[Multi-AAR] - History of men - EB part

[V.T. Marvin]

Another excellent update. I realy like and admire your colourful mosaic of diferent styles and points of view. This AAR will never grow old. Keep on doing this great job. A piece of art actually.

[gamegeek2]

A. Maze. Ing!

[Fixiwee]

Another excellent update. I realy like and admire your colourful mosaic of diferent styles and points of view. This AAR will never grow old. Keep on doing this great job. A piece of art actually.

This is one of the most heartwarming feedbacks I have recieved for my work. Thank you.

I think that the semi-canonical fiction updates add a lot of colour to the rather sober historical updates. Though I find it quite tough to write a cohesive fictional story because of the quick progress in time.

A. Maze. Ing!

Tha. Nk. U. ;)

[Fixiwee]

When the wolf comes for the sheep, the dog goes to defecate.
~Estern Proverb
Invasion of Syria

The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

While Caesar was preparing his invasion of Syria in 53 BC, the situation in Rome worsened. Turmoil and violence were the order of the day, the citizens and senators were no longer safe and the few Senate meetings were hardly attended by their members. Slowly but steady Rome was declining into chaos and anarchy with it’s climax reaching in 52 and 51 BC, as we will discuss later.

Meanwhile Caesar was prepared for his attack on the Koilesyriakos dynasty, refreshing his legions to troop strength of 35.000 including auxiliary troops.

Commentarii de Bello Asiatico
by Marcus Julius Caesar

XXIII. (Book 4)

The Roman armies entered Syria from the north trying to threaten the most important city going by the name of Antiocheia [Antioch]. This ancient city was considered to be the gateway to Syria, without it Caesar would not be able to win the war. Artemon Koilesyriakos realised this as well and ordered his general Sardikos to protect the northern fields of Antiocheia. Sardikos positioned himself on a plateau on the fields of Pagrae. When Caesar was informed of that he became aware that his swift attack on the Syrian lands had been in vane and the element of surprise was lost. Furthermore Sardikos made good use of some 10 war elephants, well equipped Phalanx and heavy cavalry Cataphracts. There was some serious doubt if the invasion of Syria wasn’t doomed from the start. Yet Caesar did not accept premature defeat and told his men that 250 years ago Alexander the Great did not fear to loose at the battle of Issus.

XXIV.

No Roman soldier had ever entered the lands of the Far East and a feeling of uncertainty could be read from their faces. While some soldiers expressed their insecurity openly, most of the men were held together by rigorous discipline and, to some extend, harsh punishment. Caesar then entered the fields of Pagrae with his men on the 14th of March 52 BC. Knowing that this might be one of the most decisive battles in his campaign he approached each single cohort, giving a personalised speech to them. This gave the men a special feeling that made them understand that each cohort was part of a greater unit and if one cohort would break, so would the other.

XXV.

Meanwhile the enemy was approaching the Roman line. The Syrians brought a mix of light infantry, Phalanx, heavy infantry, light ballistae and about ten heavy war elephants.

Sardikos gave order to charge against the Roman line with full power. Caesar realised the possibility to seize momentum by nullifying the attack with a counter charge. He gave order and immediately the legion began to run against the charging infantry.

This bold move was a risky one and could have ended with a terrible blow against the Roman cause. But luck was on Caesars side and Sardikos troops were caught by surprise inflicting some damage to the enemy line. Immediately the battle turned into hand to hand fighting, and as it turned out later, one of the bloodiest in the entire campaign. The enemy was determined to defeat the Romans and their spirit was formidable. Sardikos made sure that his Elephants ravaged through the Roman infantry and already after 20 minutes of fighting it looked like they would break through the centre of the Roman army.

Now the favour was on Sardikos side, the Elephants smashed their way through the Romans while their flanks were engaged with the Syrian Cataphracts.

