Primus Pilus

Due to the overwhelming response to our original wallmap product, UNRV.com is thrilled to present a new and vastly improved 'Wallmap of the Roman Empire' (circa 117 AD). Exhaustively researched over the course of two years and subject to five months of design and historical scrutiny, this 'poster' is not simply an artistic work, but truly an educational resource in its own right... Roman Empire Wallmap

I do agree mostly with the 'equal culpability' theory, but the following stands out: While this is in theory true, why then did so many allow the convictions of Cato to prevail as the overriding position... therefore putting the onus on Caesar at the Rubicon? The likely truth is that most of the Senate simply did not believe that it would ever come to what ultimately happened. Did they truly believe that Cato was in the right by the standards of the law? Did they believe that the presence of Pompey would deter Caesar from using military options? Did they believe that if Caesar just admitted to his own manipulation of the law that Cato may relent and allow certain compromises (such as a triumphant prosecution free return to Rome)? Despite the patron-client system of the Republic, a system that discouraged open dissent from within a 'party', rewarded client obedience and loyalty with political appointment, etc, and was simply 'the way it was', its difficult to grasp how so many moderates and backbenchers allowed what essentially came down to ego to dictate such a monumental series of historical events. Though I suppose politics is not alot different now in that respect.

It should also be noted that the great bulk of Trajan's eastern 'conquests' (matters were still very much unsettled) were given up almost immediately after his death by Hadrian.

Aulus Hirtius has long been credited as the writer of the eighth book of 'The Gallic Wars' and 'The Alexandrian War', but the authorship of the others is in doubt. The ancients apparantly thought that Hirtius wrote The African War and the Spanish War but modern scholars seem to think he may have been an editor. Unfortunately his massive correspondence with Cicero (a personal friend), which probably could have provided some answers, is lost to history. Personally, perhaps my brain doesn't work in the same way as others, but I have a hard time differentiating between the styles of the 'non Caesar' books.

Hmm, quite frankly there isn't anything all that valuable as 'counter-Caesar' regarding the actual military campaigns in Gaul. Politically there is much more available in the form of Cicero's writings (and the other afore mentioned sources). I forgot to mention Appian as a wonderful source of the time period, but again it is from the Roman perspective and there is some counter opinion to Caesar laced throughout but he would not be considered anti-Caesar. Plutarch is also vastly important for his many biographies of key players in the time period (anti Caesarian Cato and Brutus included). I mentioned Tacitus Germania before, but it represents a time period over a century later. Not much changed from a cultural or military standpoint, but his work has no relationship with Caesar's campaigns.

Hmm, my wife might not like that

Tacitus gives a wonderful account of Germania in the appropriately titled Germania. Other accounts of Roman expeditions against Germania are provided by the standard sources (Tacitus, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, etc.) but there is nothing written from the perspective of the 'enemy'... at least not from the ancient perspective.

Ahh now its working, nevermind me

Ahh 35... just old enough that you can begin to feel your bones creak, yet young enough that you can actively take part in the types of things that make your bones creak. Now if I could just figure out that creaking sound in my head.... Thanks all.

Well either you sold them all and congratulations are in order, or there is something wrong with the link... I don't see any books?

The famous coin believed to be that referenced in the testament of Jesus Christ (Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke) "Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar

Additionally there is sometimes confusion on the idea that the guard itself was Germanic because Vitellius and later Septimius Severus recruited the guard completely from the legions serving the borders of Germania (usually indicated as German Legions).

They did use undermining of some sort at Jerusalem with Titus didn't they ? Uhm weren't the Jewish rebels cooped on a hill though, so how would mining work? Didn't the Romans also built a huge ramp to reach the top too? They are talking about the siege of Jersusalem. You're thinking of Masada, Flavius. Josephus and Tacitus give decent accounts of Roman siege efforts against Jerusalem. The Romans did use ramps built against the city walls in order to smash them down with battering rams. Cassius Dio reported that the Jews countermined the Roman ramps, but I believe this idea is in dispute. From Tacitus:

Diocletion's is perhaps the most well recorded because of the timing in the later empire when Christian writers were very prevalent and because of christian growth by that period. Sure, these same writers may have embellished but its pretty clear from various edicts that Diocletion wasn't exactly a friend of the Christians. I have a hard time labelling Nero's as the worst, simply because I've never had the impression that he really cared who he was killing at that instance, just so long as it helped redirect the political heat he was taking for the fires of Rome. If we can believe the sources verbatim, it certainly classifies as among the most brutal though. I've discussed Domitian several times on this forum, and find the evidence for his persecution to be completely unfounded. He may have killed Christians, but he didn't seem to target them in particular over any other group or faction. The man had a penchant for killing and Christians were just some of many. You probably should have included all 10 reported persecutions... Nero (64 AD) Domitian (90-96) Trajan (98-117) Hadrian (117-138) Marcus Aurelius (161-181) Septimus Severus (202-211) Maximus the Thracian (235-251) Decius (249-251) Valerian (257-260) Diocletion & Galerius (303-311) ...but I'll stick with Diocletion for his last ditch efforts to stem the tide of Christianity.

My own very brief summary

Legio XIV Gemina is in nearby Wisconsin. I would normally suggest asking around at RAT (usually at RAT but they are currently having some technical difficulties (the kind we are all too familiar with ), but if you wait a bit I'm sure they'll be back to normal soon. Otherwise maybe give www.romanhideout.com a try

Yeah, I hate that Matthew. Its a personal thing from a previous life Actually I just haven't finished the edits yet. I'm compiling some additional updates and would rather do it all at once.

I think that is precisely the reasoning for doubt (the Alesia issue). If such techniques were known, why then did they not apply them when they were perhaps most applicable at Alesia. Its just the sort of subtlety that makes one question Caesar. Personally I believe him, because I don't quite correlate the Gauls using siege weapons with over glorifying the enemy for personal gain, though there is perhaps some dramatization involved with the use of such terms as 'expert'. At any rate, there are a couple of mentions of Trajan's Column as evidence of Celtic siege warfare. To my recollection and correct me if I'm wrong., there is only a depiction of Dacians using battering rams against a Roman fort, and all other references to siege weapons are from the Roman perspective. Trajan's Column Overview Secondly were Dacians actually considered Celt? I'm sure there is a close relation as there is with all Indo-Europeans, but I am under the impression that the Dacians or Getae were Thracian and not necessarily Celt? Perhaps someone who is more inclined to this sort of thing can provide more detail?

By the way, I don't personally feel that Philhellene is attacking anyone, I think he is just pointing out improvements that could be made. We are all entitled to our opinions after all