imperi nuntivs
The newsletter of Legion Ireland - The Roman Military Society of Ireland
In This Issue
•
•
•
•
•
•
Food Hygiene
Roman Battles
Saturnalia 2011
Budget 2011
The Battle of Philippi
New Products
December MMXI
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Food Hygiene...
Imperi Nuntivs...
Publisher: Legion Ireland - The Roman Military
Society of Ireland.
Editor:
Martin McAree
email:
newsletter@romanarmy.ie
Contributions in the form of articles, letters and
queries from readers are welcomed. Please send
to the above address or use the contact form on
our website.
Copyright
Copyright Legion Ireland, all rights reserved. Every
effort has been made by the publisher to trace
copyright holders but in a few cases this may
prove impossible. Legion Ireland would like to
apologise for any unwitting cases of copyright
transgression and would like to hear from any
copyright holders not acknowledged. Any individuals providing articles or material for publication
must ensure they have obtained the correct permissions before submitting to us.
Food preparation and cooking is part and parcel of
camp life. But whether it’s a modern kitchen or a
Roman camp the basic rules of safe food preparation and cooking are the same. Good food hygiene
helps reduce the risk of food poisoning (field food is
bad enough without getting an infection). The four
main things to remember for good hygiene are:
•
•
•
•
Cross-contamination
Cleaning
Chilling
Cooking
These are known as the 4 Cs. They will help you
prevent the most common food safety problems.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is when bacteria are spread
between food, surfaces or equipment. It is most
likely to happen when raw food touches (or drips
onto) ready-to-eat food, equipment or surfaces.
Cross-contamination is one of the most common
causes of food poisoning. Do the following things to
avoid it:
• Clean work surfaces, chopping boards and
Content
Publication of any article does not imply endorsement by the publisher.
•
Advertising
Advertising in Historical Times does not imply endorsement.
Cover
Festive Legion Ireland Logo
•
•
•
•
•
equipment thoroughly before you start preparing
food and after you have used them to prepare
raw food.
Ideally, use different chopping boards and
knives for raw and ready-to-eat food.
Wash your hands before preparing food.
Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw
food.
Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart at all
times.
Store raw food below ready-to-eat food in the
fridge. If possible, use separate fridges for raw
and ready-to-eat food.
Make sure that your staff know how to avoid
cross-contamination.
Cleaning
Effective cleaning gets rid of bacteria on hands,
equipment and surfaces. So it helps to stop harmful
bacteria from spreading onto food. You should do
the following things:
• Make sure that you wash and dry your hands
thoroughly before handling food.
• Clean food areas and equipment between differ-
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
www.romanarmy.ie
ent tasks, especially after handling raw food.
• Clear and clean as you go. Clear away used
equipment, spilt food etc. as you work and clean
work surfaces thoroughly
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 2
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Chilling
Chilling food properly helps to stop harmful bacteria from growing. Some foods need to be kept
chilled to keep them safe, for example food with a
‘use by’ date, cooked dishes and other ready-toeat food such as prepared salads and desserts. It
is very important not to leave these types of food
standing around at room temperature. So, make
sure you do the following things:
Roman Battles - 6th to 3rd Centuries
BC...
• Check chilled food on purchase to make sure it
is cold enough.
• Put food that needs to be kept chilled in the
fridge straight away.
• Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and
then put it in the fridge.
• Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation.
• Check regularly that your fridge and display
units are cold enough.
Cooking
Thorough cooking kills harmful bacteria in food. So
it is extremely important to make sure that food is
cooked properly. When cooking or reheating food,
always check that it is piping hot all the way
through.
It is especially important to make sure that you
thoroughly cook poultry, rolled joints and products
made from minced meat, such as burgers and sausages. This is because there could be bacteria in
the middle of these types of products. They should
not be served pink or rare and should be piping hot
all the way through. Whole cuts of meat (such as
steaks) and whole joints of beef and lamb can be
served pink/rare as long as they are fully sealed on
the outside.
