A sculpture, depicting this Brennus that adorned an 18th or 19th century French naval vessel

See also: Brennus (3rd century BC) and Brennus

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. The Senones captured the entire city of Rome except for the Capitoline Hill, which was successfully held against them. However, seeing their city devastated, the Romans attempted to buy their salvation from Brennus. The Romans agreed to pay one thousand pounds weight of gold. According to legend, during a dispute over the accuracy of the weights used to measure the ransom of gold Brennus demanded, he threw his sword upon the scales and uttered the famous quote "Vae victis", which translates to "woe to the vanquished". Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 504 KB)A sculpture of Brennus from a French naval ship, by unknown 19th or 18th century French artist, showcased at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, photographed by DONeil. ... Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 504 KB)A sculpture of Brennus from a French naval ship, by unknown 19th or 18th century French artist, showcased at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, photographed by DONeil. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sculpture, depicting the Brennus who led the attack on Rome, that adorned an 18th or 19th century French naval vessel Brennus is the name of two Celtic chieftains famous in ancient history: The sack of Rome In 387 BC, in the Battle of the Allia an army of Cisalpine... 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. ... 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... Combatants Roman Republic Gauls Commanders Quintus Sulpicius Brennus Strength 40,000 40,000 The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location within Province of Rome in the Region of Latium Coordinates: Region Latium Province Province of Rome Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Piazza del Campidoglio, on the top of Capitoline Hill, with the façade of Palazzo Senatorio. ... Vae victis is Latin for Woe to the conquered. In 390 BC, an army of Gauls led by Brennus attacked Rome, capturing all of the city except for the Capitoline Hill, which was successfully held against them. ...

The argument over the weights had delayed Brennus, so that the exiled dictator Marcus Furius Camillus appeared with an army and refused to allow him to take the gold. In an initial battle through Rome's streets, the Gauls were ejected from the city and in a second battle away from the city, Camillus defeated the invaders, earning the title of the 'Second Founder of Rome' and 'Pater Patriae' for saving the city. Marcus Furius Camillus (circa 446- 365 BC) was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. ... Pater Patriae (plural Patres Patriae), also seen as Parens Patriae, is a Latin honorific title meaning Father of the Fatherland. ...

Some historical accounts say that Senones besieging the Capitoline Hill were afflicted with an illness and thus were in a weakened state they took the ransom for Rome. This is plausible as dysentery and other santitation issues have incapacitated/killed large numbers of combat soldiers up until and including modern times. Dysentery is an illness (formerly known as the bloody flux or simply flux) involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. ...

It has been theorized that Brennus was working in concert with Dionysius of Syracuse, who sought to control all of Sicily. Rome had strong allegencies with Messana, a small city state in north west Sicily, which Dionysius wanted to control. With Rome's army pinned down by Brennus' efforts Dionysius led a campaign which ultimately failed. Brennus may have been paid twice to sack Rome. This page is about Dionysius the tyrant of Syracuse. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Map of Italy showing Messina in the northeast point of Sicily Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. ...

It has been theorized that Brennus is actually a title rather than a name.

References

• Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 5.34-49
• Diodorus Siculus, Library 14.113-117
• Plutarch, Camillus 15-30
• Polybius, Histories 2.18
• Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 13.6-12

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Brennus (4th century BC)