Paul Chrystal - Roman Military Disasters: Dark Days and Lost Legions

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
Pen & Sword Military
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Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright Paul Chrystal, 2015

ISBN: 978 1 47382 357 0
PDF ISBN: 978 1 47387 396 4
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 47387 395 7
PRC ISBN: 978 1 47387 394 0

The right of Paul Chrystal to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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For the late Eric Wright Chrystal

Contents

Acknowledgements

T hanks to my teachers at school and university, firstly for inspiring me in things classical and then for having the patience and skill to nurture that inspiration. They are: John Hogg, of Hartlepool Grammar School, who started it all with Path to Latin I and Civis Romanus; Dick Jenkinson, Stan Ireland and Tim Ryder at Hull University, who kept it going with Virgils Epische Technik, Roman Britain and purple patches in Carys A History of Rome; their colleagues, the late Frank Norman for Thucydides, Chris Strachan for Thales and Plato, and the late Jeff Hilton for Aeschylus Frogs and Plautus; finally, David Rankin at Southampton University, my MPhil tutor, who gave sound advice on Roman love poets and their women, and some very enjoyable lunches.

I must also thank the following for supplying images: Theresa Calver, Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service, for the magnificent Temple of Claudius artwork on the front cover; Geoff Cook at Cardiff City Hall, for the photograph of the Boudica statue; Professor Tod Bolen at Bibleplaces.com, Santa Clarita, California, for the photos of Jerusalem; Markus Krueger at Digital Park in Lage, Germany, for the Hermann photo; euskadiz.com for the Teutoburg swamp; and The Schiller Inc, Washington, DC, for the Thomas Cole Destruction image: www.theathenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=du&aid=375

Plates

List of Plates

Diagrams

List of Diagrams

Maps

List of Maps

Map 1: Northern Italy

Map 2: Southern Italy

Map 3: North Africa

Map 4: Sicily

Map 5: Spain

Map 6: Greece

Map 7: The Near East at the Time of the First Romano-Parthian War

Timeline

BC

Traditional date for the founding of Rome by Romulus, as given by M. Terentius Varro.

578535 Traditional dates for Servius Tullius, reputed to have introduced hoplite warfare to Rome (Servian Reform); built Servian Walls around Rome.

535510 King Tarquinius Superbus Romes last king. Rome has control over all Latium.

Establishment of the Roman Republic.

Romans defeat the Latin League at Battle of Lake Regillus; Treaty of Cassius, foedus Cassianum.

First secessio plebis.

Romans defeat the Sabines.

Romans defeat the Volsci and Aequi.

400396 Ten-year siege of Veii; Romans defeat the Etruscans.

Gauls sack Rome.

Consulship and military commands thrown open to plebeians.

Servian Walls rebuilt.

Second Treaty of Cassius.

343341 First Samnite War.

341338 Great Latin War; Antium taken.

326304 Second Samnite War; Rome is victorious.

Work on Via Appia starts.

298290 Third Samnite War; Rome wins.

Rome defeats the Gauls at Sentinum.

280275 Pyrrhic War; Pyrrhic victories; Pyrrhus hired by the Tarentines to fight Rome.

264241 First Punic War.

Gates of the Temple of Janus closed for a change; Birth of Scipio Africanus.

229228 First Illyrian War; Rome wins.

Rome massacres Gauls at Battle of Telamon.

220219 Second Illyrian War; Rome successful.

218202 Second Punic War.

Disaster at Cannae.

215205 First Macedonian War; Rome defeats Philip V.

213211 Marcellus takes Syracuse; murder of Archimedes.

Second Macedonian War.

Philip V beaten at Cynoscephalae.

Rome defeats Sparta in RomanSpartan War.

191188 Rome defeats Antiochus III and the Aetolian League in RomanSyrian War.

Death of Scipio Africanus.

181179 First Celtiberian War.

171168 Macedonian War.

155139 Romans defeat Lusitanians under Viriathus.

154151 First Numantine War.

150146 Fourth Macedonian War.

149146 Third Punic War; Carthage destroyed.

146145 Achaean League defeated and Corinth razed in Achaean War.

143133 Second Numantine War; Numantia destroyed.

135132 First Servile War.

125121 Rome victorious in Ligurian War.

121120 Rome defeats Allobroges and Averni.

113101 Rome defeats Cimbri and Teutones.

112106 Jugurthine War.

Birth of Pompey.

104103 Second Servile War; military reforms of Marius.

Birth of Julius Caesar.

9188 Social War.

8885 First Mithridatic War against Mithridates VI of Pontus.

8382 First Roman civil war, between Sulla and the popular faction; Second Mithridatic War.

Sulla returns to Rome as dictator.

7466 Third Mithridatic War, won by Pompey.

7371 Servile War led by Spartacus.

Pompey drives out the pirates.

Fall of Jerusalem; consulship of Cicero; Catiline conspiracy.

6054 First Triumvirate formed by Gaius Julius Caesar, Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus.

5850 Caesar fights the Gallic Wars.

5453 Crassus defeated by the Parthians and killed.