British Celtic War Chariot 50 BC

-Johnny Shumate

Centurions of Distinction

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Gaius Crastinus (c. 85 BC – 48 BC) was a soldier in Julius Caesar’s 10th legion during his Gallic Wars. He had first joined either the 8th or 9th legion in 65 BC, when Pompey Magnus had first raised these two legions in Spain. He transferred over to the 10th legion as a junior-grade centurion in 61 BC when it was first formed, after being handpicked by Caesar. After joining the 10th legion, he commanded a Century. Crastinus fought throughout Caesar’s Gallic campaigns, and was present at the Battle of Alesia, where he witnessed the surrender of the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix to the forces of the Roman Republic. Early in the war, Crastinus commanded his unit as it repelled an attempted crossing of a river by the Helvetii. Crastinus, whom Caesar considered to be amongst his best soldiers, was promoted by Caesar to the rank of Primus Pilus, or “First Spear” Centurion. This rank was one of exceptional prestige, since centurions of this rank commanded the first (primus), and most important, century in a Legion. With this rank, Crastinus also would have outranked all other centurions in his legion, as it was the highest possible rank of any enlisted Roman soldier.

He died in the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, playing a vital role as he led a forlorn hope party of volunteers in the opening attack against Pompey’s line from Caesar’s right wing. As reported by Caesar in the De Bello Civili he incited his comrades saying “Follow me, my old comrades, and give your general true service. Only this battle remains; when it’s over he will regain his dignity and we our freedom.” Then he turned to Caesar and said “Today, general, I shall earn your gratitude whether I live or die”. He almost broke through the enemy line before being killed by an enemy legionary thrusting a gladius in his mouth. Appianus reports that after the battle Caesar himself said to be in Crastinus’ debt, tributed him heroic rites and erecting an altar.

Ross Cowan in his monograph “Roman Battle Tactics 109 BC – AD 313” advances the hypothesis that Crastinus offered himself as sacrifice to the Underworld Gods to ensure Caesar victory in a Devotio. In this rite, a Roman soldier offered to die in battle and pledged his soul to the Gods of underworld to ensure in exchange the destruction of the enemy. The Italian historian Luciano Canfora in his book “Giulio Cesare. Il dittatore democratico” likens the figure of Crastinus as that of a political commissar, totally devoted to the Caesarian party to the point of volunteering for a suicide mission.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Crastinus

Roman Officer (Centurion)of Second Class Levy, 6th century BC

54mm white metal, € 32,00
Sculpted by Adriano Laruccia
Painted by Marco Lucchetti
Historical research by Raffaele D’Amato

Last King of Rome

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Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (535 – 496 BC) was the legendary seventh and final King of Rome, reigning from 535 BC until the popular uprising in 509 BC that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic. He is commonly known as Tarquin the Proud, from his cognomen Superbus, a Latin word meaning “proud, arrogant, lofty.”^[1] The Tarquins were of Etruscan origin. According to Roman tradition, Tarquinius Superbus gained the kingship by ordering the assassination of his much-admired predecessor, Servius Tullius.

Tarquin’s father, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, was the fifth King of Rome, reigning 616-579 BC. His grandfather was said to be Demaratus the Corinthian, an immigrant from the Greek city of Corinth. Priscus himself originated in the Etruscan city of Tarquinia. Disgruntled with his opportunities there, Priscus migrated to Rome with his wife Tanaquil, at her suggestion. On their arrival, Tanaquil interpreted an omen as predicting Priscus’ future as King of Rome.^[2] Superbus was not the immediate successor of his father Priscus, since Servius Tullius took the throne on Priscus’ death.

Ancient accounts of the Regal period mingle history and legend. The reign of Tarquin is typically described as a tyranny that justified the abolition of the monarchy. His kingship ended in 509 BC, after his son Sextus Tarquinius raped Lucretia, a married noblewoman known as an exemplar of virtue.^[3] This outrage inspired an uprising led by the aristocrat Lucius Junius Brutus, which resulted in the expulsion of Tarquin and his family from Rome.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Tarquinius_Superbus

Battle of Mursa Major

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Commanders and leaders: Magnentius and Constantius II

Strength: Magnentius 35,000+ (originally 65,000, until a key general defected). Constantus II about 60,000+ (originally 30,000, until a key general defected to his side)

Casualties and losses: Magnentius 25,000+, Constantius II 30,000+. Total 55,000 in one day

The Battle of Mursa Major was fought in 351 between the Eastern Roman army led by Constantius II and the western forces supporting the usurper Magnentius.

The action took place along the valley of the Drava River, a Danube tributary in present day Croatia.

Before the battle, Constantius sent Flavius Philippus, his Praetorian prefect, to negotiate with Magnentius, requiring that the usurper withdraw back to Gaul. After this inconclusive mission, one of Magnentius’ commanders, Claudius Silvanus, and most of his men deserted to Constantius, thus helping seal the outcome.

The battle was one of the bloodiest in Roman military history. According to Zonaras (xiii 8.17), Magnentius lost upwards of two-thirds of his troops, and Constantius about half of his army, for a total of over 50,000 casualties, in an age in which the Empire was under severe external pressure from Goths, Alamanni and Persians, as well as internal dissensions and rebellions.

There was also a religious meaning to the conflict. Magnentius had restored some rights to the pagans, while Constantius even left the battlefield to pray on the nearby tomb of a Christian martyr. The bishop of Mursa, Valens, told the pious Emperor that an angel had reported to him the news of the victory, thus ending any chance of a pagan revival.

Magnentius, who had lost in the battle his loyal supporter magister officiorum Marcellinus, would suffer another, final defeat, two years later at Mons Seleucus.

Art: Iron Mittens

Source: wikipedia.

Battle of Pydna

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The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC between Rome and the Macedonian Antigonid dynasty saw the further ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenic/Hellenisticworld and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back to Alexander the Great.

Paul K. Davis writes that “Pydna marked the final destruction of Alexander’s empire and introduced Roman authority over the Near East.”^[1

Battle

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The Romans had 29,000 men, of which 24,500 were infantry, including two legions (approximate strength 15,000 foot and horse). The Macedonians had 44,000 soldiers, of which 21,000 were phalangites. The cavalry forces were roughly equal, about 4,000 each. The two armies were drawn up in their usual fashion. The Romans had placed the two legions in the middle, with the allied Latin, Italian and Greek infantry on their flanks. The cavalry was placed on the wings, with the Roman right being supplemented by 22 elephants. The phalanx took up the center of the Macedonian line, with the elite 3,000-strong Guard formed to the left of the phalanx. Lighter peltasts, mercenaries and Thracian infantry guarded the two flanks of the phalanx, while the Macedonian cavalry was also most probably arrayed on both flanks. The stronger contingent was on the Macedonian right, where Perseus commanded the heavy cavalry (including his elite Sacred Squadron), and the ThracianOdrysian cavalry were deployed.

The two centers engaged at about 3pm, with the Macedonians advancing on the Romans a short distance from the Roman camp. Paullus claimed later that the sight of the phalanx filled him with alarm and amazement. The Romans tried to beat down the enemy pikes or hack off their points, but with little success. Unable to get under the thick bristle of spikes, the Romans used a planned retreat over the rough ground.

But as the phalanx pushed forward, the ground became more uneven as it moved into the foothills, and the line lost its cohesion, being forced over the rough terrain. Paullus now ordered the legions into the gaps, attacking the phalangites on their exposed flanks. At close quarters the longer Roman sword and heavier shield easily prevailed over the short sword (little more than a dagger) and lighter armor of the Macedonians. They were soon joined by the Roman right, which had succeeded in routing the Macedonian left.

Seeing the tide of battle turn, Perseus fled with the cavalry on the Macedonian right. According to Plutarch, Perseus’ cavalry had yet to engage, and both the king and his cavalry were accused of cowardice by the surviving infantry. Poseidonius claimed that the king was injured by enemy missiles and was brought to the city of Pydna at the start of the battle. However, the 3,000 strong Guard fought to the death, and the Macedonians suffered more than 32,000 dead or captured out of 40,000. The battle lasted about an hour but the bloody pursuit lasted until nightfall.

Perseus later surrendered to Paullus, and was paraded in triumph in Rome in chains. He was then imprisoned. The Macedonian kingdom was dissolved, its inhabitants enslaved and sent to Rome, its land settled with Roman colonists (ex-legionaries) and Roman allies, its government replaced with four republics. In time, these were also dissolved, and Macedonia became a Roman province.

The battle is often considered to be a victory of the Roman legion’s flexibility over the phalanx’s inflexibility. Nevertheless, some argue that the loss was actually due to a failure of command on the part of Perseus and the peculiar stance of the Companion cavalry, who did not engage the enemy. In effect, the Battle of Pydna might be the only battle attested, where the Roman maniples succeeded in breaking the Macedonian phalanx by engaging it frontally.

fyeahblackhistory:

The Dahomey Amazons

The Dahomey Amazons were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey. They were so named by Western observers and historians due to their similarity to the legendary Amazons described by the Ancient Greeks.

