is a risking manoeuvre, but if we can hold our Phalanx against their line of infantry, our cavalry might defeat their mounted troops for good. I believe that is the key for victory.
[The scene moves away from Carthalo, fading to a view of the whole army marching to the north. Over 30.000 troops can be seen marching and producing a huge cloud of dust.]
Goodwin: The second battle of Sabo was located at the small hill of Sabo where Cotta placed his troops. On the 5th of June Carthalo reached the Roman encampment and both sides prepared for battle.
Cotta placed his cavalry for flanking duty on the left and right side of his army, while Carthalo placed his cavalry on the entire left flank to break through at that specific point
The Romans wait for Carthalo to make the first move.
Roman Soldier: This one is going to be the big one. This battle might decide everything. Mars be with us.
Other roman soldier: Mars be with us.
Carthalo moves his cavalry; Cotta reacts quickly throwing his reserve to the left flank. Meanwhile the Roman leader gives the sign to charge.
Charging against a phalanx is a deadly endeavour, but in this case it seems to be necessary to keep the enemy at bay while the cavalry wins the flanks.
All eyes lie on the left flank where heavy mounted troops from the Italian region Campania battle Carthaginian mercenaries.
Campanian rider to the military messenger: Too many of them, they are to fast. Send note to Cotta: “Cavalry is overwhelming us – Carthalo himself moving to the left flank as well – we need the Triarii to cover the left flank.”
While the cavalry was fighting on the left flank, Roman infantry was taking heavy casualties in the centre. It was clear that Cotta would loose the battle if the left flank would break away.
The messenger reached Cotta, but it was too late. Carthalo himself positioned him on the left flank, ready to attack the Roman force there. Both sides where ready to charge.
Campanian rider: Alright men. We don’t have enough time to talk this trough. But if we win this one, we can all go home to Rome. Trumpeter, give the sign to charge. The man who kills Carthalo will enter Rome as a rich man.
The battle on the left flank is about to be decided. Both sides charge.
The impact was terrible. Within minutes people get pierced by lances, fall of their horses and get trampled to death. War in antiquity is no less brutal then today.
Carthalo screaming in battle: Get those Roman pigs. Slay them all! For our city and mother.
Carthalos men cause heavy losses on the campanian cavalry. The Roman left flank is breaking away.
The result of this is devastating; the Roman left flank is getting hammered by heavy Carthaginian troops.
Cotta: This is not going well. Fortuna! Fortuna! Why? My name is in shame.
The tide is turning in favour of the Carthaginians. But Cotta remembers the old Roman tradition of devotion where a military commander would deliberately make a suicidal charge against the enemy to inspire the troops and restore the family name.
Cotta: The old roman man is about to die. The old roman spirit is about to live. For Rome! For Victory!
Cotta charges against the right flank, hoping to cause panic at the weaker side of the Carthaginians.
The number of his guards dwindled until he is all alone by himself.
He gets dragged of his horse and beaten to death on the battle field.
The Roman spirit is ignited once again. All troops charge and press against the overwhelming enemy. But is that enough to win the battle?
Meanwhile Roman cavalry rides to the right flank to retrieve Cottas body. Seeing that they are loosing the battle, they would not let Carthalo get the trophy of Cottas body.
Cottas devotion inspired the troops to fight like mad men and although they are able to inflict heavy causalities on the enemy, in doing so the Roman number of troops also grows dangerously thin.
Roman rider: There is his. Get his body and then let’s get out of this hell.
The Roman cavalry is able to retrieve Cottas body, but while returning to their post the moral of the Romans is breaking. After two hours of fighting they are exhausted and weakened. They retreat – they run like hell.
The whole roman army is fleeing, the battle is finally decided. Carthalo has won.
Kennard [sitting in his office]: Even though the Romans inflicted heavy casualties on their most hated enemy the second battle of Sabo was a complete defeat for the Rome. They did not achieve anything, the invasion was a failure, a consul was dead and a good deal of the 5.000 Roman survivors were captured and killed during the march towards the sea. Three legions plus auxiliary was lost. It was only a close victory for Carthage, but it was a total loss for Rome.
Rome had suffered a terrible defeat. But Carthage had only won a battle, not the war. This defeat gave younger and unknown people like Sulla the chance to prove their worth. And indeed, the ancient historian Fabius tells us, that Sulla shouted “By the gods! What a terrible defeat – we can finally win this war” when he heard about the outcome at Sabo, pointing out that his plan for defeating Carthage in Spain might work out after all.
[Multi-AAR] - History of men - EB part
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Originally Posted by Dayve
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This is still pretty awesome though.
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