Fearing that the centre of the battle would break away Caesar spoke to his legate: “Gnaeus Manius, I give you the command of the entire legions. Meanwhile I have to join the centre of the battle to ensure that the men do not lose heart against the beasts they are fighting with.”And while Caesar did join the ranks of the fifth and second cohort that was fighting against the Elephants, he did not join the fight directly, knowing that his death would mean utter defeat for the Roman people. Nevertheless his appearance ensured that the moral would not break, giving direct commands to the unit engaged.

The Roman general now realised that the soldiers equipped with the Gladius was not enough to penetrate the thick hide of the beasts. It was during the first hour of the battle when Caesar ordered Anatolian auxiliary troops to join the centre of the battle

Usually Roman and Greek historian credit the combat spirit of the simple Roman soldier, which is true for the most, but on this day the Anatolian troops saved the Romans. These Anatolian-Greek spear throwers had long javelins perfectly equipped to hurt and hunt down war elephants.

Now the momentum was shifting to Caesar again and it looked like a total disaster was turning to a complete victory. The Elephants fell or fled, and with these colossal monsters falling, the spirit of the Syrians was veining. The Roman elite infantry was now able to gain ground against the heavy Syrian cavalry inflicting heavy casualties after two hours of fighting.

The Syrians were severely decimated when Caesar got news that Sardikos had fallen to a Roman sword. The rest of the men caught the news as well and the battle ran out with many Syrians surrendering and some fleeing the battlefield. [...]

The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

The battle of Pagrae proved to be the last and decisive battle in the Asian campaign. Caesar’s legions killed 10.000 men and some 11.000 surrendered to him. The able military general Sardikos was dead; Artemon Koilesyriakos was on the run and captured soon after. The cities Antioch, Sidon and Damascus were now in Roman hands. In the end Caesars campaign effectively destroyed the Seleucid Empire.

Caesar ensured peace with the Parthians and the Ptolemaists before returning to West-Anatolia, where he started his campaign, in the winter 52 BC. Just in time as we will see later, since a new conflict was brewing in Rome.

[Fixiwee]

How Lucius Marcundus accidentally brought down the Roman Republic

By Eric Damon

(Part VI)

He was standing on a simple road, staring at the sun. He had made it this far and still he wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve. Lucius was standing at the edge of a small village called Natzrat. The houses here were made out of greyish and white coloured clay and people were living more simple lives. From what Lucius gathered the people of these lands believed that all life was created by a single god and that they were in some way a chosen people. But since Lucius religious believes were never very strong he didn’t judge these people called the Jews.
He passed a small hut and approached a middle aged man with a bushy beard and grey linen cloths. The artist asked in Greek, which he spoke fluently, if the man knew where he could find Vibia. The man didn’t understand him, but when Lucius spoke about Vibia he smiled and pointed on a clay building up the road. The sculptor approached the building finding himself between a carpenter and a cloth workshop. Vibia was sitting outside tailoring cloth. Lucius came closer while staring at her. She realised that she was being watched and looked up at Lucius. Then she gasped. “She looks old” the sculptor thought.

“Lucius?” she stood up and asked again: “Lucius?” Her eyes were wide open. “What in Gods name are you doing here?” Her hair was partly grey, her face looked older then she actually was and her hands had scars all over it.
“I came to see you.” Lucius replied with a voice that was trembling with fear. His hands were shaking. Suddenly he thought that coming here wasn’t a good idea at all.
“Why would you do such a stupid thing?”
“Well I was around the corner conquering the world with Caesar Asiaticus and I thought I dropped by.” He tried to grin.
Vibia didn’t laugh, she didn’t even smile. Her face was plain empty. Was this the women Lucius fell in love so long ago?
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I heard that you run a trading company in Jerusalem. But when I got there I only found a trace leading to this small village.”
“Lucius my dear, sit down and let me offer you a glass of wine.”

