Battle of the Allia: Encyclopedia - Battle of the Allia

Battle of the Allia

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

Battle of the Allia - Background

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

Battle of the Allia - Roman Disaster

According to the common (but incorrect) Varronian chronology, the battle took place on July 18, 390 BC, but a more plausible date is 387. About 40,000 Romans under Quintus Sulpicius fought against the Senones, a Gallic tribe who were about equal in number, under Brennus. The Romans, with six legions, took post on the Allia to check the advance of the Senones on Rome. Here they were attacked by Brennus, who routed the right wing, where the younger soldiers were posted, then broke the Roman center and left, putting them to flight with enormous losses.

The legions fled back to Rome in panic; as Livy states, "all hastened to Rome and took refuge in the Capitol without closing the gates." In Rome the citizens barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill, and according to legend Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was alerted to the Gallic attack by the sacred geese of Juno. The rest of the city was plundered and almost all of the Roman records were destroyed. As a result, all Roman history prior to this date is perhaps more legend than fact. Marcus Furius Camillus may have arrived with a relief army, but this may be Roman propaganda to help quell the humiliation of defeat. The Gauls may have been ill-prepared for the siege, and an epidemic broke out among them as a result of not burying the dead. Brennus and the Romans negotiated an end to the siege when the Romans agreed to pay one thousand pounds in gold.

According to tradition, to add insult to humiliation, it was discovered that Brennus was using heavier weights than standard for weighing the gold. When the Romans complained, Brennus is said to have exclaimed "vae victis" - "woe to the vanquished". It was in this very moment that Camillus arrived with a Roman army, and, after putting his sword on the steelyard, replied "Not gold, but steel redeems the native land", thus attacking and defeating the Gauls.

Battle of the Allia - Recovery and Reform

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

The Romans also began restructuring their military organization: They ceased using the Greek phalanx style spear and adopted the gladius and better armor, such as replacing the bronze helmet for polished iron, which caused swords to be deflected.

The legions were also reorganized. Recognizing the need for flexibility, the legion was organized into three lines of soldiers: the hastati in front, the principes in the middle, and the triarii in the rear. By putting the most experienced soldiers on the third line, the Romans achieved the capability to tire the enemies with the first two lines, and then to smash them with the third. These reforms would be in place until Publius Cornelius Scipio (consul 218 BC) would again make further reforms.

The defeat at the hands of the Gauls was the last time that the city of Rome was captured by non-Roman forces until the waning days of the Roman Empire, more than seven centuries later.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Battle of the Allia", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki