Episode 167 - The Gallic Sack of Rome - Part 2

We rejoin the Romans and the Gauls in 390 BCE at the place where the Tiber river intersects with the Alia river. Turns out that when a bunch of Fabians upset the Gauls, those Gauls decide to march south towards Rome… How many Gauls and how many Romans met at the rivers’ edge? Well, the numbers are probably unreliable but the Romans are pretty sure they are outnumbered.

The Battle at the Alia

There seems to be a few issues at this moment including the Roman failure to build a proper camp and - even worse - failure to take the auspices. Is this some foreshadowing from our friend Livy?

Stay tuned for a discussion of the slim layout of the Roman forces. Brennus, the putative leader of the Gauls, seems to be uncertain that there may be some secret tactic or force that he hasn’t been able to account for. There’s also the problem of which bank of the river the battle takes place on which may influence where Roman forces end up. 

Will the Romans take the day or will they flail in the face of the Gallic strength? Are there some tactics involved that scholars can discern from the literary accounts that aren’t immediately obvious?

The Roman Retreat 

When the day goes against Rome, the retreat seems to be chaotic. Some of the Romans retreat to Rome, which makes sense, and some retreat to Veii. This creates a host of uncertainty for the Romans who survive particularly those who head back to Rome and don’t find their comrades there. The assumption of Roman losses is significant.

The Gauls meanwhile continue to suspect that there is a surprise attack from the Romans coming, but after some time they decide it’s worth marching on Rome just to see what they can see.  

Things to listen out for:

• Gauls getting ‘organised’ after Alia
• The priestesses of Vesta get involved
• General Akbar and the Gauls coming together
• The role of the citadel on the Capitoline Hill
• The Gauls confused about Rome - the city?
• How does the levy of the Roman army work in this moment?
• The security of the sacred objects of Rome
• The Vestal Virgins on the move!
• What happens to the eldest noble Romans now the Gauls are at the gates
• Lucius Albinus - ’the noble Plebeian’?

For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

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