The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. The battle was fought near the Allia river: the defeat of the Roman army opened the route for the Gauls to sack Rome. It was fought in 390/387 BC July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 395 BC 394 BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC - 390 BC - 389 BC 388 BC 387... Events The widowed Roman Emperor Theodosius I marries Galla, sister of his colleague Valentinian II Births Deaths Flaccilla, wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Categories: 387 ... Allia, a stream flowing into the Tiber, is 11 miles from Rome and the site of the Battle of Allia, where Romans were defeated by the Gauls under Brennus in 387 BC (others date it 364 or 390). ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... A sculpture, depicting this Brennus that adorned an 18th or 19th century French naval vessel Brennus, a chieftain of the Senones of the Adriatic coast of Italy, who in 387 BC, in the Battle of the Allia, led an army of Cisalpine Gauls in their attack on Rome. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The Battle of Arretium was fought in 285 BC between Rome and Gaul. ... The Battle of Lake Vadimo was fought in 283 BC between Rome and the combined forces of the Etruscans and Gauls. ... The Battle of Faesulae was fought in 225 BC between Rome and a group of Gauls living in Italy. ... The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Gauls and the Roman Republic in 224 BC. The Gaul hosts fought an obstinate two-front battle. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gauls Commanders Marcellus Viridomarus† The Battle of Clastidium was fought in 222 BC between a Roman Republic army led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus and the Gauls led by Viridomarus. ... The Battle of Cremona was fought in 200 BC between the Roman Republic and Cisalpine Gaul. ... The Battle of Mutina was fought in 194 BC between Rome and Gaul. ... Allia, a stream flowing into the Tiber, is 11 miles from Rome and the site of the Battle of Allia, where Romans were defeated by the Gauls under Brennus in 387 BC (others date it 364 or 390). ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 395 BC 394 BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC - 390 BC - 389 BC 388 BC 387... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC - 380s BC - 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC Years: 392 BC 391 BC 390 BC 389 BC 388 BC - 387 BC - 386 BC 385 BC...

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. Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Map showing the extent of the Etruscan civilization and the twelve Etruscan League cities. ... Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. ... Ancient Clusium was a Roman city, one of a succession found at the site. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... This is an article about the privileged class in ancient Rome. ... A portrait of Titus Livius made long after his death. ...

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. The Roman army at this time was very similar to a Greek phalanx battle line, with heavy hoplites in the center (representing the richer Roman citizens) and extending to flanks with poorer and poorly armed citizens (every soldier was required to supply his own equipment). When the Gauls attacked, the Roman flanks were routed leaving the Roman center to be surrounded and slaughtered. Many of Rome's older citizens made up this center and they would be sorely missed in the coming calamity. Marcus Terentius Varro ([[116 BC]–27 BC), also known as Varro Reatinus to distinguish him from his contemporary Varro Atacinus, was a Roman scholar and writer, who the Romans came to call the most learned of all the Romans. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 395 BC 394 BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC - 390 BC - 389 BC 388 BC 387... The Senones were a Celtic people of Gallia Celtica, who in the time of Julius Caesar inhabited the district which now includes the departments of Seine-et-Marne, Loiret and Yonne. ... A sculpture, depicting this Brennus that adorned an 18th or 19th century French naval vessel Brennus, a chieftain of the Senones of the Adriatic coast of Italy, who in 387 BC, in the Battle of the Allia, led an army of Cisalpine Gauls in their attack on Rome. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Allia, a stream flowing into the Tiber, is 11 miles from Rome and the site of the Battle of Allia, where Romans were defeated by the Gauls under Brennus in 387 BC (others date it 364 or 390). ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban...

The remnants of 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. The Gauls unsuccessfully tried a full frontal assault, and due to the Romans' quick thinking, they paid dearly and lost many lives. At this point, the Roman soldiers in Veii needed to get a message to the Senate in order to reinstate Marcus Furius Camillus as the dictator and general, and so a messenger climbed a steep cliff the Gauls had neglected to guard. The messenger left with the Senate's approval, but the Gauls noticed this path onto the hill. 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 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, as 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. The Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus Mons), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the most famous and smallest of the seven hills of Rome. ... Marcus Manlius Capitolinus, a patrician, was consul in 390 BC. According to tradition, when in 390 BC the besieging Gauls of Brennus were attempting to scale the Capitoline Hill, he was roused by the cackling of the sacred geese, rushed to the spot and threw down the foremost assailants (Livy... Other uses: Goose (disambiguation) Genera Anser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese) is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. ... IVNO REGINA (Queen Juno) on a coin celebrating Julia Soaemias. ... Marcus Furius Camillus (circa 446- 365 BC) was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. ...

According to tradition, to add insult to injury, 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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. Map showing the extent of the Etruscan civilization and the twelve Etruscan League cities. ... The Servian Wall now next to the railway station of Termini. ...

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

Later, after Roman defeats in the second Samnite War, recognizing the need for flexibility, the legion was reorganized into three main lines of soldiers: the hastati in front, the principes in the middle, and the triarii in the rear. Men who had been fighting in the legion for up to two years would fight in the Velites rank in the far front, throwing javalins at the enemy and then reteating. Men with more experience would fight in the next two ranks armed with short swords and a sheald. Finally the older Triarii would be in the rear, orginized in smaller units of 60 men as apposed to 120 in the front ranks. The Triarii were armed in Hoplite weapons and armor. The Romans had created a "teaching army" that would introduce the young Velites to battle while minimizing the chances of death. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The plural of the Latin word princeps. ... The Triarii (Latin singular triarius) was the third standard line of infantry of the Roman Republics army. ...

The defeat at the hands of the Gauls was the last time the city of Rome was captured by non-Roman forces until the waning days of the Roman Empire, more than seven centuries later. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• The Roman Army
• Allia
• Herm, Gerhard, The Celts. The People who Came out of the Darkness, pp. 7–13. St. Martin's Press (1977). ISBN 0-312-12705-7.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.