Following these simple guidelines should help
avoid and unfortunate experiences on campaign.
The satisfying results of following good Roman camp
food hygiene!
www.romanarmy.ie
So then, how many Roman battles do you know of,
and I don’t mean the ones we in the pub at reenactment events? Well here’s a list of those from
the 6th to 3rd centuries BC...
6th century BC
509 BC Battle of Silva Arsia - the Romans defeated
the forces of Tarquinii and Veii led by the deposed
king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. One of the Roman consuls, Lucius Junius Brutus, is killed in battle.
502 BC Battle of Pometia - the Latins won over the
Romans, one of the consuls badly wounded by a
spear that penetrated through his groin.
5th century BC
BC496 BC Battle of Lake Regillus - Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis defeats the Latins, led by
Tarquinius Superbus.
495 BC Battle of Aricia - consul Publius Servilius
Priscus defeats the Aurunci.
482 BC Battle of Antium - the Volscians defeat
consul Lucius Aemilius Mamercus.
482 BC Battle of Longula - consul Lucius Aemilius
Mamercus defeats the Volscians the day after his
defeat in the Battle of Antium.
480 BC Battle of Veii (480 BC) - consuls Marcus
Fabius Vibulanus and Gnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus
win heavy battle against Veians and their Etruscan
allies. Consul Gnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus and
former consul Quintus Fabius are slain.
477 BC Battle of the Cremera - All the Fabii except
Quintus Fabius Vibulanus are killed in battle with
the Veians
477 BC? Battle of Temple of Hope - consul Gaius
Horatius Pulvillus fights indecisive battle with the
Etruscans.
477 BC Battle of Colline Gate (477 BC) - consul
Gaius Horatius Pulvillus has indecisive victory over
the Etruscans soon after the Battle of Temple of
Hope
458 BC Battle of Mons Algidus - Cincinnatus defeats the Aequi
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 3
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
446 BC Battle of Corbione - Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus leads Roman troops to defeat the
Aequi and the Volsci.
4th century BC
396 BC - Battle of Veii - Romans complete conquest of Etruscans
390 BC - Battle of Allia River - Gauls defeat the
Romans, then sack Rome.
342 BC - Battle of Mount Gaurus - Roman general
Marcus Valerius Corvus defeats the Samnites.
341 BC - Battle of Suessola - Roman consul Marcus Valerius Corvus defeats the Samnites once
more.
339 BC - Battle of Vesuvius - Romans under P.
Decius Mus and T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus
defeat the rebellious Latins.
338 BC - Battle of Trifanum - Roman general T.
Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus decisively defeats
the Latins.
321 BC - Battle of the Caudine Forks - Romans
under Spurius Postumius Albinus and T. Verturius
Calvinus are defeated by the Samnites under
Gaius Pontius.
316 BC - Battle of Lautulae - Romans are defeated
by the Samnites.
310 BC - Battle of Lake Vadimo - Romans, led by
dictator Lucius Papirius Cursor, defeat the Etruscans.
305 BC - Battle of Bovianum - Roman consuls M.
Fulvius and L. Postumius decisively defeat the
Samnites to end the Second Samnite War.
3rd century BC
298 BC - Battle of Camerinum - Samnites defeat
the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus in the first battle of the Third Samnite War.
297 BC - Battle of Tifernum - Romans under Quintus Fabius Maximus and Lucius Cornelius Scipio
Barbatus defeat the Samnite army led by Gellius
Statius
295 BC - Battle of Sentinum - Romans under
Fabius Rullianus and Publius Decimus Mus defeat
the Samnites and their Etruscan and Gallic allies,
forcing the Etruscans, Gauls, and Umbrians to
make peace
293 BC - Battle of Aquilonia - Romans decisively
defeat the Samnites.
285 BC - Battle of Arretium - A Roman army under
Lucius Caecilius is destroyed by the Gauls
283 BC - Battle of Lake Vadimo - A Roman army
under P. Cornelius Dolabella defeats the Etruscans and Gauls.