When they sat down they looked at each other deeply, but without any passion. Lucius didn’t like the way this was going.
“Lucius, when you left Athens I was devastated for a while. But I moved on and sized new opportunities. I met a man called Karasthos, a Greek who dealt business with the Jewish people. I married him and we moved to Jerusalem. We had a daughter together and things seemed to be fine. One day Karasthos simply vanished, leaving a small bag of money. I soon found out that the company was in heavy debts and then things went terrible. Thugs came a few days later, plundered our home and took my daughter…” she sighted “they took my daughter and me to a slave market outside of the town where Romans and Greek clients came to barter.” She paused. “I want to spare you what happened after that but I tell you that my life wasn’t pretty at all. Once I grew too old I was put on the slave market as cheap ware and it was then when an old pious widowed Jew came up and bought me. Nathaniel freed me, brought me here and I thanked him by married him. Ever since I pray to God that my daughter is okay and I’m simply trying to live my life till I die.”
“I don’t know what to say. This wasn’t how I expected things to happen.”
“You’re now about 40 years old and you still don’t realise that you are responsible for everything you do in your life. Lucius, we could have had a happy life together”. He was impressed how well she read him. “We could have had a family, kids and a house together. But you were only twenty years old. You were a rebellious kid trying to experience the youth. And I don’t blame you. I feel no anger for the fact that you ran away from me. But I spent too many years in question until I realised that I had to let go. Maybe, after over two decades, you should too.”

Lucius just sat there, looking at her. Then she suddenly stood up and kissed him.
Lucius still looked at her.
Then he stood up, touched her hair and said: “Thank you.”

He left Vibia and never looked back.

[Fixiwee]

“Politics is the art of postponing decisions until they are no longer relevant.”
~ Henri Queuille quotes
Fall of the first Triumvirate

A history of Rome, by Prof Alfred Kennard, 2002 New York

The year 51 BC saw a new outbreak of violence and anarchy in Rome. While the Triumvirate was still intact the stability of the agreement was shifting. Nero started to realize the possibility that Crassus was using the Triumvirate for his own good. Rumours were rising that Crassus secretly supported the anarchy in Rome with large sums of gold. The motivations of Crassus were not clear, some said he tried to obtain more power, some argued that he tried to gain financial interest through the chaos.







But Crassus schemes were uncovered and the Senate realized that the Republic was in serious peril. The Optimates voted Nero as a sole consul (consule sine collega) and mandated him to safe the republic. Nero then tried to trail Crassus, failed to bring him before court and declared him a public enemy in the winter of 51 BC. Street violence and chaos was now on a climax with Crassus trying to hide within the city. In early 50 BC Crassus realized that his position was hopeless and his allies were dwindling. He fled from Rome in April, trying to reach Spain by boat. Luckily for Nero, Crassus died on the way to Spain. Some rumoured that Crassus had been murdered, but ancient historian Helenos argued that he simply died of a heart attack.
While order was restored in Rome the breaking of Crassus from the Triumvirate effectively ended the private agreement. Caesar was still in sitting in Asia, seeing Neros sole consul and the destruction of the Triumvirate as betrayal. Now in the year 50 BC the conflict between the two men was sharpening.

Helenos – The life of Claudius Nero
(written about 100 AD)

About the character of Aulus Claudius Nero.
It is a difficult task to describe Neros character. Above all he was a great general and in his youth an ambitious man. But over the years the stubborn Roman politics tired him out. His alliance with Crassus and Caesar was only temporarily. Politically he changed direction many times, most notably in 704 Ab Urbe Condita [50BC] when he was being approached by Tiberius Sergius Orata and Numerius Cornelius Dollabella and asked to save the republic from what they called the tyrant from the east. Nero had troubles finding his own political position and for a man of his prestige his stance was easily swayed. The Claudian didn’t have the charismatic way of Caesar, nor the administrative talent of Matellus.

For all the negative aspects of Neros character there is yet enough room to say good about him. Foremost Nero was a humble and honest man. He refused to use the corrupt political system in Rome to enrich himself. His house in Rome wasn’t pompous, nor did it contain any luxuries. By these actions he sought to set a standard to the ancient Roman families, much like Metellus the Censor did a century earlier.
Another aspect was that Nero was immensely popular with his soldiers. His strict but down to earth way to deal with his men was favoured throughout the ranks. Nero also didn’t like to hastily throw people into certain death. While this made him a hesitant attacker, it was well regarded by the soldiers that their lives were valued.
When the Optimates approached Nero they saw the lesser evil between him and Caesar and his military ability should be able to deal with the pro-consul of Asia.

