RES GESTAE SENATUS POPVLIQVE ROMANI

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In the year of the consuls Ap. Claudius Caudex and M. Fulvius Flaccus, stratae viae were finished in the area around Taras. The Senate and People of Rome voted to fund an aedicula Vestae at Ariminum and drainage at Bononia. In the winter of that year L. Cornelius Scipio, learning that the army that had invaded the lands around Ariminum had come from Patavium, besieged that city so as to punish those who had attacked Roma's allies and to prevent any additional insurgence, having G. Aurelius Cotta and M. Aemilius Paulus as his tribunes. The Senate and Roman People voted one full legion to Scipio for this expedition. So ended the four hundred and nintieth year AVC.

In the year of the consuls M' Valerius Maximus and M' Otacilius Crassus, during the spring, Patavium was assaulted, being defended by many warriors under the command of Caratawc, their chieftain.



Scipio drew up his legion and assaulted the main gate, using rams to batter down sections of the wall as well as the gate itself. As the rams were about their work Scipio ordered his leves forward to prevent the men operating the rams from being molested.





The enemy at first retreated when the walls had been battered down, allowing the men of Scipio to enter, but Caratawc, once the light infantry was pouring through the breaches in poor order, ordered his men to charge downhill at them, causing much dismay. The Samnites, stationed on the left, withstood the howling charge until a unit of principes could assist them.





Many of the lighter units of Scipio's infantry were routed, fleeing back out the breaches, impeding those who would come forward to replace them, the heavily armored horsemen of Caratawc's retinue running down many as they fled. Cotta, seeing that the banner of the enemy chieftain had stopped, impeded by a maniple of triarii whose spears were some proof against horses, especially in narrow places, at length and by a roundabout route managed to fall upon the enemy from behind. After several charges Caratawc himself was killed and his men, disheartened by his death, tried to flee. Scipio himself, with his tribune M. Aemilius Paulus, rode down the enemy and slaughtered them to a man.







The taking of Patavium was the only military action of that year. Before the winter the region around Patavium was pacified, the walls repaired, and drainage was installed. At Roma a villa proconsulis was built, at Arpi a villa magistratus. So ended the four hundred and ninety-first year AVC.

In the year of the consuls L. Postumius Megellus and Q. Mamilius Vitulus the Senate and People of Rome voted to fund many improvements to Roma and her allies. A forum was built at Capua and a ludus at Taras. A forum was completed in Arretium, a macellum in Ariminum, and a villa magistratus in Patavium. Rhegion and Bononia both were admitted to the Administratio Regionum Italicarum. In the winter of that year, perceiving that, in order to prevent further incursions into Italy by hostile forces, all lands south of the Po needed to be brought into the number of Roma's allies, L. Cornelius Scipio sent his tribunes, G. Aurelius Cotta and M. Aemilius Paulus, to Segesta for the sake of such an alliance. The Gauls in Segesta were not willing to partake of this alliance, preferring liberty to security, and therefore Cotta and Paulus invested the city in the winter. So ended the four hundred and ninety-second year AVC.

In the year of the consuls L. Valerius Flaccus and T. Otacilius Crassus the cities of Arpi, Rhegion, and Patavium recieved at public expense a macellum, cloacae, and a fanum Minervae respectively. In the autumn of that year the new horreum was used for the first time in Ariminum, while that winter Rhegion and Patavium both held races in a circus simplex for the first time. Also that winter Taras opened her portus mercatorius and Bononia built a villa magistratus. Certain Segestans, not content with the rule of Conan, a barbarian, sought to treat with the legion investing their city. Under cover of night they were led to M. Aemilius Paulus and G. Aurelius Cotta, tribunes of L. Cornelius Scipio, as well as C. Aurelius Cotta, nephew to the tribune, though they were of an age, and indeed the uncle was slightly the younger. The dissident Segestans having promised to open the gates, the tribunes taking counsel with one another, thinking it best not to wait for Scipio, as he was occupied with the administration of new territory north of the Po, decided to take the city by assault and execute the barbarian oppressor.



Conan ordered him men to repel the forces of Paulus and Cotta at any cost, not allowing them to enter the city. Having procured the service of friendly Gallic archers, Paulus, to whom, eldest, the order of the siege had been given ordered the leves and Gauls to barrage the defenders, allowing the hastati to operate their battering rams.





The enemy could not withstand the rain of darts and arrows from outside the walls and falling back to regroup allowed a short span wherein the hastati and principes could form up just inside the walls. For hours thereafter the Gauls, urged forward by Conan, attacked the line of legionaires, each charge leaving more dead, each charge slower for the number of groaning men laying in its path. The hastati and principes held the line, though they lost a number of men.





During the afternoon the Gauls retired deep into the city and Paulus ordered the hastati and principes to rest, having fought for most of the day with no respite. The triarii, whose spears and close order were most effective in narrow alleyways, led the rorarii through the city towards the marketplace where Conan and his second in command, Meriadoc, had fortified their position, refusing to retreat though they were outnumbered. Hearing the ordered step of the triarii Conan led his bodyguard against them, hoping by their defeat to open a way out of the square, but the line held. Cotta, arriving late, when the triarii were beginning to falter, fell upon the mounted Gauls, pressing towards the banner of Conan. The barbarian, seeing Cotta's standard, drove towards him and for a time they were engaged. Finally, though the Gallic mail was thick, they guard of the chieftain perished one by one, Conan among them.









Although Cotta had led his men near to the square and the last of the enemy therein, Paulus signaled a withdrawal, as the forces on foot were too tired to continue, and night was fast approaching.



After allowing the infantry to rest, and indeed hiring Gallic spearmen from the area who saw benefit in joining the Roman cause, Paulus assaulted Segesta again in the first week of summer.

Meriadoc, still refusing to admit defeat, even preferring death to surrender, led his forces against those of Paulus at the walls. There were so few barbarians left at this time that they were quickly overwhelmed, and Cotta could roam where he would, as there was no longer any Gallic horse, the few mounts remaining after the last assault having been used as food by the beleaguered. Although they fought ferociously, as cornered beasts are wont, and in no order, the barbarians succumbed.















After the city had been taken in this second assault, Paulus ordered that the walls be rebuilt and that a system of drainage be installed for the city. Before the onset of winter the legion, still commanded by Paulus and Cotta, pacified the rest of the region. So ended the four hundred and ninety-third year AVC.