282 BC - Battle of Populonia - Etruscan resistance
to Roman domination of Italy is finally crushed.
280 BC - Battle of Heraclea - First engagement of
Roman and Greek armies, the latter led by Pyrrhus
of Epirus, who is victorious, but at great cost.
www.romanarmy.ie
216 BC • 2 August - Battle of Cannae - Hannibal destroys
the main Roman army of Lucius Aemilius Paulus
and Publius Terentius Varro in what is considered one of the great masterpieces of the tactical art.
• First Battle of Nola - Roman general Marcus
Claudius Marcellus holds off an attack by Hannibal.
215 BC - Second Battle of Nola - Marcellus again
repulses an attack by Hannibal.
214 BC - Third Battle of Nola - Marcellus fights an
inconclusive battle with Hannibal.
212 BC • First Battle of Capua - Hannibal defeats the consuls Q. Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius,
but the Roman army escapes
• Battle of the Silarus - Hannibal destroys the
army of the Roman praetor M. Centenius Penula.
• Battle of Herdonia - Hannibal destroys the Roman army of the praetor Gnaeus Fulvius.
211 BC • Battle of the Upper Baetis - Publius and Gnaeus
Cornelius Scipio are killed in battle with the Carthaginians under Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal
Barca
• Second Battle of Capua - Hannibal is not able to
break the Roman siege of the city.
210 BC • Second Battle of Herdonia - Hannibal destroys
the Roman army of Fulvius Centumalus, who is
killed
• Battle of Numistro - Hannibal defeats Marcellus
once more
209 BC • Battle of Asculum - Hannibal once again defeats
Marcellus, in an indecisive battle
• First Battle of Lamia - Romans defeated by
Philip V of Macedon
• Second Battle of Lamia - Romans defeated by
Philip V once more
208 BC - Battle of Baecula - Romans in Hispania
(Iberia) under P. Cornelius Scipio the Younger defeat Hasdrubal Barca
207 BC • Battle of Grumentum - Roman general Gaius
Claudius Nero fights an indecisive battle with
Hannibal, then escapes north to confront Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal Barca, who has invaded
Italy
• Battle of the Metaurus - Hasdrubal is defeated
and killed by Nero's Roman army.
• Battle of Carmona - Romans under Publius Cornelius Scipio besiege the city of Carmona and
take it from Hasdrubal Gisco
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 4
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 5
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
206 BC - Battle of Ilipa - Scipio again decisively
defeats the remaining Carthaginian forces in Hispania.
204 BC - Battle of Crotona - Hannibal fights a
drawn battle against the Roman general Sempronius in Southern Italy.
203 BC - Battle of Bagbrades - Romans under
Scipio defeat the Carthaginian army of Hasdrubal
Gisco and Syphax. Hannibal is sent to return to
Africa.
202 BC, 19 October - Battle of Zama - Scipio Africanus Major decisively defeats Hannibal in North
Africa, ending the Second Punic War
200 BC - Battle of Cremona - Roman forces defeat
the Gauls of Cisalpine Gaul
Ye Can All Feck Off...
equestrian class, a tax of one Sestertius shall
apply to all amphora of wine drank by senators
between the hours of 4am and 5am. A tax of
one Denarius shall apply to all plebeians drinking outside of these hours.
3. An environmental tax of four As will be applied to
all animal drawn carts. Those travelling by litter
shall receive a tax reduction of 25%.
4. Senatorial laundry expenses are to be increased
by one Aureus per month as the Emperor wants
those Toga’s looking clean and white.
5. A tax of one Sestertius per month shall be applied to all plebeians to pay for the increase in
Senatorial laundry expenses.
6. A new environmental tax of two Denarius per
year shall be applied to all households without a
bath and a flushing toilet. This is to help pay for
the collection of waste from the streets.
7. A new employment focused tax exemption of
one Aureus per year shall be applied per slave
for all households owning more than ten slaves.
8. A new tax of four As per year shall be applied to
all plebeians to pay for the slave tax exemption.