[Fixiwee]

The quiet before the storm

The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

After Crassus vanished from the political scene in 50 BC, Neros and the Senates last problem was Caesar in the east. Some die hard republicans wanted to see Caesar before court for his illegal warfare against the Koilesyriakos dynasty in Anatolia and Syria. Caesar on the other hand wanted to return to Rome without fearing political persecution. The only way to get political immunity was to become Consul again. But since one had to be in Rome to run for office, Caesar had no possibility to make himself a candidate. He then tried to solve the problem by trying to run for Consul in abstinent, after all he many supporters that would deal with his political campaign while he would remain in the east. The Senate disagreed due the Optimates, including the senators Orata and Dolabella. Nero sent his brother to Caesar trying to negotiate terms that would lead to a solution without bloodshed.

But Dolabella pressed hard against Nero, urging him to safe the republic from certain destruction. Nero hesitated at first but agreed after heavy debates with his new allies to bring the second legion from northern Italy to Rome for protection. When the legion crossed the Rubicon in the summer of 50 BC the die was as good as cast.


The second legion marching to Rome to protect the Senate.

This double minded strategy puzzled Caesar who had to react on either Neros brother or the armament of Rome. He decided to bring his troops to Athens in autumn; this way he showed that he was serious without declaring war against Nero and at the same time he was closer to Rome, which made dealings in politics easier. For the moment it seemed like both sides were in a deadlock situation.


Caesars fleet landing in Athens.

How Lucius Marcundus accidentally brought down the Roman Republic

By Eric Damon

(Part VII)

The villa stood before him just like it did twenty years ago. It was still inhabited, but it lost much of its former glance. Lucius was standing in Athens at the villa where he attended a party so many years ago. It was the party of Aulus Claudius Nero and it was there where he met Caesar and Vibia. Now the two statesmen were enemies and civil war was at hand yet again. But Lucius spent most of his thoughts on Vibia and the night he got to know her. Her words were still ringing in his ears and even though Lucius was a happy and humorous person, he could not get these dark thoughts out of his head.

He finally left the villa, went down the road, left Athens moving on a good while until he reached the sea. The harbour was full of Roman ships these days, after all Caesar was preparing for the possibility of war.

There he sat at the beach for a while, staring at the sea. He tried to clear his mind, but Lucius simply couldn’t think of anything at all. Suddenly he heard someone approaching him, he looked back and there was Caesar standing behind him.

“Marcus?” he said.

“Is the spot next to you still free?” the general said.

Caesar sat down. They hadn’t seen each other since Lucius left for Jerusalem.

“You want to talk about your trip?”

Lucius looked Marcus deep in the eyes and said “No.”

He sighted.

“No I think it’s better if I leave that behind me. But I’ve been thinking about life, how short it is and all the possibilities we never take. See, I came with you to see the world, to see Asia, explore places and meet new people. I’m quite rich because of my contract to you, when I’ll come back to Rome I’m going to be a made man. I could probably even buy a Villa in the Bay of Naples.”

Caesar for once, was listening deeply. He knew very well when he had to take the initiative to talk and influence people, but he also knew there was a time where one simply had to shut up and listen.

Lucius continued: “I’m just sick that everything in this life happens without me being able to influence it. So many things go wrong, and when there is this one chance to do something right I hesitated. But in the end you have to size the opportunity and do what you are supposed to do, no matter the cost. No matter what other people think of you. If you are right, then do it. No compromise.”

Marcus Julius Caesar understood that he was talking about his former love.

He stood up, patted Lucius blond hair and said: “Lucius Marcundus, you never size to amaze me. Thank you, you just helped me make a decision.”

Caesar smiled and left.

Lucius was confused, but didn’t pay much attention. A day later Caesar made his big decision that would change the Roman Republic forever. And Lucius always wondered if it was because of what he said.