King Houegbadja (who ruled from 1645 to 1685), the third King of Dahomey, is said to have originally started the group which would become the Amazons as a corps of elephant hunters called the gbeto. During the 18th century, the king had some of his wives trained as royal bodyguards.

Houegbadja’s son King Agadja (ruling from 1708 to 1732) developed the female bodyguard into a militia and successfully used them in Dahomey’s defeat of the neighbouring kingdom of Savi in 1727. European merchants recorded their presence, as well as similar female warriors amongst the Ashanti. For the next hundred years or so, they gained reputation as fearless warriors. Though they fought rarely, they usually acquitted themselves well in battle.

The group of female warriors was referred to as Mino, meaning “Our Mothers” in the Fon language by the male army of Dahomey.
From the time of King Ghezo (ruling from 1818 to 1858), Dahomey became increasingly militaristic. Ghezo placed great importance on the army and increased its budget and formalized its structures. The Mino were rigorously trained, given uniforms, and equipped with Danish guns (obtained via the slave trade). By this time the Mino consisted of between 4000 and 6000 women, about a third of the entire Dahomey army.

The Mino were recruited from among the ahosi (“king’s wives”) of which there were often hundreds. Some women in Fon society became ahosi voluntarily, while others were involuntarily enrolled if their husbands or fathers complained to the King about their behaviour. Membership among the Mino was supposed to hone any aggressive character traits for the purpose of war. During their membership they were not allowed to have children or be part of married life. Many of them were virgins. The regiment had a semi-sacred status, which was intertwined with the Fon belief in Vodun.

The Mino trained with intense physical exercise. Discipline was emphasised. In the latter period, they were armed with Winchester rifles, clubs and knives. Units were under female command. Captives who fell into the hands of the Amazons were often decapitated.

Conflict with France
European encroachment into west Africa gained pace during the latter half of the 19th century, and in 1890 King Behanzin started fighting French forces in the course of the First Franco-Dahomean War. According to Holmes, many of the French soldiers fighting in Dahomey hesitated before shooting or bayoneting the Mino. The resulting delay led to many of the French casualties. Ultimately, bolstered by the Foreign Legion, and armed with superior weaponry, including machine guns, the French inflicted casualties that were ten times worse on the Dahomey side. After several battles, the French prevailed. The Legionnaires later wrote about the “incredible courage and audacity” of the Amazons. The last surviving Amazon of Dahomey died in 1979.

Pure courage, skill and evidence of the devastating power of the feminine role on the battlefield.

The Alamanni

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The Alemanni (also Alamanni, Alamani^[1]) were a confederation Suebian Germanic tribes located on the upper Rhine river. First mentioned by the Romans in 213, the Alamanni captured the Agri Decumates in 260, and later expanded into present-day Alsace, and northern Switzerland, establishing the German language in those regions. In 496, the Alamanni were conquered by Frankish leader Clovis and incorporated into his dominions. The legacy of the Alamanni survives in the Names of Germany in several languages.

Source: wikipedia.

Battle of Strasbourg

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The Battle of Strasbourg, also known as the Battle of Argentoratum, was fought in 357 between the Late Roman army under the Caesar (deputy emperor) Julian and the Alamanni tribal confederation led by the joint paramount king Chnodomar. The battle took place near Strasbourg (Alsace, France), called Argentoratum in Ammianus Marcellinus’ account, Argentorate in the Tabula Peutingeriana (Section 2).

Although probably outnumbered by a substantial margin, Julian’s army won a complete victory after a hard-fought struggle. With negligible casualties of their own, the Romans drove the Alamanni beyond the river Rhine inflicting heavy losses. Julian’s force, the imperial escort army of Gaul, was small but of high quality. The battle was won by the skill of the Roman infantry, with the cavalry initially performing poorly.

The battle was the climax of Julian’s campaigns in 355-7 to evict barbarian marauders from Gaul and to restore the Roman defensive line of fortifications along the Rhine, which had been largely destroyed during the Roman civil war of 350-3. In the years following his victory at Strasbourg, Julian was able to repair and garrison the Rhine forts and impose tributary status on the Germanic tribes beyond the border.

Source: wikipedia.

Cliffs of Gallipoli, Sabaton