9. As a reward for the sufferings of the Roman people games will be held in the month of January.
These will be FREE to all with FREE wine and
FREE bread.
10. A new tax of one Aureus per year shall be applied to all plebeians to pay for public games.
The Censor Scroogius Maximus aka Michael
Noonan presented his “Employment Focused”
budget to the Senate yesterday. The budget is a
shot in the arm to our faltering economy and has
received a broad welcome by all. The main
changes introduced in this budget are:
1. In an attempt to increase employment, Senators
must reduce slave numbers to a maximum of
500 per household by AD1000. Good looking
female slaves are of course exempt from this
quota. The case is reversed i.e. no limit on the
number of pretty boys, if you’re Greek.
2. In an attempt to reduce the excesses of the
www.romanarmy.ie
11. In an effort to reduce the hardship incurred by
Senators in travelling to the Senate House in
Rome from the provinces, Senators can now
claim mileage for any accompanying harlots or
mistresses. A rate of one Semis per harlot/
mistress per mile shall be paid. Senators living
in Rome will not be able to claim for this but
they will be rewarded with one harlot/mistress
for every mile travelled by their provincial colleagues.
12. A new tax of one Quinarius shall be applied to
all plebeians to pay for the new senatorial mileage allowance.
Speaking from his home in Lepcis Magna senator
Scroogius said Rome faced some tough decisions,
but he felt that his budget was “fair” and “spread
the suffering evenly across Roman society” He’s
currently gathering his harlots to return to Rome!
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 6
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 7
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Newstalk...
On Friday the 25th of November I travelled to Dublin to go on the Tom Dunne Show on Newstalk. It
was a crazy 10 minutes in which I attempted to
squeeze in as much about the group and our activities as I could. You can hear a recording of the
interview if you go to the Newstalk website and
look up the Tom Dunne show.
A funny story though, some of the staff were a bit
concerned that the public might injure themselves
on our pointy swords, Pila etc. I explained that in all
the time we’d been doing this we’ve never had an
injury to the public but they were still concerned. As
is turned out no member of the public was injured
but Longinvs who took a nice chip out of my right
index metacarpal (had to go for x-ray) and give me
a nice flesh wound. The funny thing is this was
done with a blank fighting sword! I just hope I’m left
with a decent scar!
Say “Cheese”...
Back Stabbing B*Tard!
National Museum...
We completed our last official event of the 2011
season at the National Museum of Ireland on Sunday the 27th of November. As usual is was a hectic event but great fun. We we’re a bit more efficient than usual though. We had everything unpacked, set up and everybody in kit by 1pm, a record for us. Door’s opened to the public at 2pm
and we were under pressure from the start. A very
large number of the public turned out and our displays were crammed most of the time. I did children’s Roman army in the large ceramics hall and
the lads manned the displays on the landing. I can
tell you we were kept going all afternoon. As usual
the staff at the museum were superb, especially
our host Mary-Jane Fitzsimons who couldn’t have
done more for us.
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Celer and Museum Staff
Page 8
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 9
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 10
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Robin Does a lot more than footwear such as woodwork and metal work so don’t hesitate to enquire!
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 11
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Key Roman Battles...
Key Roman Battles is a new feature that will deal
with a critical battle in Rome’s history in each edition. This month I have chosen the Battle of Philippi.
The Battle of Philippi - 42BC
The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the
Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the
forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (the Second
Triumvirate) and the forces of Julius Caesar's assassins Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius
Longinus in 42 BC, at Philippi in Macedonia. The
Second Triumvirate declared this civil war to
avenge Julius Caesar's murder.
The battle consisted of two engagements in the
plain west of the ancient city of Philippi. The first
occurred on the first week of October; Brutus faced
Octavian, while Antony's forces were up against
those of Cassius. At first, Brutus pushed back Octavian and entered his legions' camp. But to the
south, Cassius was defeated by Antony, and committed suicide after hearing a false report that
Brutus had also failed. Brutus rallied Cassius' remaining troops and both sides ordered their army
to retreat to their camps with their spoils, and the
battle was essentially a draw, but for Cassius' suicide. A second encounter, on 23 October, finished
off Brutus's forces, and he committed suicide in
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
turn, leaving the triumvirate in control of the Roman
Republic.
