Bora Winds and the Battle of Frigidus

[guy]

During a discussion of the recent orange Sahara dust storm (Sirocco) that swept through Greece, Caesar Novus found this excellent map showing the various winds that impact the Mediterranean (see below).

We probably underestimate the effect that climate events had on ancient history. For example, the Bora wind storm changed the course of Roman history in September AD 394 at the Battle of Frigidus. During the battle, Theodosius won the battle and defeated the usurpers Eugenius and Arbogast. A strong Bora wind impacted the battle at a pivotal point.

During the battle, the hurricane-strength Bora winds blew directly in the faces of the usurpers, disrupting their lines. According to legend, the fierce winds blew the usurper troops' arrows back on themselves. The winds could also have affected the accuracy of the usurpers' pila. 

After winning the battle, Theodosius executed the usurpers Eugenius and Arbogast. With his victory, Theodosius unified the Empire and snuffed out the dying embers of Paganism.

Naturally, Theodosius attributed these seasonal winds to divine intervention.

Here is a short clip of the Bora winds on the streets of Trieste a few years ago. These winds can go above 200 km/hour (124 miles/hour):

 

 

 

 

 

 

A previous post on the recent Sahara dust storm
 

 

 

Battle of the Frigidus - Wikipedia

Edited June 5 by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

The ancients named the prevailing winds. The Weather Channel  thinks we need ned to name every stinking thunderstorm.

Hannibal unwisely tried to cross the Alps, losing half his men and all but one of his elephants to the cold and snow,  yet still vandalized the Italian peninsula for fifteen years. I took the Romans another generation or two to recover from that activity. One has to wonder  "What if..." had Hannibal his full army & menagerie?

[guy]

Here a good video on the Battle of Frigidus. (You may need to put on the English translations for the video.)

 

 

Edited June 1 by guy