Prelude...
After the murder of Caesar, Brutus and Cassius
(the two main conspirators, also known as the Liberatores) had left Italy and taken control of all Eastern provinces (from Greece and Macedonia to
Syria) and of the allied Eastern kingdoms. In Rome
the three main Caesarian leaders (Antony, Octavian and Lepidus), who controlled almost all the
Roman army in the west, had crushed the opposition of the senate and established the second triumvirate. One of their first tasks was to destroy the
Liberators’ forces, not only to get full control of the
Roman world, but also to avenge Caesar’s death.
The triumvirs decided to leave Lepidus in Italy,
while the two main partners of the triumvirate
(Antony and Octavian) moved to Northern Greece
with their best troops (a total of 28 legions). They
were able to ferry their army across the Adriatic
and sent out a scouting force of eight legions
(commanded by Norbanus and Saxa) along the via
Egnatia, with the aim of searching for the Liberators' army. Norbanus and Saxa passed the town of
Philippi in eastern Macedonia and took a strong
defensive position at a narrow mountain pass. Antony was following, while Octavian was delayed at
Dyrrachium because of his ill-health (which would
accompany him throughout the Philippi campaign).
Although the triumvirs had been able to cross the
sea with their main force, further communications
with Italy were made difficult by the arrival of the
Liberatore admiral Ahenobarbus, with a large fleet
of 130 ships.
The Liberators did not wish to engage in a decisive
battle, but rather to attain a good defensive position
and then use their naval superiority to block the
triumvirs’ communications with their supply base in
Italy. They had spent the previous months plundering Greek cities to swell their war-chest and had
gathered in Thrace with the Roman legions from
the Eastern provinces and levies from allies. With
their superior forces they were able to outflank
Norbanus and Saxa, who had to abandon their defensive position and retreat west of Philippi. Thus,
Brutus and Cassius could seize a strong defensive
position holding the high ground along both sides
of the via Egnatia, about 3.5 km west of the city of
Philippi. The south position was anchored to a supposedly impassable marsh, while on the north to
impervious hills. They had plenty of time to fortify
their position with a rampart and a ditch. Brutus put
his camp on the north while Cassius on the south
of the via Egnatia. Antony arrived shortly and positioned his army on the south of the via Egnatia,
while Octavian put his legions north of the road.
Page 12
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Opposing Forces...
The Triumvirs' army included nineteen legions
(other legions had been left behind). The sources
report specifically the name of only one legion (IV
legion), but other legions present included the VI,
VII, VIII, X Equestris, XII, III, XXVI, XXVIII, XXIX,
and XXX, since their veterans participated in the
land settlements after the battle. Appian reports
that the triumvirs’ legions were almost at full ranks.
Furthermore, they had a large allied cavalry force
(13,000 horsemen with Octavian and 20,000 with
Antony).
The Liberators' army had seventeen legions (eight
with Brutus and nine with Cassius, while the other
two legions were with the fleet). Only two of the
legions were at full ranks, but the army was reinforced by levies from the Eastern allied kingdoms.
Appian reports that the army mustered a total of
about 80,000 foot-soldiers. Allied cavalry included
a total of 17,000 horsemen, including 5,000 bowmen mounted in the Eastern fashion. This army
included the old Caesarean legions present in the
East (probably with XXVII, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXI
and XXXIII legions); thus most of these legionnaires were former Caesarean veterans. However,
at least the XXXVI legion consisted of old Pompeian veterans, enrolled in Caesar's army after the
Battle of Pharsalus. The loyalty of the soldiers who
were supposed to fight against Caesar’s heir was a
delicate issue for the Liberators. (It is important to
emphasize that the name "Octavian" was never
used by contemporaries: he was simply known as
Caius Iulius Caesar). Cassius tried in all ways to
reinforce the soldiers’ loyalty both with strong
speeches ("Let it give no one any concern that he
has been one of Caesar's soldiers. We were not
his soldiers then, but our country's") and with a gift
of 1,500 denari for each legionnaire and 7,500 for
each centurion.
Although ancient sources do not report the total
numbers of men of the two armies, it seems that
they had a similar strength. Modern historians put
the total at about 100,000 core legionaries on each
side.
The First Battle of Philippi...
Antony offered battle several times, but the Liberators were not lured to leave their defensive stand.
Thus, Antony tried to secretly outflank the Liberators' position through the marshes in the south.
With great effort he was able to cut a passage
through the marshes, throwing up a causeway
upon them. This maneuver was finally noticed by
Cassius who tried a countermove by moving part
of his army south into the marshes and making a
transverse dam, , trying to cut off Antony’s outstretched right wing. This brought about a general
www.romanarmy.ie
battle on October 3, 42 BC.
The First Battle of Philippi
Antony ordered a charge against Cassius, aiming
at the fortifications between Cassius's camp and
the marshes. At the same time, Brutus's soldiers,
provoked by the triumvir’s army, rushed against
Octavian’s army, without waiting for the order of
attack (given with the watchword "Liberty"). This
surprise assault had complete success: Octavian’s
troops were put to flight and pursued up to their
camp, which was captured by Brutus’s men, led by
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus. Three of Octavian’s legionary standards were also taken, a clear
sign of disbandment. Octavian was not found in his
tent: his couch was pierced and cut to pieces. Most
ancient historians say that he had been warned in
a dream to beware of that day, as he had himself
written in his memoirs. Pliny bluntly reports that
Octavian went hiding into a marsh.
However, on the other side of the via Egnatia, Antony was able to storm Cassius’s fortifications, demolishing the palisade and filling up the ditch. Then
he easily took Cassius’s camp, which was defended by only a few men. It seems that part of
Cassius’s army had advanced south: when these
men tried to come back they were easily repulsed
by Antony. Apparently the battle had ended in a
draw. Cassius had lost 9,000 men, while Octavian
had about 18,000 casualties. However, the battlefield was very large and clouds of dust made it impossible to make a clear assessment of the outcome of the battle, so both parts were ignorant of
each other's fate. Cassius moved to the top of a
hill, but could not see well what was happening on
Brutus’s side. Believing that he had suffered a
crushing defeat he ordered his freedman Pindarus
to kill him. Brutus mourned over Cassius’s body,
calling him "the last of the Romans". However, he
avoided a public funeral, fearing its negative effects
on the army morale.
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 13
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
Alternative sources credit the avarice of Brutus's
troops as the factor that undid their definitive victory on October 3. Premature looting and gathering
of treasure by Brutus's advancing forces allowed
Octavian's troops to re-form their line. In Octavian's future reign as Emperor, a common battle
cry became, "Complete the battle once begun!"
The Second Battle of Philippi...
On the same day as the first battle of Philippi, the
Republican fleet was able to intercept and destroy
the triumvirs' reinforcements (two legions and other
troops and supplies led by Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus). Thus, the strategic position of Antony and
Octavian became quite serious, since the already
depleted regions of Macedonia and Thessaly were
unable to supply their army for long, while Brutus
could easily receive supplies from the sea. The
triumvirs had to send a legion south to Achaia to
collect more supplies. The morale of the troops
was boosted by the promise of further 5,000 denarii for each soldier and 25,000 for each centurion.
On the other side, however, the Liberators’ army
was left without its best strategic mind. Brutus had
less military experience than Cassius and, even
worse, he could not obtain the same sort of respect from his allies and his soldiers, although after the battle he offered another gift of 1,000 denarii for each soldier. In the next three weeks, Antony was able to slowly advance his forces south
of Brutus’s army, fortifying a hill close to Cassius’s
former camp, which had been left unguarded by
Brutus. To avoid being outflanked Brutus was compelled to extend his line to the south, parallel to the
via Egnatia, building several fortified posts.
Brutus's defensive position was still secure, holding the high ground with a safe line of communication with the sea.
He still wanted to keep the original plan of avoiding
an open engagement while waiting for his naval
superiority to wear out the enemy. Unfortunately,
most of his officers and soldiers were tired of the
delaying tactics and demanded another attempt at
an open battle. Probably both Brutus and his officers feared the risk of having their soldiers deserting to the enemy if they did not keep their ascendancy on the troops. Plutarch also reports that
Brutus had not received news of Domitius Calvinus' defeat in the Ionian Sea. Thus, when some
of the eastern allies and mercenaries started deserting, Brutus was forced to attack on the afternoon of October 23. As he said "I seem to carry on
war like Pompey the Great, not so much commanding now as commanded."
www.romanarmy.ie
The battle resulted in close combat between two
armies of well-trained veterans. Arrows or javelins
were largely ignored; instead, the soldiers packed
into solid ranks and fought face-to-face with their
swords, and the slaughter was terrible. In the end,
Brutus’s attack was repulsed, and his soldiers
routed in confusion, their ranks broken. Octavian's
soldiers were able to capture the gates of Brutus’s
camp before the routing army could reach this defensive position. Thus, Brutus’s army could not reform, which made the triumvirs’ victory complete.
Brutus was able to retreat into the nearby hills with
the equivalent of only 4 legions. Seeing that surrender and capture were inevitable, Brutus committed
suicide.
The Second Battle of Philippi
The total casualties for the second battle of Philippi
were not reported, but the close quarters fighting
likely resulted in heavy losses for both sides.
Aftermath...
Plutarch reports that Antony covered Brutus's body
with a purple garment as a sign of respect; they
had been friends. He remembered that Brutus had
stipulated, as a condition for his joining the plot to
assassinate Caesar, that the life of Antony be
spared. Many other young Roman aristocrats lost
their lives in the battle or committed suicide after
the defeat, including the son of great orator Hortensius, and Marcus Porcius Cato (the son of Cato the
younger), and Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
(the father of Livia, who became Octavian’s wife).
Some of the nobles who were able to escape negotiated their surrender to Antony and entered his
service (among them Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus
and Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus). Apparently, the nobles did not want to deal with the
young and merciless Octavian.
The remains of the Liberators’ army were rounded
up and roughly 14,000 men were enrolled into the
triumvirs' army. Old veterans were discharged back
to Italy, but some of the veterans remained in the
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 14
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
town of Philippi, which became a Roman colony
(Colonia Victrix Philippensium). Antony remained
in the East, while Octavian returned to Italy, with
the difficult task of finding sufficient land on which
to settle a large number of veterans. Despite the
fact that Sextus Pompeius was controlling Sicily
and Domitius Ahenobarbus still commanded the
republican fleet, the republican resistance had
been definitively crushed at Philippi.
The Battle of Philippi marked the highest point of
Antony's career: at that time he was the most famous Roman general and the senior partner of the
Second Triumvirate. Antony's life was defined in
this moment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Philippi
New Products...
We’re introducing a new section advertising new
products now available from trusted suppliers.
New from Montague Heritage Services...
The following are now available at Monty’s FB
page or can be viewed directly at Visions Gallery &
Giftware, Esmonde Street, Gorey, Co. Wexford.
www.montague.ie
http://www.facebook.com/#!/MontagueHeritageServices
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 15
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
New from Armamentaria...
A stunning and highly accurate reconstruction of the Port bei Nidau
type B helmet (now in the collection of the Landesmuseum Zurich).
Germanic pattern carbatina
Solid Oak Training
Roman carbatina
www.armamentaria.com
info@armentaria.com
Fire steel/striker. Average overall length 85mm
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 16
Imperi Nuntius - December 2011
www.romanarmy.ie
info@romanarmy.ie
Page 17